This is a wonderful historical fiction account of the Alaskan gold rush, reminiscent of the storytelling of Jack London. The beginning, as the story bounced back in time, was a little confusing, but once it started focusing on only Delin’s life, it really picked up. The Sesquats added some interest, but I think the story would have been stronger without them. ( )

I was excited to receive this book, and the plot/storyline appeals to me, but in the end, it got harder and harder to get through as I moved further into it. The premise and the main character are interesting, as is the plot as a whole, but it simply moves too quickly and tries to cover too much territory. Sakmyster moves the work from one high point of action or emotion to the next without much pause for either development or thought. As a result, what should probably have been a series of books is crammed awkwardly into a little over three hundred pages, and there's not really time to get attached to any character But the main one, though it feels like we should be. The fact is, I just barely cared about the central character, though he's sympathetic--he's just too melodramatic to be really human and believable, though his melodrama admittedly alternates with apparent godliness to confuse things a bit. Melo-drama and rough dialogue are serious problems here, though, and I often found myself cringing or guffawing at moments that should have been heart-pounding; often, the author pushes a situation just too far or makes dialogue just a bit too dramatic. The results are often situations and conversations that seem awkward at best, and contrived or unbelievable at worst. The ending is somewhat predictable as well, but the central problem just seems to be self-control as far as editing was concerned. EVERYTHING is in this book, when a great deal less subject-matter and more development would have made for the more powerful book. The conception of this was admirable, but the execution left me wanting a more finished adventure or historical fiction novel, and anxious, unfortunately, to reach the conclusion. ( )

This is a really good book that I received as part of the member giveaway program on LibraryThing.

It is set in the mid 1800's to early 1900's and is centered in Alaska. It follows the life of Delin Wetherwax, a larger then life prospector who takes us on a whirlwind tour of Alaska, the American West, China, Washington D.C., etc. Delin has great adventures and tragedies at a breakneck pace.

I enjoyed reading this book. The pace and imagery of the story made it easy to stay interested - I'll probably pass this book to my son here in a year or so.

The whole bigfoot thing was kind of a distraction from what was otherwise a story about the times, travels and adventures of the Wetherwax family. I kept wondering if the bigfoot was intended as some sort of large hairy metaphor for the dangers in this place/period, but then the large hairy metaphor would show up and kill a bunch of people sending the story in another direction.

Even with the bigfeet (?) this book would make a fun movie. ( )

This is one of those books that I took my time reading, not because it was difficult to get through or anything of that nature, but because I wanted to imagine myself as part of the book. The plot really captured my attention, and I am a sucker for anything that correlates with history. For some reason, this book reminded me a lot of the works written by Jack London. I also like how this book didn't focus only on one particular time period in history; moreover, it goes in depth about several events that will leave the reader wondering exactly what kind of life existed during those times. To be able to live vicariously through reading is perhaps one of the most beneficial rewards that a person can get while reading, and this book definitely lived up to my expectations. Five stars all around. ( )

I loved this book! It had the perfect balance of myth, factual information, and adventure. Wonderful plot line! Fascinating characters! A simply outstanding piece of literature!!! So snuggle up by a warm fire and read Silver and Gold! ( )