Spirit of the Raven: an Alaskan Novel [Hardcover]

Bob Cherry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1999

The story begins in the Alaskan bush in November when one of the main characters, Hjalmar the Finn, spies what looks like an axe handle frozen into a mound of ice. He moves closer, only to see a wool Mackinaw coat beneath a fresh skiff of snow. Half the double-bitted axehead is buried between the shoulder blades of the body lying on the ice. Already fairly certain whose body it is, Finn struggles to dislodge the axe head to turn the body on its back to make sure. And indeed, the body is that of his trapping partner, Swede. Thus begins a story in which the characters are as mysterious and compelling as Alaska itself, each with his or her own story of how they came to live in the lonely isolation of the Alaskan bush. There is the pregnant young girl who refuses to name the identity of the father of her unborn child. There is the priest who is pursued by his own demons. There is the pompous man of the law who wields his power inappropriately. And there is the sweet but simpering town drunk, who through the haze of whiskey, still manages to be a source of comfort to many. Although some of the characters are victimised and defeated, they are never destroyed. Engulfing the novel and its characters is a central narrative force surrounding the evasive and enigmatic Native Alaskan named Keetuk, feared and revered by all those living near the Chiktok River. It is through the spirit of the Raven, a mythological trickster believed by many to have created the world, some characters are spared the wrath of Keetuk. The plot is a uniquely structured fabric and a distillation of the way things were and are in Alaska, with all its incredibly diverse cultural, geographic, and historical influences.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

When a trapper is found dead in the Alaskan bush, everyone in the tiny village of Snag Point who knew him is affected. There's his trapping partner, Hjalmar the Finn; his girlfriend, Moon Faced Nellie; an "old woman" named Maruluk; a priest who is tormented by his desires; and Deputy Delbert Demara, a lawman drunk on power. Finn initially blames the murder on Keetuk, an elusive musher, but he slowly comes to realize that danger is much closer to home. Set during Alaska's territorial days, this novel is ostensibly about the aftermath of a murder, but it also examines the interactions of a culturally diverse group. Cherry, an Alaska resident for almost 30 years, knows a great deal about life in the Alaskan bush at the turn of the century, and the details are just right. Unfortunately, the amateurish writing is distracting. With so many fine Alaskan fiction writers these days?Dana Stabenow, John Straley, and Nancy Lord, to name a few?there's no need to purchase this title.?Charlotte L. Glover, Ketchikan P.L., AK
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"SPIRIT OF THE RAVEN is a fine first novel, the characters vividly evoked, the north country beautifully described. An intricate sense of place supports a moving story. I hope it receives the wide readership it deserves." LARRY McMURTRY, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of LONESOME DOVE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "When I began to read SPIRIT OF THE RAVEN, I was slowly drawn into the story by the powerful insightfulness of the author's choice of words, then as I read on I found myself slowly becoming mesmerized by the story itself. Many times I had to pause because, being a Native American, it seemed that some of the imagery reflected back to my way of lilfe and how I felt concerning some of how the Native characters felt and thought, or reacted to the Western way of thinking or believing. All-in-all the book was very emotional, entertaining and suspenseful." VELMA WALLIS, author of TWO OLD WOMEN, BIRD GIRL, and THE MAN WHO FOLLOWED THE SUN ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Bob Cherry writes with the authority of one who's lived the adventure, and he has. Twenty-eight years in the Alaskan bush come alive in Spirit of the Raven, from the first double-bitted scene, to the last finely-honed moment. Cherry's characters live on the edge, in a raw and primal world of survival. This book will test youit will make you flinchbut, like the men and women of the Alaskan bush, you'll find yourself in an engrossing world you won't want to leave. Spirit of the Raven may well be an award-winning first novel." PAGE LAMBERT, author of SHIFTING STARS and IN SEARCH OF KINSHIP. Contributor to WRITING DOWN THE RIVER: Into the Heart of the Grand Canyon; LEANING INTO THE WIND: Women Write from the Heart of the West; TUMBLEWORDS and CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Bob Cherry captures the brash, raucous spirit of Alaska's Territorial Days. Traplines, fishermen and half-remembered sea chanteys. The last place to which you can escape. Where a good partner is as rare as gold dust or a fine Irish whiskey. A tale of missionaries, mysticism and murder in the land of the Yup'ik Eskimo. Where the spirit of Inua haunt fog-shrouded ice floes; the swift shadow of Raven aloft in a winter white sky." BRENDA AKELKOK, Director of Planning and Development for a regional non-profit Native organization in southwestern Alaska; member of the Curyung Native Village Council; recipient of the Winnie Neeley Davis Memorial Award for literary excellence. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Gripping scenes. . .a real Northern page-turner." ANN CHANDONNET, author of CHIEF STEPHAN'S PARKY END -- Publisher Comments

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Picaro Press; 1ST edition (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966543009
• ISBN-13: 978-0966543001
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,094,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book worth the read., April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Spirit of the Raven: an Alaskan Novel (Hardcover)

Extremely well developed characters, intense visual detail, a touch of mystery, and a little black humor all made this novel well worth reading. Great description/eplanationof Alaskan culture and landscape...This novel is definitely worth your time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome characterization, August 7, 2000

By 

Charlotte Hinger (Hoxie, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spirit of the Raven: an Alaskan Novel (Hardcover)

Awesome characterization coupled with a fast-paced narrative gives Spirit of the Raven a high readability factor. His subject is unique, rarely explored and has that unmistakable quality of a writer who knows his subject. Cherry has interspersed the eerieness of Alaskan mythology with a starkly down to earth and witty narrative about all too human misfits and old reprobates. Hats off to a superb first novel!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spirit of the Raven is a powerful novel., June 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Spirit of the Raven: an Alaskan Novel (Hardcover)

As a writer, Bob Cherry reveals his own raven qualities - teasing the reader with an apparent simplicity, while demonstratinig a complex mythology of realism which is played out in the exploration of a vast land (geographically, philosophically, egotistically - i.e. the male psyche). Readers of the novel confront the unknown in many ways, and if they stop to dwell among events, sift through the many layers and allusions, they may recognize their own counterparts - perhaps in an isolated cabin too far from any village, perhaps in making an extreme gesture toward freedom, or simply making preparations for a guest - seeking camaraderie close to the stove or close to the heart. Spirit of the Raven is a powerful novel provoking its readers to reexamine ideas of alienation and compassion, freedom and commitment. It is most suitably set in Alaska, where against a stark and frozen white terrain each individual (character) is observed with extreme clarity - and where it is still a long cold distance from one village to another.