“Contests of Strength, with its drama and romance, is reminiscent of a blockbuster movie, but perhaps more awe-inspiring is that the story grew not from fantasy but from real legends...” —Micah McCarty, former Makah tribal chairman, from the Foreword

He’s a warrior, not a whaler. She’s a noble, not a slave. But the sea makes the rules.

It’s 1699, and a quick-tempered warrior, Dushuuw, struggles to tap the spiritual guidance he needs to help his beloved brother in the whaling canoe and to regain his good name in the community. Meanwhile, Amuun'axsum fills her role as a spurned slave, helping the village shaman, all while aching to return to the noble life she once enjoyed. In a society governed by strict cultural rules, each of their secrets is fraught with danger—and Dushuuw’s and Amuun'axsum’s choices could make them deadly as well.

The danger is mirrored by a seaside landscape of crashing waves and rugged cliffs, with hints of impending disaster building at every turn. When the earth violently shakes on a winter’s night in 1700, a wall of water is sent rushing toward Dushuuw’s and Amuun'axsum’s village.

Will their dreams survive—if they survive at all?

The answers are rooted even deeper in the past…

This lush historical novel—14 years in the making—is written by award-winning journalist Melissa Slager, of Everett, Washington, who ties together the latest scientific research with the oldest Native stories about the Cascadia subduction zone earthquake and tsunami of January 26, 1700.