Based on a series of letters written by Franklin expedition officer James Fitzjames -- journals which were only recently discovered in a Scottish attic after lying unsuspected for nearly 150 years -- this unique work of fiction masterfully chronicles one of the most enduring mysteries of the grand era of Arctic exploration and sheds new light on the expedition and the fate of its crew. Set against a backdrop of hardy adventurers and high Arctic imagery, this work of fiction is both an engaging story of the triumphs and tragedy of the last Franklin expedition of 1845, and are interpretation of the men and events that comprised one of the great episodes in nineteenth century exploration.
North with Franklin: The Lost Journals of James Fitzjames
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Adventure fans and Franklin expedition junkies will appreciate this fictionalized account of the famous doomed trip. In 1845, Sir John Franklin and crew left England in search of a northwest passage through the Canadian Arctic. The expedition was the greatest and most thoroughly prepared ever, and the possibility of complete disaster seemed unimaginable to both participants and the fascinated public. By 1847, however, no word was heard from the group, so the English government began sending relief expeditions. Finally, in 1859, the crew's human remains, clothes, supplies, and equipment were located in the Arctic tundra, along with evidence of cannibalism and of a crew driven insane by the lead used to seal their canned goods. Based on a series of letters written by expedition officer James Fitzjames to the wife of a friend, and containing segments of his original journal (he mailed the journal from Greenland prior to the disastrous voyage), this novel re-creates the fascinating story of the expedition's demise. A suspenseful and enjoyable read. Kathleen Hughes
Review
"No account of the Franklin expedition's miserable last months has survived, but Wilson's fictional account has an authentic ring. There are glimpses of sweet-natured Sir John himself . . . Best of all, there is an attempt to explain the lure of the north . . . Wilson has developed for Fitzjames a stiff-upper-lipped style . . . Yet, I grew increasingly fond of Fitzjames, a decent and brave man. As the ghastly end to the adventure approaches, Fitzjames' composure cracks: I suddenly found my heart as well as my head engaged by this story." - Charlotte Gray, The National Post " . . . a richly re-imagined fable which goes far beyond anything the historical record alone might suggest, though it is carefully researched and never discordant with the glimmers history has left us. . . If there is a danger to this sort of writing, it is that the pedestrian flow of events abroad ship, and the historical details which give that life its flavor, can lead to monotony - a realistic enough result, as most such expeditions were comprised of routines . . . But this is a danger that Wilson largely avoids, mainly because his Fitzjames is writing not to an expectant public at home, but to a dear sister-in-law whose implicit interest in Fitzjames' doings is far more personal. We do not so much hear as overhear [Fitzjames's] voice, and like some future explorer coming upon a frozen cache of letters, we bring our own sense of elegy to a correspondence that we know in advance cannot have ended happily. . . For readers of historical fiction who yearn to sojourn in those 'regions of thick-ribb'd ice' there could be few better companions than Wilson's James Fitzjames." - Russell A. Potter, The Arctic Book Review "Wilson has managed to make his invented journal seem authentic and his account of the ill-fated adventures seem plausible . . . one reads on, fascinated, to the bitter end." - The Globe and Mail "Based on a series of letters written by expedition officer James Fitzjames to the wife of a friend, and containing segments of his original journal (he mailed the journal from Greenland prior to the disastrous voyage), this novel recreates the fascinating story of the expedition's demise. A suspenseful and enjoyable read." - Kathleen Hughes, Booklist "North With Franklin is as close an account of the expedition's fate as we are likely to have, at least until Captain Fitzjames’s real journals are found under some Arctic cairn." - Crawford Kilian, author of The Fall of the Republic and Icequake "Meticulously researched, Wilson has, through necessity, created his own interpretation of the events that took place so long ago. Yet his version is very believable and certainly fits with what little is known about the ill-fated expedition. North With Franklin is both entertaining and thought-provoking for readers of historical fiction and/or Canadiana. Highly recommended." - Canadian Book Review Annual "...poses as the real thing, a found journal that has been edited and published for the first time...Although I know the story of what appened to Franklin and his men, although I know how Fitzjames came to take command of the sad remnants of the crew, and although I know about the errors in judgement, the incomplete maps, the evidence of lead-poisoning, the cannibalism, the sledges weighed down with useless objects, and the Victory Point record with its two messages, I am helpless before this compelling story. Knowing what happened never makes the story dull or predictable, unless it is the predictability of high tragedy brought on by human error and hubris. You may not be such an incurable romantic as I, but I am prepared to wager that you too will be captivated by Wilson's narrative and find yourself, as I was, reading eagerly to find out when James will record what we know is coming next." - Sherrill Grace, Canadian Literature 170/1
