The Sea Runners [Hardcover]

Ivan Doig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1982

In this timeless survival story, four indentured servants escape their Russian Alaska work camp in a stolen canoe, only to face a harrowing journey down the Pacific Northwest coast. Battling unrelenting high seas and fierce weather from New Archangel, Alaska, to Astoria, Oregon, the men struggle to avoid hostile Tlingit Indians, to fend off starvation and exhaustion, and to endure their own doubt and distrust. Based on an actual incident in 1853, The Sea Runners is a spare and awe-inspiring tale of the human quest for freedom.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR THE SEA RUNNERS

"Brilliant and original . . . A remarkable evocation of the human spirit in contest with inhuman forces."--The Boston Globe

"The Sea Runners . . . goes beyond being 'about' survival and becomes, mile by terrible mile, the experience itself."--The New York Times Book Review

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

From the Publisher

8 1-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 279 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1st edition (August 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689113021
• ISBN-13: 978-0689113024
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,858,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ivan Doig is the author of ten previous books. Seven are novels, including English Creek and Dancing at the Rascal Fair, and three are nonfiction, including the highly acclaimed memoir This House of Sky, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. A former ranch hand, newspaperman, and magazine editor, Doig holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Washington. He lives in Seattle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strange but interesting, September 4, 2004

By 

bensmomma "bensmomma" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sea Runners (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rough Hewn Poetry, June 13, 2000

By 

Colleen Davenport - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sea Runners (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Experience, September 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sea Runners (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

This book is an excellent story of courage and strength against the harshest forces of nature. The four characters in the story are all brought together through one goal--freedom. Even the fierce and mighty ocean will not stop them from what they wish to obtain. Although their lives as indentured servants in Alaska are not horrible, they are still willing to risk it all for just a taste of freedom. Ivan Doig has a wonderful grasp on the Pacific Northwest and the society in the mid-1800s. His characters are developed quite effectively throughout their struggles and triumphs. Yet at the end, the reader is left to decide whether the voyage was entirely successful. It is important to remember that, to these men, adventure and freedom were more important than a life of security and dissatisfaction. This book is great for those who live in the Pacific Northwest or for those who wish to learn more about it.