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Fiction. Literature. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:One of the premier novelists of the twentieth century, James A. Michener captures a frenzied time when sane men and women risked their very lives in a forbidding Arctic land to win a dazzling and elusive prize: Yukon gold. In 1897, gold fever sweeps the world. The promise of untold riches lures thousands of dreamers from all walks of life on a perilous trek toward fortune, failure�or death. Journey is an immersive account of the adventures of four English aristocrats and their Irish servant as they haul across cruel Canadian terrain toward the Klondike gold fields. Vivid and sweeping, featuring Michener�s probing insights into the follies and grandeur of the human spirit, this is the kind of novel only he could write. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Hawaii. Praise for Journey �Stunning . . . Michener at his best.��Houston Chronicle �Michener brings sharply into focus the hardships encountered by those who dreamed of striking it rich.��Associated Press �Michener has amassed a peerless reputation as the heralded dean of the historical tome. . . . Journey is a book that envelops the reader in an atmosphere of hazardous escapades.��Richmond Times-Dispatch �Remarkable . . . superb literature.��The Pittsburgh Press.… (more)
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Since I'm not an outdoorsy person, I don't usually read wilderness adventure stories unless there is some other aspect to the story that appeals to me. In this case, I was drawn to the history of the gold rush and to the characters who formed Lord Luton's party - four men from England's privileged class and an Irish servant. One of the travelers carried Palgrave's Golden Treasury, and the poems or fragments of poems scattered through the novel are some of my favorites from my high school days - Robert Herrick's "The Poetry of Dress" and "Counsel to Girls", Shelley's "Ozymandias", Milton's "On His Blindness".
This book would be a good choice for supplemental reading in a course on leadership. It illustrates the folly of refusing to alter one's plans in light of new information or a change in circumstance.
The adventure ends quite tragic,nature is simply stronger!
The author demonstrats his respect for the history and achievments.
Very short or a Michener but just as good as ny of his longer writings.
I particularly enjoyed reading Michener's description of the many disiullsioned, swindled, and downright stupid people who, coming to seek their own riches and glory, had no idea what it meant to live and survive in the wilderness, much less the brutal reality of surviving in such places like the Klondike and on the Mackenzie River. A solid read; would recommend it to anyone with a thirst and a stomach for adventure.
While this story is fiction it is based on thorough research of the adventurers who went to the Klondike goldfields through Canada instead of over the Chilkoot Pass from Alaska. I had never realized that so many people took that route to get to the Klondike but it was quite popular with British and Canadian prospectors. The leader of the expedition in this book was Lord Evelyn Luton, a British nobleman who led a crew made up of his cousin, Harry Carpenter, his nephew, Philip Henslow and Philip's friend, Trevor Blythe. Lord Luton also asked his Irish gamekeeper, Tim Fogarty, to join them as the expedition servant. They left Britain in July 1897 by boat, landing in Montreal where they took the railway to Calgary and then a branch line to Edmonton. There was conflicting advice about which route to take from Edmonton but the group decided on a river route using the Athabasca and Mackenzie Rivers to go north. They left Edmonton in the middle of August knowing they could not make it all the way before freeze-up but intending to stay over the winter along the route. They got just short of Fort Norman and established a habitation along the shore of the Gravel River which feeds into the Mackenzie. Having fared quite well over the winter they started out again in June of 1898 but they immediately lost the first of their numbers. By the time their epic journey was over more men would die.
Michener lays most of the blame for the tragic outcome of the journey on the shoulders of Lord Luton who was determined to find a route to Dawson City that did not mean entering into US territory despite advice to the contrary. It is hard to believe someone could be so stubborn and high-handed but there are real life precedents for him in the annals of exploration.
As Michener states at the end of the book,
The story follows four English aristocrats and an Irish servant as they take the arduous overland route through Canada, chosen because the leader of the expedition hated America so much that he refused to let even his little toe cross the border into the U.S. In true Michener fashion, I was hooked by the story, the setting, and-- last but not least-- the characters. The U.S.-hating Lord Luton is a supreme example of his class and era, and it's a miracle my eyes didn't lock in the back of my head due to all the eye-rolling he caused me. It's hard for me not to get involved as I read a Michener novel, and Journey was no exception.
If you love historical fiction that not only teaches you about history but also tells a wonderful story, you can't go wrong by reading this book-- especially since it's several hundred pages shorter than a standard Michener novel. Who knows? You may get hooked and start reading those Michener "doorstops," too. The man certainly knew how to tell a multi-generational tale, and few authors can even come close.
Many hardships are encountered such as overwintering in the Arctic Circle, avoiding gigantic blocks of ice when the rivers thaw, and losing health and energy to scurvy and starvation. Yet the story is told in a way that feels academic. The dialogue is wooden, the descriptions of the natural world uninspiring, and the characters stereotypes. The poem-filled epilogue seems unnecessary, as if Michener just couldn't bring himself to put out a book that was only 260 pages long.
Then, Michener uses a nearly 30-page closing chapter to explain how the book evolved. Originally meant to be a portion of his bestseller, "Alaska," it was removed for length and the fact that none of the action actually takes place in Alaska. Michener claims he rescued "Journey" as a salute to Canada, but I have a feeling he didn't want to waste the research hours he had already spent.