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Into the Ice,
By Crawford Kilian (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: North With Franklin: The Lost Journals of James Fitzjames (Hardcover)
The Franklin Expedition has fascinated me for years, especially since some of my students created an interactive computer game, "The Mystery of Franklin's Fate," for Science World in Vancouver. I've even thought about writing a novel about it, but now John Wilson has saved me the work--and done a far better job than I could have!North With Franklin is the journal of James Fitzjames, one of Franklin's captains (some of the early passages are from his real letters). Wilson has the style and attitude just right, and blends his research very effectively into the story. We can see the ships, the men, the terrain. We see the first optimism fade as the ships are trapped in the ice and make no progress in the short summers. The first deaths, from TB, are painfully vivid to Fitzjames; by the end, each death gets only a cursory note, while the captain battles his own mysterious ailments and tries to keep the survivors alive. His journal is a series of letters to his sister-in-law, for whom he clearly feels more than he can admit. As the years pass and the expedition dwindles to a handful of desperately sick men, Captain Fitzjames comes at least to a clearer understanding of what has gone wrong--not just lead poisoning and scurvy, but a complacently arrogant belief in superior technology. John Wilson brings the expedition members to life again, each a distinct character (though of course the "people"--ordinary seamen--are seen through the eyes of an officer in a class-ridden society). The narrative seems so plausible that I half-expected to find the expedition's place-names on the endpaper maps--but whatever names they gave the bays and points vanished with them and their records. Still, North With Franklin is as close an account of the expedition's fate as we are likely to have, at least until Captain Fitzjames's real journals are found under some Arctic cairn.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Woodman in fiction,
By blondel alain (Prevessin-Moens France) - See all my reviews
This review is from: North With Franklin: The Lost Journals of James Fitzjames (Hardcover)
I did read with great interest John Wilson's novel. It beautifully summarises the findings of John Franklin historians among which the most recent and complete is probably David Woodman's "unravelling the Franklin Mystery".Why only three stars? maybe because I had already read Woodman's books and Wilson adds little to that. Fiction it is, but sticks very closely to the conclusions to which previous authors arrive. The story puts together all the known clues but, at the end adds not much else. My greed to learn more was frustrated for instance at how little is described of Peel-Lady Jane strait; this, after all, was the main discovery of the Franklin expedition. It seems difficult to believe that they would not be more excited about it! Wilson desserves great credit for assembling into a consistent fiction the conclusions of others. I would have wished more colorful and dramatic extrapolations, as one can find for instance in Jules Vernes "les anglais au pole nord" from last century. I would have liked to live the north with Fitzjames.
5.0 out of 5 stars
North with Franklin (eBook),
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This review is from: North with Franklin: The Lost Journals of James Fitzjames (Kindle Edition)
John, it's taken me a while with limited free time for reading, but I have just read the last page of North with Franklin. I've honestly enjoyed it immensely and been amazed at how authentically you seem to have projected yourself back into that tragically harsh time and place. Fiction and often guesswork it may be in its details, but it could easily be believable as Fitzjames' actual journal. Very well done. Now that I have discovered you (actually a near-neighbour!) I look forward to buying more of your books.
You asked how it looks on the iPad. Well - I've found it clear and easily readable and love the ease of flipping the pages with the touch of a finger! I do miss not having the pages numbered, and don't know the actual 'thickness' of the book but I see technical difficulties in numbering the pages when the format changes with the orientation of the iPad.
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