The Sea Runners [B2023]

2006 printing of the 1982 original, in nice clean condition. In 1853, in the farthest outpost of the Czar's empire, four Scandinavian indentured servants-seven-year men no better off than slaves-resolve to escape from Russian Alaska. They steal an Indian canoe and point it south toward Astoria, in Oregon, twelve hundred miles away. This novel of audacity is based on a historical incident discovered by the author, and transformed by his imagination into a sustained sweep of adventure. The four sea runners must weather the worst the ill-named Pacific can throw at them, and must weather their own fierce squalls, too, as day upon day, guided as much by instinct and determination as by map, they paddle through the magnificent maze of the Northwest Coast toward the mouth of the Columbia River. "The sea, wind, space, are palpable in this exquisitely worked book. And not the least of its charms is the liveliness with which it explores a forgotten corner of North American history."-Thomas Keneally

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Ivan Doig uses Sea Runners to bring to life a real time and real place in our history. Having made the inland passageway by sailboat from Vancouver to Sitka I enjoyed the writing of the sea, the sky, and the shore along the way. What I most enjoy with Ivan Doig is the dialogue. His prose is just plain fun and full of entertaining idioms and anecdotes. It is a book I could pick up and re-read a chapter on a winters night just to have the words dance around in my head for a while."; "Interesting story. Prose and poetry bring life to the rugged west coast."; "I am a fan of Doig but this debut caught me by surprise, because it so different from his Montana books. A terrific adventure tale, that will have you cheering on this ragtag quartet."