This is a extremely well researched book. While not a "can't-put-it-down" book, it is written in a style that keeps one interested. It doesn't have the more exciting style of, say, The Frontiersman by Allan Eckert, but it is a good read non-the-less. There is plenty of history here, plenty of information about the Indians of the time, politics, characters, etc. However, so much history is covered that it is impossible to cover any part in great depth which makes it difficult to feel that one is part of the action. Instead, the book is more of the typical history book where one feels to be on the outside looking in.
I live near where much of this history takes place in Ohio, so I find the history of this area more interesting than some, and I don't understand why David Zeisberger doesn't get more mention in history. This is a fascinating person. Fascincating enough that his history could be written in a more exciting style by the right author. However, this isn't a put down, as this is the best book on the subject I have read.
The book starts out with the childhood of Zeisberger, which is a little slow reading. This information is important, though, as it shows what environment Zeisberger grew up in and how it affected his life later.
However, I was more interested in the years between 1740-1782. This is a wonderfully exciting time in Ohio history, and Olmstead covers it well. Because of the focus of the book, Olmstead covers events such as Braddock's Massacre in only a page or so, whereas there are entire books written on just this one battle. However, the book is about Zeisberger, and Olmstead relates how events such as these affected the lives of those around Zeisberger and the Moravian missions. The book takes us through the French and Indian War, into the Revolutionary War, and ends with the massacre of Christian Indians at Gnadenhutten, Ohio in 1782. Olmstead's history shows us how these peaceful (and not so peaceful) Indians' lives were affected by the events happening around them and to them.
This is a very "neutral" book. By that I mean, the book doesn't offer a slanted judgement of one side against the other; it simply tells what happens. For example, both the good and the bad of the Indians are pointed out, giving us a true view of the Eastern Woodland Indians as real people, not just some distorted image of the "noble savage" fighting against the evil white men trying to steal his land.
Another book by Olmstead, "Blackcoats among the Delaware" covers Zeisberger's life after the period of this book, but I really think this is the better written book (of course, since I am more interested in the 1750-1780 time period, this may just be prejudice on my part).
Even forgetting David Zeisberger, this is a decent book on "Indian-Colonist relations," and how one event could influence another event many miles away. I don't think anyone could be disappointed in this book if they are interested in either the time period or David Zeisberger. As a book on Zeisberger, this should be a 5 star, but as a book in general, a 3 is about it.