Travel to Provinces

Arctic Aurora

Format: Hardcover
Author: John Holt
ReleaseDate: 25 September, 2004
Publisher: Countrysport Press
Rating:

Teedjous boozy and insubstantial
I ended up with two copies and having read as much as I could handle, can say I'm doubly disappointed. I put this on my X-mas wish list based on the positive ratings. If you want some useful info on north country fishing and more than vignettes as stale as the air in a backcountry bar at 10 am, shop elsewhere. The first couple of chapters held my attention as I waited for some character development of the author's daugher as they travelled together in NWT but waited in vain as she comes off a shallow silhouette making and breaking camp or fishing with dad (some distance away in several senses of the word). I don't mean to impy anything about what she may be in reality, just how she comes accross in this work (albeit I wonder how she will make better choices than caretaker-of-dependant-personality-role in her own life). The balance of the book is strong on the tedium of driving long distance, booze, and a high fat, high sugar series of meals recounted in far too much detail. John McPhee this guy ain't, despite the detail of numerous turnouts and other attractions of Canadian roads. I hate to say it but my lasting impression is that the reality of the trips was a 'vehicle' for the booze and smokes and stoney sleep, lacking much meaning to relate after the guy sobered up. He'll make a buck on this book (or two in my case) but that ain't the same as making amends. As a parting shot, an angling writer who touts all the 3 pound grayling to be caught with ease in various road accessible streams (even in NWT or YT) does the resource a disservice.


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A Journey into Forever and Beyond
For certain he describes where to find good food, good fishing and interesting places to visit, but this is no travelogue of where to go, what to do or how to catch fish. Artic Aurora, Holt's latest and greatest literary work, guides us through Canada's Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Instead, as he journeys through this wild, untamed and unfenced area of immense size in his 1983 Suburban, he discovers raw visceral power flows through the land in the Far North. A place where one can gaze out over the beautiful, intrepid landscape and see forever and beyond. Overhead, the aurora borealis dances and flickers with palpable energy. Immense rivers surge over countless waterfalls as they carve and gouge their way towards the ocean. An unseen power sizzles through the land.

As Holt relates his many wanderings across the Far North he writes with a clarity and detail that create rich, mesmerizing visions that roll through the mind. The book is chock full of interesting details about the land, the people and their history. Several amusing anecdotes and stories had me laughing out loud.

As in his book Coyote Nowhere, a precursor to Artic Aurora, Holt reflects on his life and also looks into the future as he bares his soul, warts and all. He shuns glitz, glitter and hucksterism. He hates the exploitation of the land and the people who inhabit it. He is passionate but not preachy. Holt is maturing; evolving as a writer and Artic Aurora deserves a place on the bookshelf next to authors like MacLean, Gierach and Travers.
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Running Full Bore in Canada's Far North
Holt careens around the hidden Canadian northwest in a joyous rage, remarking on the land, the fishing, and the people, good and bad. Arctic Aurora is a delight. From ice roads, to mosquitoes, to arctic grayling, and the native Dene, this book gives the reader a true taste of the Canadian north. There have been a number of books written about the arctic these days, but damn few good ones. . . and Arctic Aurora truly is.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Provinces travel books.

	North Canada : Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut (The Bradt Travel Guide)
	Yukon Territory Map (International Travel Maps)