The Cleveland Indian: The Legend of King Saturday

Luke Salisbury's The Cleveland Indian: The Legend of King Saturday is an overlooked little gem in the genre of baseball fiction. Drawing heavily on the brief but colorful history of the National League's Cleveland Spiders during the 1890's, the novel centers around the boozing, brawling, gambling, larger-than-life King Saturday, a Penobscot Native American laden with immense talent, drawn to shady dealings, and ever at odds with a host of enemies. The character was inspired by Louis Sockalexis who indeed played a few seasons with the Spiders but was nowhere near the outsized personality created by Salisbury. The author effectively captures the atmosphere of the latter days of the Gilded Age, and the omnipresent vices beneath its shiny show more veneer. While this is an entertaining read, the novel does have its flaws. The plot meanders a bit, and the love triangles don't quite ring true. But the rich sepia-toned baseball flavor that runs throughout the book makes the book a solid success. show less