King William's War encompassed several proxy wars being fought by the English and the French through their native allies: the Beaver Wars, a long running feud between the Iroquois Confederacy, New France, and New France's native allies over control of the lucrative fur trade, and the second Wabanaki War between New England colonists and the pro-French Wabanaki of Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. These two conflicts officially became one with the arrival of news of a declaration of war between France and England in 1689. The next nine years saw coordinated attacks, including French assaults on Schenectady, New York, and Massachusetts, and English attacks around Montreal and on Nova Scotia. The war ended diplomatically, but started again five years later in Queen Anne's War. A riveting history full of memorable characters and events, and supported by extensive primary source material, King William's War: The First Contest for North America, 1689-1697 by Michael G. Laramie is the first book-length treatment of a war that proved crucial to the future of North America.