The Snow Walker

Book Description

Central to Farley Mowat's writing is his quest to understand the often-forgotten native people of the vast arctic wilderness. In this moving collection, he allows these people to describe in their own words the adventures they experience as they struggle to survive in an isolated, untamed land. Stories of survival and courage, of superstition and fate, of uncompromising loyalty to family and tribe are presented here; offering a vivid portrait of a people whose existence is often beyond the comprehension of modern man. Inspiration for the major motion picture from Infinity Media and First Look International

Customer Reviews:

The demise of a people.......2006-11-12

Mowat is, once again, critical of government agencies and organizations in the mandatory relocation of natives to an inhospitable location and failure to monitor the results of the move. Creates a better understanding of how a group of people become extinct. A difficult survival made more difficult!

The Snow Walker.......2006-03-20

This is a great collection of stories in classic Farley Mowat style; compelling. A fantastic movie was made of one of the short stories in the collection and also titled 'Snow Walker', but read the book first. He's written many wonderful books, but my favorite tales will always be of the Inuit where his love of the people and their culture shines through.
Chrissy K. McVay
author of 'Souls of the North Wind'

quick yet profound stories, eh? [no spoilers].......2005-11-29

"The Snow Walker" is a collection of beautifully written short stories centered in the extreme cold artic regions. As an individual who has ventured into the northern lands, Farley Mowat conveys ten compelling tales from natives and their cultural heritage. The narratives range from superstitious to legendary adventure and either inspires the spirit or brings a dark mood to the betrayal faced by the indigenous people by the white man.

Those not fluent with certain acronyms or northern culture might have difficulty understanding small segments of some stories. A detailed map of the significant terrains would have been useful.

Thank you.

Not Mowat's best book.......2003-06-23

I'm a big fan of Farley Mowat, but this is not a book that I would rank among his best. I just couldn't get into it, although some of the stories were entertaining. Nagging questions about the manner in which he may have embellished the stories dogged me throughout.

A northern light........2002-07-24

Canada's poet-biologist-sociologist, Farley Mowat, is the almost invisible traveler in this journey across the snow swept northern barrens. He illuminates a place which most of us will never know. From its land forms to its creatures to the lives and thoughts of its native peoples. An engrossing collection of storytelling that could only be the product of the writers intimacy with place.
Says Mowat, "The northern people are happy when snow lies heavy on the land. They welcome the first snow in autumn, and often regret its passing in the spring. Snow is their friend. Without it they would have perished or -- almost worse from their point of view -- they would long since have been driven south to join us in our frenetic rush to wherever it is that we are bound."

Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Camping Skills for the North

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Fine successors to Calvin Rutstrum
Valuable old-school information
3rd time; Best of the Best!

Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Camping Skills for the North
Garrett Conover , and Alexandra Conover
Manufacturer: Stone Ridge Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Camping | Hiking & Camping | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0976031337

Customer Reviews:

Fine successors to Calvin Rutstrum.......2007-03-22

I happened across this book while looking for a Calvin Rutstrum book. I am a fan of old Cal's, particularly the great Paradise Below Zero, and read that it was cited in Snow Walker's Companion. I had also just purchased a large wall tent with a wood stove, and had been on a "shakedown" winter campout/Nordic ski trip, and have become quite interested in that type of winter camping. More the "old trapper" style of winter doings than the high-tech ski backpacking type.
This book fills that bill to a T, and to boot it truly carries on the Rutstrum tradition magnificently. Rutstrum had a lot of practical "northwoods" material, but he was shy on detail sometimes, and there is some stuff in his books outdated even for the modern "throwback".
This book is chock full of detail, along with fine narrative. It actually tells you how do most things you will need to do. And it is terrific to find a contemporary book that isn't afraid of the axe, fire, and gun; one that shows that you can be a great lover of the wilderness, our priceless environment, and a hunter, too. They put it very gently so as not to scare anybody off!

Valuable old-school information.......2007-02-09

This book teaches real techniques based on native practices. No fancy technology or yuppie gear, just how to be comfortable in places most people fear to go.

This book is also footnoted and referenced in many other winter camping books, always with much respect.

3rd time; Best of the Best!.......2005-12-15

The new "Snow Walker's Companion" is the third version of Garrett and Alexandra Conover's "Winter Wilderness Companion (2001) and "A Snow Walker's Companion" (1996) and although much of the material is the same, Garrett told me in an interview that it was time for a revised text. In the five years since they wrote the "Wilderness" book there have been a number of significant changes in things like portable stoves (now can be bought made of titanium), GPS navigation and some other skills and gear; Suppliers have gone out of business and new ones have come into the marketplace, and some equipment and clothing that was not available commercially, is now. Stone Ridge Press, the new publisher, has added a new section of color photos and the journal of the first major trip that the Conovers made on snowshoes, towing their supplies on native sleds. All through, the book remains highly readable, enjoyable and thought-provoking. I felt the size of the "Wilderness Companion" was better for carrying in a pack, but that little quibble aside, the new edition is one of the very best winter camping books out there.

