The Kent Family Chronicles (also known as The American Bicentennial Series) is a series of eight

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s by

John Jakes John William Jakes (March 31, 1932 – March 11, 2023) was an American writer, best known for historical and speculative fiction. His American Civil War trilogy, '' North and South'', has sold millions of copies worldwide. He was also the author ...

written for

Lyle Engel Lyle Kenyon Engel (c.1915 - August 10, 1986) was an American magazine publisher and book producer. Taking over the family business after his father's death, Engel made the company the largest publisher of lyric magazines in the country. He later fo ...

of Book Creations, Inc., to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

of the United States. The books became

best seller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, coo ...

s, with no novel in the series selling fewer than 3.5 million copies.Mary Ellen Jones
"John Jakes"
''Dictionary of Midwestern Literature'', pp. 286-288 With '' The Rebels'', ''

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk music, folk-influenced pop music, pop group originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the Unit ...

'', and '' The Furies'', Jakes became the first author to have three books on

the New York Times best-seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

in a single year, 1975.Kay Kipling
"The John Jakes Chronicles"
''Sarasota Magazine'', November 2006. The books feature various members of the Kent family, connecting them with historical events at the time of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. The first novel begins just before the American Revolution, with

Frenchman French people () are a nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France. The French people, especially the native speakers of langues d'oïl from nort ...

Phillipe Charboneau, who travels to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and later to the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

, changing his name to Philip Kent along the way and meeting several key figures of the Revolution, including the Marquis de Lafayette,

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

Samuel Adams Samuel Adams (, 1722 – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, Political philosophy, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colonial Massachusetts, a le ...

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot movement in Boston, Massachusetts, Bos ...

, and others. The saga ends some generations later in 1890, with the death of Gideon Kent in ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American historical drama, period spy fiction, spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg for FX (TV channel), FX. It aired for six seasons from 2013 to 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also served as showrunners ...

''. The series was originally intended to continue until 1976, covering 200 years.Mary Ellen Jones
"Part Two: The Kent Family Chronicles"
''John Jakes: A Critical Companion''. Greenwood Press, 1996. p. 29. The first two novels in the series were made into

telefilms A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terres ...

in 1978 and 1979, both starring

Andrew Stevens Andrew Stevens (born Herman Andrew Stephens; June 10, 1955) is an American executive, film producer, director and actor. Early life Stevens was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the only child of actress Stella Stevens and her former husband Noble ...

as Philip Kent, with the third adapted as a 1979 telefilm starring

Randolph Mantooth Randolph Mantooth (born Randy DeRoy Mantooth, September 19, 1945) is an American actor who has worked in television, documentaries, theater, and film for more than 50 years. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he was discovere ...

as the son, Abraham Kent. "Operation Prime Time" premiered in syndication with the first of these.

Novels

* '' The Bastard'' (1974) * '' The Rebels'' (1975) * ''

'' (1975) * ''The Furies'' (1976) * ''The Titans'' (1976) * ''The Warriors'' (1977) * ''The Lawless'' (1978) * ''The Americans'' (1979)

References

External links

John Jakes Official Homepage

''The Bastard''
on IMDb
''The Rebels''
on IMDb
''The Seekers''
on IMDb Family saga novels Novels by John Jakes American historical novels Novels set during the American Civil War Fictional families 1970s novels United States Bicentennial {{AmericanCivilWar-novel-stub