The Sea Runners

Rating:
Summary: Alaska's Inside Passage, four Swedes and a Canoe
Review: After a recent trip from Seattle to Juneau on a small cruise ship (100 passengers) I read this book, which is based upon a true story, upon the recommendation of a fellow passenger. It was the perfect post script to a modern day cruise up the coast of British Columbia and Alaska's "inside passage" (along its southeast coast). Author Voig's four Swedes, all indentured servants escaping from the the Russians, take a similar route, but they do it in 1860 (when Alaska was "Russian America") and they head South from Sitka to Astoria, Oregon. They travel in a twenty foot open dugout canoe stolen from the "Kaloshes", a sect of Northwest Indians (Tlingit). The Swedes experience the same unpredictable weather, seas and coastline as they modern day traveler, but they have no cablin, dining room or tour director. And they have to paddle all the way - a distance of over one thousand miles. The tale is a tribute to the human spirit. Ivan Voig knows this part of the world, and he enabled me to relive my fabulous trip as high adventure from my living room chair.

Rating:
Summary: Alaska's Inside Passage, four Swedes and a Canoe
Review: After a recent trip from Seattle to Juneau on a small cruise ship (100 passengers) I read this book, which is based upon a true story, upon the recommendation of a fellow passenger. It was the perfect post script to a modern day cruise up the coast of British Columbia and Alaska's "inside passage" (along its southeast coast). Author Voig's four Swedes, all indentured servants escaping from the the Russians, take a similar route, but they do it in 1860 (when Alaska was "Russian America") and they head South from Sitka to Astoria, Oregon. They travel in a twenty foot open dugout canoe stolen from the "Kaloshes", a sect of Northwest Indians (Tlingit). The Swedes experience the same unpredictable weather, seas and coastline as they modern day traveler, but they have no cablin, dining room or tour director. And they have to paddle all the way - a distance of over one thousand miles. The tale is a tribute to the human spirit. Ivan Voig knows this part of the world, and he enabled me to relive my fabulous trip as high adventure from my living room chair.

Rating:
Summary: Rough Hewn Poetry
Review: Descriptions of the Pacific Northwest are accurate and beautiful. The rhythm of the book captures the frustration of its characters and makes it part of your life. I felt I was on the sea paddling for seemingly forever. What kind of characters are required to make a superhuman effort? What kind of relationships are developed by disparate humans when pitted against great odds? Doig helps to answer these questions. This is a MUST READER for understanding the Pacific Northwest.

Rating:
Summary: Strange but interesting
Review: Ivan Doig's story of four indentured servants attempting escape 1200 miles from Alaska to Oregon apparently has some basis in truth (for such an attempt did take place), although he adds his vivid imagination and powerful capacity for describing the natural world to the basic story.

In fact, Doig's ability to describe the fierceness of nature is the best feature of this book. Doig's literary style, though, is a bit Hemingway-esque to me (I like 'real' Hemingway but not Hemingway-esque). His characters speak in stoic monosyllabic bursts, although the narrative voice seems in contrast torrid and mannered. These stoic characters sporadically explode with highly emotional self-revelation: a guy who barely puts two words together for the whole trip suddenly burst into tears revealing his sad reason for a gambling addiction. I wish Doig had let us "in on" his characters a little earlier in the game, but perhaps that would be inconsistent with the style of the story.

For my money, Doig has a superb handle on nature and adventure and a less good handle on character, but fans of adventure in general, and the Pacific coast in particular, will still enjoy reading this.

Rating:
Summary: Great story, wonderfully told
Review: So much more than an adventure tale. Doig captures the threatening beauty and drama of this coast and gives a strong sense of the time period. As is the case with all his books you can reach out and touch the characters. Their interactions and relationships couldn't be more realistic.

Rating:
Summary: Adventuring Swedes
Review: So much more than an adventure tale. Doig captures the threatening beauty and drama of this coast and gives a strong sense of the time period. As is the case with all his books you can reach out and touch the characters. Their interactions and relationships couldn't be more realistic.

Rating:
Summary: this book is SO BORING
Review: sure its a bit funny, and it touches me cause i am a swede, but it seriously is not that good of a book. its just about rough seamean looking out at the BRISK sunrise. big words don't make a book good.

i did NOT like this book, but im giving it some sympathy points, which is why it gets 2 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Great story, wonderfully told
Review: This is a stellar example of how beautiful prose writing can be. Story telling is an art, a skill, and this is as good as it gets.