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Fun and Different
A Snowy Surprise: Norse Fantasy Tales
Couldn't Put It Down
This Book Is GREAT!
do not read.

Snow-walker
Catherine Fisher
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060724765
Release Date: 2005-09-20

Book Description

Since Gudrun came from the frozen mists beyond the edge of the world, the Jarl's people have obeyed her in hatred andterror. But the enchantress has one weakness: a son, Kari, banished to a forbidding fortress in the north, never seen by the Jarl's people. In secret they wonder: Are the rumors true? Was he born a monster?

Now Jessa and her cousin Thorkil have been exiled to the north, and if they survive the journey, they will find the truth: Is Kari a beast? Or the means to stop the sorceress?

Customer Reviews:

Fun and Different.......2007-02-11

I read a lot of young adult fiction and this book really stood out to me. It has a much more adult theme to it, with very full characters that make decisions that matter. While this is one volume it has three distinct stories in it surrounding Jessa and the increasingly serious fights with the evil Gudrun. I would highly recommend this book for people who love fantasy, especially fantasy that has a myth or saga quality to it. For example Troll Fell or Clovermead.

A Snowy Surprise: Norse Fantasy Tales.......2006-06-13

I picked this up because I needed something to read over my lunchbreak. I wasn't expecting much--lately all the epic fantasy stuff I've found tends to be either pedestrian and cliched or monstrously complex and spread over many volumes. Let's just say the book followed me back from lunch onto the subway, and was read intently for several hours before I turned the last page. The snow cast setting was immediately accessible and stunningly described. The main characters came to life as natural elements in the setting. The story wove skillfully from first page to last. This volume is actually made up of three stories, each about 150 pages long. The three tales tell the ongoing story of our band of heroes, but each is complete unto itself. I believe they were orginally published in Britain as three separate volumes: The Snow-walker's Son, The Empty Hand, and The Soul Thieves.

Gudrun, a strange and sorcerous woman of great power and cruelty, has one weakness. That weakness is her son, Kari. Almost no one has seen Kari since he was born, and rumors abound that he is some sort of monster. Exiled to a far northern fortress of Thrasirshall, he has been alone but for his guardian for years while Gudrun and her chieftan husband have tyrannized the people. Now two young people are sent to join Kari in his exile--Jessa and Thorkil. Will they meet a monster? An enemy? Or perhaps . . . a new ally against Gudrun? In this first book we meet a delightful cast of characters, some more developed than others. Most notable among them is Jessa, our young protagonist equipped with enough courage and wisdom to survive her adventures and see the truth and Kari, the Snow-walker's son, the strange being with a powerful and fearful inheritance he doesn't want and can't avoid. Note to readers, I'll outline briefly the plots two and three below, so be aware there will be mild spoilers.

Book two continues our story of Jarlshold. While Gudrun has been defeated, she is not gone, nor has she forgotten Jarlshold. A mysterious creature has arrived in the land, a creature of sorcery and hunger that kills without mercy. Rumors of distrust and betrayal run rampant as people begin to look at Kari with fear and suspicion--is he the one who has created this creature? It's going to take Kari's friends banding together with the help of a young man called Hakon the Empty Handed, to set things right in the hold. In Book three, Gudrun makes good on her threat to steal from the Jarl the thing he loves most, now Kari and his friends must journey beyond the edge of the world to Gudrun's hall in order to end Gudrun's sorcery once and for all.

