Set in 1823, Michael Punke’s novel follows Hugh Glass, a scout for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. During a scouting mission, a grizzly bear mauls Glass, leaving him with shattered bones and deep lacerations. Captain Andrew Henry recruits two men, John Fitzgerald and young Jim Bridger, to remain behind until Glass dies. Fearing an Indian attack, Fitzgerald steals Glass’s rifle and equipment, convincing Bridger to abandon the conscious but helpless man in a shallow grave. Glass survives by eating roots and raw marrow, crawling two hundred miles across the frontier to seek retribution.
This book serves readers interested in historical realism and survival logistics. Those who study frontier history or primitive wilderness skills will find detailed accounts of nineteenth-century trapping, medical improvisation, and navigation. The narrative provides a blunt look at the physical limits of the human body and the psychological shift from helplessness to singular intent. Readers walk away with a technical understanding of the early American fur trade and a stark depiction of how isolation and betrayal dictate behavior in an unforgiving landscape.
Clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2002
- Language
- EN
