CZAR OF ALASKA: THE CROSS OF CHARLEMAGNE
By Richard E. Trout
Pelican Publishing Company
Young Adult Fiction - Action and Adventure
Hardcover 2005
248 pages
$24.95 USD
ISBN: 9781589803282
Alaska
Author Richard Trout, also an environmental biologist, consultant and college professor, is back in full gale force with his fourth novel in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series. High adventure in the Alaskan wilderness takes us bounding through an obstacle course of environmental, political and historical intrigue with the exuberance of huskies.
We join in the adventures with Trout's invitation into an icy wilderness, 788 A.D. In the Alps, we meet Charlemagne, his scout, the Duke of Bavaria and an old priest. What is the Cross of Charlemagne and why are his scout and the old priest so willing to protect it with their lives? The Prologue ends in a blizzard of snow and ice, obscuring events that will take another 1,000 years to reveal.
Enter the MacGregor kids: Chris, Ryan and Heather. The year is 1999 and they've hitting the ground running, or rather dog sledding, as the novel opens. Fighting off angry grizzlies, discovering an unusual, vacant cabin, crashing into a whaler, the kids set the pace of the novel. Who are the three Russian Orthodox priests that Ryan befriends and what are they doing in the Alaskan wilderness? An elegant, elderly lady might have some interesting information for them, if they can find her alive.
Meanwhile, Drs. Jack and Mavis MacGregor have their own grizzlies to tackle in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge: a highly skilled, highly paid group of eco-terrorists. Sprinkle a few special agents around and add a cold-hearted killer with a personal political agenda into the mix and the dangers of working in Alaska are realized in full. Will the MacGregors and the FBI stop the eco-terrorists in time?
This novel is rich with facts, which Trout expertly weaves in with fiction. An Alutiq tribe member befriends the MacGregor family, offering cultural history. We meet characters throughout the Alaskan escapades that teach us about the environmental and political challenges threatening the wilderness. We learn historical history from the three Russian Orthodox priests. Trout offers an Alaskan tapestry of tales.
Written for young adults, adults too will enjoy this romp through the frozen wilderness. After all, I've got the first four books on my shelf and look forward to more.
5 out of 5 dogsleds
--Reviewed by True North
gottawritenetwork.com
October 16, 2005