It is through Jessa's eyes that we see a good portion of this story. She's a delightful character, confident, plenty of courage, and not at all conflicted about her role or who she is. While fantasy stories where the girls are working hard to be considered as good or better than boys are enjoyable in their own right, it's nice to read one where the girl in question has no doubt where she stands and neither do the men who befriend her. But, this isn't really Jessa's story. It's Kari's. Kari is the strange and sorcerous figure cursed with power and constantly having to face the price of that power. That said, these tales are not in-depth character studies, but adventure tales, full of action and event. Ms. Fisher's confident and elegant writing style never falters, providing an icily beautiful backdrop for her story. This is a tale that pulls strongly on the Norse legends and sagas without allowing them to overtake the plot. There are shades of Beowulf here as well--it was no surprise to find that the chapter opening quotes for book 2 are taken from Beowulf. The chapter openings for books 1 and 3 come from a collection of Norse Poems. Ms. Fisher has true grasp of her mythos and setting for this set of tales--the society is that of the holds and halls of Beowulf. It breaks the story out of the rather tired medieval mode with its more familiar kings and dragons and knights in armor. Given all this, it's a light read--with the books themselves only about 150 pages, no story can cover too much ground. The telling is tight and swift and definitely page-turning. The author never forgets to call in the setting at hand, and while the characters don't have the depth a longer story might call for, they aren't one-dimensional chess pieces either. The amount of graphic violence is pretty light considering the story--it's more concerned with the sorcerous struggle than any sort of warfare. I'd say this book would be appropriate for young teens and older readers, particularly those who enjoy fantasy adventure and may be looking for something new to whet their appetites.

This may not be for readers who prefer a more Harry Potter style school story fantasy, but for epic fantasy readers it should be a good fit. Those who enjoy this will probably also like the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins and may also want to check out Goose Girl by Sharon Hale.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

Couldn't Put It Down.......2006-04-21

I picked this book up because I wanted to read a story related to Norse mythology and was intrigued by the name Gudrun, the wife of mythology's Sigurd. I was hoping for more mythological crossovers, but though I was disappointed in there only being a few of these, I was so enthralled by the story, I didn't mind.

Jessa is a great lead character with spunk and determination. I like how she is trusted by the male characters as an equal, how she is respected by the Jarl as well as by the bard Skapti and Kari who is clearly more powerful than she.

The action is non-stop and our heroes are often in peril. This makes for a page-turning adventure I could not put down. I enjoyed The Snow-walker's Son and The Empty Hand so much, I can't bring myself to finish The Soul Thieves. I am putting it off until I have time to read all day and can enjoy its greatness all at once.

I especially liked the details about the ginungagap and the world serpent. Additionally Fisher's setting details are vivid and remind me of the winters here in Minnesota.

This Book Is GREAT!.......2006-04-03

3 books in 1!
Although this seems really wierd, each is a sequel to the other.

A seemingly normal land, ruled by a king.
The king dies,and being controlled by his wife, a snow walker,many people lose their homes.
However, when she banishes Jessica and her cousin, they discover her only rival:her son.

He is the only person who can even defeat her, but will he try?

................................................................

do not read........2005-11-28

This book was horrible, in my opinion. And I will give reasons.

For those of you, like me, who enjoy a book that has deep development and interesting characters, with more to them than a name, this book is NOT for you. Not only are the characters incredibly weak in personality to a point where you cannot get at all attached to this book in any way, the plot just if ridiculous. The fact that this book was combined from THREE SEPARATE novels is insanely horrible. Just reading the "first book" was like reading a chapter to a story -- it ends with little said in it to be wanting the reader to continue and little established.

I could not finish this book because it was so horrible, by the "second book" I just tossed it aside. There is not adventure, no sense of being involved in a fantastic tale of intrigue, fantasy, or warmth, or even EVIL to the point where I hate or like anything. I mean -- come on? When I read a book I want to be INVOLVED. I want to be able to relate to characters, to FEEL the characters, to know them...and the adventure, it better be something, not "let us trape around for a while, perhaps battling one or two foes then kill the a witch with little difficulty".

Don't read if you happen to like a very interesting plot, or at least decent one, developed characters, villians who can actually be recognized as being somewhat threatening and put up a hell of a good fight before inevitably being felled.

Other than this nothing to say.

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The Snow Walker (On My Own History)
Margaret K. Wetterer , and Charles M. Wetterer
Manufacturer: Carolrhoda Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 087614959X

A Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Trail Skills from the Far North

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New Book Coming!
A confused blend of information, insight and polemic
A superb book on winter travel in the bush
One of the Greatest Outdoor books of our generation.
Not merely incredibly informative, but beautifully written.

A Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Trail Skills from the Far North
Garrett Conover , and Alexandra Conover
Manufacturer: Ragged Mountain Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Winter Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

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Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Camping Skills for the North

ASIN: 0070228922

Book Description

In these last wildlands of North America, the nomadic, indigenous people have perfected ways of living and traveling in winter using elegant and sophisticated snowshoes, toboggans, and sleds that make it possible for trekkers to carry heavy weights-wood stoves, wall tents, and real food-with far less effort than with the ultralight backpacking equipment more often associated with the winter camper. This important book brings the skills and philosophy of the snow walkers of the north woods to a new generation of outdoorspeople, and shows today's wilderness traveler how to adopt these Native American techniques and enjoy winter in a comfort nothing short of extraordinary.

