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Title details for The Floor of Heaven by Howard Blum - Wait list

The Floor of Heaven

A True Tale of the Last Frontier and the Yukon Gold Rush

by Howard Blum
John H. Mayer
Audiobook
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New York Times bestselling author Howard Blum expertly weaves together three narratives to tell the true story of the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush.
It is the last decade of the 19th century. The Wild West has been tamed and its fierce, independent and often violent larger-than-life figures—gun-toting wanderers, trappers, prospectors, Indian fighters, cowboys, and lawmen—are now victims of their own success. But then gold is discovered in Alaska and the adjacent Canadian Klondike and a new frontier suddenly looms: an immense unexplored territory filled with frozen waterways, dark spruce forests, and towering mountains capped by glistening layers of snow and ice.
In a true-life tale that rivets from the first page, we meet Charlie Siringo, a top-hand sharp-shooting cowboy who becomes one of the Pinkerton Detective Agency’s shrewdest; George Carmack, a California-born American Marine who’s adopted by an Indian tribe, raises a family with a Taglish squaw, and makes the discovery that starts off the Yukon Gold Rush; and Jefferson "Soapy" Smith, a sly and inventive conman who rules a vast criminal empire.
As we follow this trio’s lives, we’re led inexorably into a perplexing mystery: a fortune in gold bars has somehow been stolen from the fortress-like Treadwell Mine in Juneau, Alaska. Charlie Siringo discovers that to run the thieves to ground, he must embark on a rugged cross-territory odyssey that will lead him across frigid waters and through a frozen wilderness to face down "Soapy" Smith and his gang of 300 cutthroats. Hanging in the balance: George Carmack’s fortune in gold.
At once a compelling true-life mystery and an unforgettable portrait of a time in America’s history, The Floor of Heaven is also an exhilarating tribute to the courage and undaunted spirit of the men and women who helped shape America.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 26, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780307914637
      • File size: 462303 KB
      • Duration: 16:03:07

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Howard Blum spins the real-life stories of a Pinkerton detective, a con man who controlled Skagway, and the Marine deserter who discovered gold in the Klondike--a group of characters so lively that this nonfiction work reads like a novel. From the beginning, listeners will sense that their paths are eventually going to weave together. The historical account starts slowly--it takes more than four hours of listening to actually get to the Yukon. However, it's fascinating all the way--thanks to an inhospitable climate, the "strike-it-rich" fever that infuses the characters, and the dog-eat-dog culture that developed in gold rush country. John Mayer's narration shows a genuine fascination with the three men and includes just a hint of wry humor. There's also a feeling of cliff-hanging excitement right up to the epilogue--which includes a gunfight. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 31, 2011
      Blum, author of the bestselling and Edgar-winning American Lightning, displays all his creative gifts here. Using primary source materials from the three individuals around whom the narrative revolves, he tells a fascinating story of the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush. Charlie Siringo was a larger-than-life hero, a cowboy turned successful businessman turned Pinkerton detective renowned for his sense of duty. Jefferson "Soapy" Smith epitomized the frontier "confidence man" who considered dishonesty a way of life. George Carmack, the prospector who precipitated the great Alaska gold rush that drew the men together, deserted from the Marines, married a Native American, and pursued his prospecting dreams to the Klondike. Detailing crimes perpetrated and solved, relationships both happy and tragic, hardships unthinkable in the modern age, and the cold, magical allure of Alaska and the Yukon, Blum captures the spirit and mood of the last of the Old West. The final pages, especially, are filled with drama and a strange yearning. From a purely historical perspective, there should have been more information on Alaska as a Russian colony and American territory, but as an exciting narrative, this is a huge success. 8 pages of b&w photos; 1 map.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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