Customer Reviews

How Heavy is the Mountain

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Tim Rundquist, formerly of Davis, has just published his first book, 'How Heavy is The Mountain,' which he describes as an 'Alaskan tour manual/novel.' He worked in Alaska and the Yukon Territory, Canada for eight seasons as a professional tour guide, covering territory from Ketchikan to Prudhoe Bay, and nearly everything in between. The time spent in Alaska affected him not just professionally but creatively: 'My time in Alaska made such a deep impression on me that I had to write about it,' he said. 'Alaska is truly a land like no other.' The trouble was, Rundquist had some difficulty deciding what kind of book to write. 'The educator in me wanted to give a tour of the places that I came to know so well,' he said. 'The environmentalist in me wanted to highlight the special and fragile nature of the land. And my inner artist was inspired to express itself, to experiment, to create. The words just flowed.' So the result is a book that's not easy to categorize, but is well-written, informative and alternately (sometimes simultaneously) touching and hilarious. Perhaps Rundquist doesn't want to be confined to one genre. But finally it didn't matter: 'My goal, above all, is simply to place the book in the hands of people who will read and enjoy it. I wish I could be like Richard Brautigan and build a readership by walking around San Francisco, giving away copies for free.'

I love the author's creative, eclectic writing style: the mixture of story and poetry is great. Mr. Rundquist did extremely well in capturing true-to-life Alaskan characters. Having read many, many books that are "supposedly" about Alaska, I found "Mountain" to be free from the stereotypes that all too often run through such efforts. This Alaskan's critique: he done good.

Having just read this book I wanted to say that I found it to be a most engrossing and humorous tale of Alaska. The authors account of adventures in every part of that beautiful state was the perfect remedy to long, hot, smoggy California summer days. I highly recommend this book and have forwarded copies to friends as a highly entertaining novel from a talented new author.

Rundquist does a brilliant job of bringing Alaska and its people to life in his new novel. The 'tour' segment on Denali National Park is some of the finest travel writing I have ever encountered. I loved the wildlife stories and his accounts of 'typical' small-town life in Alaska (Skagway, Talkeetna). I also laughed myself silly at his accounts of 'Top Twenty Tourist Questions' and the infamous 'Sour Toe Cocktail.' Highly recommended, especially for anyone interested in Alaska.

This is one great delightful book, although a bit heavy to carry on your trip to Alaska. It is essential preplanning. It is not for those on cruise ships whose intent is to absorb everything Alaska in a four hour shore leave, for as the author states, "They are to be entertained, not educated." The format of this book with poems, myths, and a fast-paced narrative will leave most readers clamoring for more.