The Raven's Gift - Softcover

Rearden, Don

Softcover

ISBN 10: 014318749X ISBN 13: 9780143187493

Publisher: Pintail, 2013

Synopsis

The Washington Post declares: The Raven's Gift by "master of the cliffhanger" Don Rearden is a blend of "hunter-hunted suspense of Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male, the post-apocalyptic bleakness of Cormac McCarthy's The Road and the haunting mysteriousness of The X-Files."

John Morgan and his wife can barely contain their excitement upon arriving as the new teachers in a Yup'ik Eskimo village on the windswept Alaskan tundra. But their move proves disastrous when a deadly epidemic strikes and the isolated community descends into total chaos. When outside aid fails to arrive, John's only hope lies in escaping the snow-covered tundra and the hunger of the other survivors--he must make the thousand-mile trek across the Alaskan wilderness for help. He encounters a blind Eskimo girl and an elderly woman who need his protection, and he needs their knowledge of the terrain to survive. The harsh journey pushes him beyond his limits as he discovers a new sense of hope and the possibility of loving again.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

"The Raven's Gift" is a powerful debut novel that works on multiple levels. Hopefully we'll be hearing much more from its author." The Fairbanks Daily Newsminer

"Underneath this story's intrigue, suspense and insider knowledge, there is something darker, more disturbing...Rearden portrays how pollution affects northern culture and the subsistence way of life, as well as the systemic poverty of which "outsiders" have little knowledge...Beyond poverty, substance abuse and suicide we find characters with buoyancy and hope..." Winnipeg Free Press

"A post-apocalyptic novel that will set your hair on end..." The Sun Times

"The Raven's Gift is a compelling read -- well-crafted, engaging without being cheap. The term "page-turner" comes to mind. But it's dark and frightening for a midwinter read." Alaska Dispatch

"A scary, atmospheric and unpredictable thriller, while a gritty, realistic look at the modern Arctic in all its beauty, complexity and horror... But don't worry; there is hope and faith and love within all the darkness." Lesley Thomas, author of Flight of the Goose

"The Raven's Gift is a disturbingly believable tale of a world on the edge, given the slight push to send it over. Rearden knows his Alaska, his snow and cold, the isolation in these pages enough to make you pull up the blankets and wonder what you'd do without rescue, without communication, with no one to go to for help, no one coming to the rescue. Like McCarthy's The Road, there are pages in here you might shy away from reading, but hang on, once you start, you'll be along for the ride." Pete Fromm author of Indian Creek Chronicles and How This All Started.

"The Raven's Gift is a page turner with a message: We Alaskans are lost if we cannot find our own way." Bill Streever, author of Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places

"If you're not scared, be scared: Don Rearden's The Raven's Gift will propel you pell-mell into a terrifying future of plague on the Alaskan tundra - all too real if you've talked with elders who survived 1917 - all too frightening if you have sense to know this future can start five minutes from now." Seth Kantner, author of Ordinary Wolves and Shopping for Porcupine

"Don Rearden has created a kind of allegory for a people and place at risk, a generous and honest portrait of Yup'ik communities. His Alaska is one you won't yet have seen."  David Vann, author of bestselling novels Legend of a Suicide and Caribou Island

"Rearden's fresh, new voice is a kaleidoscope of cultural collision and the astonishing landscape of the heart." Ronald Spatz, Editor. Alaska Quarterly Review

Don Rearden's writing is captivating and new. This is a writer who has many books in him.  I predict he will be widely read, well respected, and greatly admired."  Jo-Ann Mapson, author of Solomon's Oak, and bestselling novels Bad Girl Creek, The Wilder Sisters, and Hank & Chloe.

"At first glance, The Raven's Gift might appear to be an epic thriller set in the ancient land of the Yup'ik tundra, but it goes much farther than that into the delicate frontiers of the human heart--the best book I've read this year."
        -Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries

"Don Rearden is a masterful storyteller, and an artist of extraordinary talent and vision. Like all great books, The Raven's Gift transcends geography and culture; it provides a window into what it means to be human in an age when humanity is all too often pushed aside and those who live at the margins forsaken in the name of political expedience."
        -Kris Farmen, author of Turn Again and The Devil's Share

'The plot is well-paved and gripping enough, but the book's strength lies in its powerful and evocative descriptions of Alaska's landscape, its people and its ancient culture. Make sure you are somewhere warm when you read this, as the cold desolation of the landscape and the unsettling nature of the story will chill you to your bones.'  Good Reading

From the Back Cover

Notable Fiction of 2013 ---- Washington Post

About this edition

• Publisher: Pintail
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 014318749X
• ISBN 13: 9780143187493
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288