The Silver Horde

Ever read one of Jack London's adventure stories? Maybe you had to read Call of the Wild or something in school. If you did, you know a little about the image of Alaska, the final frontier, where the Old West ended up.

The Silver Horde,  by Rex Beach,  is one of those stories. A desperate man meets a charming, mysterious woman in a surprisingly civilized setting in one of the most remote places in Alaska. She offers him a chance to make his fortune...adventure, romance, danger, intrigue, a hint of sex...and the question of a happy ending.

I've never been a big fan of westerns. I've listened to (and enjoyed) one Zane Grey novel, a handful of romantic novels set in the great untamed territories and I've lived in a couple of formerly Old West-type communities. But I like a good adventure, and I like strong women characters.

Actually, the secondary characters in this book are, for me, rather more interesting than the hero. He's okay...driven, determined to reach his goal of wealth (and thereby the girl of his dreams) in spite of all obstacles, handsome, young, etc., etc.  But in spite of his good qualities, he's just a little bit...dumb, particularly in relationships. Also, one minor character seemed to promise interesting developments, but by the final third of the book, I no longer found him interesting)

Overall, though, the pace and the adventure, along with the supporting characters, kept me involved with the story. Even though I'd suspected the final twist since the beginning (hmmm, why haven't we heard more about this character? Could it be I'm not supposed to notice him/her until the end? Hmmm)

This one goes on the kitchen bookshelf. I'll probably read it again in a year or so.