Customer Reviews:

New Book Coming!.......2005-11-02

The newest edition of the book previously published as "A Snow Walker's Companion" and "The Winter Wilderness Companion" is hot off the presses and made it's sales debut at the 6th Annual Traditional Winter Camping Symposium near Eau Claire, WI this past weekend.

"Snow Walker's Companion" by Garrett and Alexandra Conover, published by Stone Ridge Press, will be available on Amazon and other outlets in time for Christmas/Chanukah shopping. The book now includes a color photo section and updated information on equipment sources as well as titanium stoves, GPS and sat-phone use and other improvements since the 2001 edition.

A confused blend of information, insight and polemic.......1999-04-19

Garrett and Alexendra Conovers' "A Snow Walker's Companion" is an interesting compilation of information about living in far northern climates. It works best as a historical record of the traditions, techniques, and lore of Inuit and Cree peoples that enable them to live simply and comfortably in harsh climes. To that end, it is a reverent and important book. The book's weakness is the implicit message that the cold-dwelling hand crafters of wooden snowshoes are morally superior to the poor urban dweller trying to live a balanced life by juggling work and children with occasional forays into the woods or up the mountains, on aluminum Sherpas, clothed in fleece and Gortex. The Conovers, who live in a walled tent in Maine and are respected wilderness guides, seem not to understand that their chosen lifestyle is possible only because most choose not to live it. For readers who are truly considering a move to or extended travel in far northern territories, "A Snowwalker's Companion" is unique and indispensible. Most winter adventurers, though, must satisfy their love of the outdoors with day mountain hikes or backpacks of several days duration. For them, a book such as "Winterwise, A Backpacker's Guide," by John M. Dunn, or any cold weather book by the Appalachian Mountain Club, New Hampshire, is apt to be more useful and far less grating.

A superb book on winter travel in the bush.......1999-01-29

This book is first-class! It has the attention to detail that only the Conovers, both Maine Guides, could bring to it.

It covers snowshoes, bindings, moccasins, boots, toboggans, tents, stoves, food, clothes, and travel by snowmobile. There is even an excellent discussion on the psychology of winter camping.

The emphasis is on winter traveling the way Native Americans have done and are still doing it -- in a safe and comfortable way.

The sources of equipment and further information at the end of each chapter are very valuable.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in winter wilderness travel and camping or in the material culture of the Native Americans of the Sub-Arctic boreal areas.

Rich Howe

One of the Greatest Outdoor books of our generation........1998-12-13

I cannot snowshoe very often in Tennessee (hah ha) but this book makes me wish I could. I had read Garrett's Beyond the Paddle and loved it so I got this book and was blown away. I would reccomend it to anyone who likes to camp-out in woodland areas in the winter. Every view in this book is perceptive, inciteful and entertaining. Do not pass this one up. It ranks up there with the works of Bill Mason, Cache Lake Country and works by Calvin Rustrum.

Not merely incredibly informative, but beautifully written........1998-10-16

Others have rightly focused on the contents of this gem. In addition, this book is a great "read." On top of that, there are photos that will show you such stunning things as the sheer beauty of Native American designs woven into the babitch "fillings" of snowshoes. To top it off, you get patterns for making your own cotton anorak shell! Just a great book, up there with Cache Lake Country [out of print] and True North [out of print]. Get this one before this masterpiece too goes "out of print" in a country whose publishers allow such tragedies to happen.

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The Snow Walker

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Never Cry Wolf : Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves

ASIN: 0553103997

Just For You! What Do You Know? Snow! (Just For You)

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Just For You! What Do You Know? Snow! (Just For You)
Cheryl Hudson
Manufacturer: Teaching Resources
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 043956851X

Book Description

What would you do if you woke up one morning and found everything covered with snow?

The Snow-Walker Trilogy : The Snow-Walker's Son, The Empty Hand and The Soul Thieves

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Up there with Gormenghast and His Dark Materials.
one of the best children's fantasy trilogies

The Snow-Walker Trilogy : The Snow-Walker's Son, The Empty Hand and The Soul Thieves
Catherine Fisher
Manufacturer: Red Fox
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

Three spell-binding titles in one volume -- The Snow-walker’s Son, The Empty Hand, and The Soul Thieves.

Out of the swirling mists and icy depths came the snow-walker Gudrun to rule the Jarl’s people with fear and sorcery. But a small band of outlaws are prepared to risk their lives to defeat Gudrun and restore the land to its rightful leader. This trilogy follows them in their quest, from the first journey to meet the snow-walker’s son, to the final battle in the lands beyond the rainbow bridge.

