Far North

A Novel

By: Marcel Theroux

Narrated by: Yelena Schmulenson

My father had an expression for a thing that turned out bad. He'd say it had gone west. But going west always sounded pretty good to me. After all, westwards is the path of the sun. And through as much history as I know of, people have moved west to settle and find freedom. But our world had gone north, truly gone north, and just how far north I was beginning to learn.

Out on the frontier of a failed state, Makepeace - sheriff and perhaps last citizen - patrols a city's ruins, salvaging books but keeping the guns in good repair. Into this cold land comes shocking evidence that life might be flourishing elsewhere: a refugee emerges from the vast emptiness of forest, whose existence inspires Makepeace to reconnect with human society and take to the road, armed with rough humor and an unlikely ration of optimism. What Makepeace finds is a world unraveling: stockaded villages enforcing an uncertain justice and hidden work camps laboring to harness the little-understood technologies of a vanished civilization. But Makepeace's journey - rife with danger - also leads to an unexpected redemption.

Far North takes the reader on a quest through an unforgettable arctic landscape, from humanity's origins to its possible end. Haunting, spare, yet stubbornly hopeful, the novel is suffused with an ecstatic awareness of the world's fragility and beauty, and its ability to recover from our worst trespasses.

©2009 Marcel Theroux (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

One of my favorite books on audible

I have returned to this book to relisten several times over the years. It is poignant, bleak, yet full of hope. The narration by Yelena Schmulenson is moving and the perfect voice for the protagonist.

Powerful and mesmerizing

What a tremendously well done audiobook. The narration was spot on for the character. The story itself is beautifully written. This is one the more enjoyable reads I've come across in awhile.

Seriously great

In all the current post apocalyptic books this really stands out for me . It is not a comfortable read, with a comfortable ending, but I could not put it down. Although it does not pull any punches it is not as completely bleak as "The Road " was. It is a well thought out version of a possible future with philosophical depth on a number of issues without ever getting preachy or pompous. Written from a first person view , at that from an unconventional female, it leaves a lot to the imagination and gets one thinking long after the book has been read . I'll definitely will listen to it again.

Spellbinding!

The story is gripping, full of suspense, beautifully written (and narrated) and makes you think. Reminded me of The Road. One of the best books I've downloaded.

A solid dystopian novel

This is a well thought out novel covering many pitfalls other books fail to cover, poison, radiation etc. I enjoyed every minute of it!
The reader had a great accent.

Captivating

First of all the reader was great! The book kept you wondering who/what/where & when. Little by little information would come out to answer those questions, but not entirely. I had to go back a couple of times to to re-listen a chapter to put together some information I might of missed (my attention span sometimes wonders!) then I can understand what's happening. There is a lot of "visual" narratives that puts you in the area, but not when in time, (as in past/present/future)but that could be just my inability to put 2+2. A very different listen/subject then I'm used to, but I highly recommend it.

Good Post-Apocalypse Tale

What was one of the most memorable moments of Far North?

There were a number of memorable moments, but I really appreciated the overall environment that Theroux created. Makepeice Hatfield is a scrappy survivor and I enjoyed how the story unfolded.

Perfect match of narrator and story

I took a chance on this novel - And it is a rare combination of original plot and humane sensibility. I don't want to give away what happens, so I'll just say that if, like me, you look for audio books that have the right narration for that story, voice acting that pulls you in, successful pacing, and substance,,Far North is unusually rewarding.

Wilderness epic more than post-apocalyptic

Far North has a strong female protagonist who is never overshadowed by any male characters or caught up in romantic subplots. The strength of this novel is the first-person narrator, Makepeace. She's tough, practical, and capable of being violent when she has to be, but never without purpose or remorse. She has a very straightforward way of telling her story -- she doesn't seem to dwell on things or spend too much time doubting herself or bemoaning her often tragic circumstances. But the author (through her) still describes her environment in all its vast, frozen majesty, and also describes the way society fell apart, the way decent people act very badly, and, gradually, things that happened before Makepeace was left alone, before everyone she knew died, which come back to haunt her years later. It's a stark but textured novel. None of the characters are saints, and they're mostly sinners, but no one is purely evil. Makepeace makes a lot of decisions, some good and some bad, and then lives with them.

This story of a lone survivor in an empty land follows the trend of many recent post-apocalyptic novels, in that the exact nature of the apocalypse and how civilization fell isn't specified, though there have obviously been climactic changes, and there are hints of a big collapse precipitated by shortages, wars, and other disasters.

The ending was neither happy nor sad. When civilization falls, you're not realistically going to see some bright new world rising out of the ashes any time soon. At best, you'll see a gleam of hope for future generations, and that's what you get here.

Yelena Schmulenson gives perfect voice to the hard-bitten but soft at times Makepeace. I liked her hint of an accent, which made me think Canadian, although I'm pretty sure it's not.

Far North is compelling

The reader is a perfect narrator for this story. I read the book several years ago and wanted to listen to it. Wonderfully done.