Alaska: A Novel

James Michener’s Alaska is historical fiction in his signature style — a vast, time-spanning narrative that compresses millennia into a single sweeping story. The book begins in prehistory, where Michener takes creative liberties to imagine the land’s earliest inhabitants, and then steadily accelerates toward the modern era, expanding in detail as it approaches the present. His rendering of Alaska’s geological and human evolution is both imaginative and , given what we know, plausible. I picked up the book wondering what could possibly make Alaska worthy of such an epic treatment, and found myself astonished by its depth — the land’s natural history, geography, and the improbable mix of people who shaped it. Michener remains even-handed in his storytelling, giving due credit to every group that played a role in Alaska’s past. Some passages, such as the brutal hunting of walruses for profit, are difficult to read, but they are a necessary part of the truth he aims to tell. Like many of his novels, Alaska is both compelling and demanding: it’s hard to put down once you’re absorbed in it, yet oddly hard to pick back up after a pause. Michener’s characters often pass in and out of the narrative, generations blending and overlapping, so that your emotional connection lies more with the place than with any single person. Still, the research, scope, and storytelling are extraordinary. Because he delivers history through fiction, the lessons linger — long after you’ve closed the book.

The best thing about this book is that it left a permanent imprint in my mind. After reading it I feel that I understand Alaska complicated history and demographics a little better. And it was a surprisingly fun read all along. Like most Michener books, this one is also a mixture of true history and life stories of mostly fictional characters with some real historical figures lurking in the background. Sometimes the adventures of the fictional protagonists were so engaging that I was forgetting a broader historical picture, at the other times the real history and geography become so fascinating that I was forgetting about fictional characters. At the beginning of the book there is a very useful short chapter explaining what is fictional and what is true. In agreement with the historical truth, there is a lot of cruelty and carnage involving both, humans and animals. But there is also a lot of compassion and love. The book spans thousands of years and is 1200 pages long. But it is like a few separate books combined in one, each with separate (or only loosely related) sets of characters. Good thing about it is that if one is not ready for such long reading commitment one can always skip some parts and read about the periods in history which interest one most. The ending is a little anticlimactic because it does not bring reader to the presence. I wish Mr. Berry (who wrote very nice introduction) wrote one short chapter at the end.

I had heard so many good things about Michener’s historical based novels and had this one on my to- read list for a while. I felt like wintertime would be as good of a time as any to embark on the quest of reading his massive novel Alaska. Make no mistake readers: this book is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. And that’s perfectly fine with me. I was reading at about a twenty-five or thirty page a night clip, and it took me over a month, but I enjoyed the book quite a bit. But it was worth noting that I had to make sure to have my other books that I was reading with this one to be a little bit more light in page count. One of the more impressive features is simply the rather astounding amount of research that the author must have put into writing such a long book. He takes us though so many phases and aspects of Alaska’s history. It is such an ambitious book with so many facts, figures, and thoughts. Another effective element of this behemoth is simply how effortlessly Michener can give the reader a historical perspective or outlook on Alaska from a wide range, broad viewpoint, and then transition to zoom and narrow in on those pivotal, key individuals who were instrumental in Alaska’s history and the lives they led. This gives the novel that wide, grandiose, sweeping epic kind of feel. This is a book that covers a massive amount of area and ground, both literally and figuratively. There is an interconnectedness to the tales of individuals who were part of Alaska's history, as we follow them around and sometimes their stories resurface later in another generation in another chapter. The way the author portrays their lives is broad, but then he gives a personal quality to the moments and events and the lives they led. All this said, while the novel was enjoyable in the bigger picture, I definitely thought the last few chapters dragged a little and maybe had too much in the way of meticulous, superfluous detail or retreading over already covered topics, so my interested waned a little here. I would say that I definitely enjoyed the other chapters much more and felt more invested in those. At the end of the day, though, this is such an ambitious and impressive work of historical fiction, so methodically and effectively researched and constructed. I felt compelled to look up documentaries about Alaska while I was reading because the author has an uncanny way of engaging the reader in its history. Anyone who loves reading historically based novels should give this one a try. I look forward to more of Michener’s works, and have Hawaii on my to-read radar.

This is a reason long book, but very much worth it. Love how the characters develop and then relate thru out the book.

What an amazing tome! Like all Michener books, this one covers the arc of history like no one else. From the geology of land masses to Russian explorers, Seattle opportunists, Natives seeking to hold on to their paradise - he intersperses personal stories with the onward momentum of historical events. Having never been to Alaska, but going on a cruise in one month's time, I have new appreciation for the awe and splendor of the terrains as well as some understanding of the history. All his books are worth reading, digesting, reflecting. And this one is for sure.

A long read - over 1300 pages. At times I almost gave up, but it was worth sticking with. I now know a lot about Alaska - from the beginning of time to the 1980s. The cruelty of the Russians when they occupied it was awful and the Americans exploited it for what they could and rode rough shod over Native American rights. Businessmen used their influence to stop it becoming a territory for as long as possible so they could take advantage of the lack of government and rule of law, and later lobbied against it being made a State to preserve their monopolies that resulted in Alaskans paying much more for supplies than they should have. Michener, it seems, was progressive in his attitude as demonstrated in the way he tells the story. It was all so interesting - the first inhabitants crossing from Siberia, the gold rush, the salmon, the spectacular landscape - it had me googling for images - the fight for statehood, etc The book is part fiction and part non-fiction with a lot of facts, the writing solid but not arresting. So would I read another long Michener epic? Probably, but I could read three shorter books for one of his, and there’s so much else I also want to read. Still, I’ve already downloaded ‘Hawaii’ - I couldn’t resist it! If the thought of Alaska inspires you like it does me, then you’ll most probably love this book.

I love James Michener and this is one of his most brilliant novels. The history of the arctic was fascinating especially with what is happening in the world today.

Excelente, como todo livro do Michener. Uma descrição minuciosa da vida no Alasca, e as dificuldades inerentes à vida em uma natureza selvagem.

Conforme à Mes attentes

Sehr gutes Buch. Gut erhalten.