Customer Reviews:

Up there with Gormenghast and His Dark Materials........2004-06-22

This book quite litereally blew me away. From the opening pages, Catherine shows her uinque and extraordinary skill with words. Her work draws strong elements from Norse Mythology, but since when has that been bad? The language flew off the pages and straight to my heart; she writes with such a flair and creates a seamless blend of action, intrigue, poetry and betrayal. Indeed, I have adopted the character Skapti as my new wide-spread internet user-name! She has, in my opinion, created a dazzling book that fully passed my expectations.
Heroism, and tragedy are extremely powerful themes, and Catherine deals with both subjects extremely well.

I have no idea why I hadn't heard of it before I picked it up in my local book store. This destroys Harry Potter and draws up just short of Philip Pullman's Dark Materials and Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast...and that is a great achievement for any author.

I fully reccomend this book, up there with Tolkien, Pullman, Mervyn Peake. I send praise to Catherine for delivering such a work of art. I can only hope that she continues to deliver such spell-bounding tales as sublimely as she does.
Regards,
ECX

(P.S, I also thought the chapter quotations added a uinque flair to the story...well done to Mrs Fisher again.)

one of the best children's fantasy trilogies.......2004-01-20

Catehrine Fisher deserves to be far, far better known because she has a rare gift of being able to tell gripping stories in beautiful, shapely prose - no surprise to discover she's also a poet. This was the first novel of hers I read, and I've since re-read it to my children many times. If you're at all interested in the Vikings or Norse mythology it's especially useful, as it draws on these while creating a wholly believeable world (I also recommend the Margrave books, and The Oracle, which has just been short-listed for the Whitbread Prize).
The story begins with the evil witch Gudrun exiling her own baby son, Kari, and a huge warrior who has dared to cross her to the bitter north. Kari is supposed a monster, but when a small band of rebels is also exiled there, they find the truth to be very different....for Kari has inherited his mother's powers but struggles to find acceptance among human beings. There are sub-plots such as the growing attraction between Jessa "two-knives" and the skald or poet, but the main thrust of the plot is the chilling battle between Kari and his mother, or between love and hate, courage and fear, trust and lies. There are unforgettable images, such as Kari's crystal-strung room, the enchanted snake-bracelets biting into the flesh, the werewolf fighting the bear and the frozen bridge at the rim of the world. Each novel has the bite and crack of ice in it, the love of a good tale told by the fire-side that makes your hair stand up. I can't recommend them too highly for 8+. Oh, and they'd also make great films.

ABORIGINAL (SF) Science Fiction - Number 14 - March - April 1989: In the Shadow of Bones; So It Is Written; Salvage; The Runner the Walker and the One Who Danced After; Indecorous Rescue of Clarinda Merwin; Imprinting; Mr Hyde Visits the Home of Dr Jekyll

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ABORIGINAL (SF) Science Fiction - Number 14 - March - April 1989: In the Shadow of Bones; So It Is Written; Salvage; The Runner the Walker and the One Who Danced After; Indecorous Rescue of Clarinda Merwin; Imprinting; Mr Hyde Visits the Home of Dr Jekyll
Charles C. (editor) (Robert A. Metzger; Paul Edwards; Rosemary Kirstein; Sabine Kirstein; Gerald Perkins; B. W. Clough; Terry McGarry; John Kessel) Ryan
Manufacturer: Absolute Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I7C71U

Andrei and the Snow Walker (In the Same Boat)

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Andrei and the Snow Walker (In the Same Boat)
Larry Warwaruk
Manufacturer: Coteau Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1550502131

Book Description

In search of a better life, twelve-year-old Andrei and his family move from Ukraine to a Canadian homestead near Batoche, Saskatchewan, in the spring of 1900. Andrei's grandfather brings with them an ancient Scythian bowl an old hermit gave him - a strange, glowing bowl which may have magical power.

Andrei has never worked so hard, helping to build a home, breaking land, learning to hunt with two Métis friends, Gabriel and Chi Pete. They tell him about Snow Walker, a man of unusual powers and wisdom - a man some say can change into a bear. Sometimes, in the woods, Andrei thinks he sees a figure moving through the trees.

Near Christmas, Andrei is caught in a swirling blizzard while trying to use the strange bowl's magic to help his family. When he falls through river ice, he sees that not only can't the magic bowl save him, he must let it go to have a chance. Suddenly, someone strong pulls him from the river. In a cabin in the woods, Andrei at last meets Snow Walker and learns that this land has its own wisdom and power.

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