Portals in a Northern Sky

by Charles D. Hayes

Book Overview

"Query: What do these things have in common: the end of the Civil War, ""Go West young woman,"" fur trapping, missing persons, gold in the Klondike, glitter in the beaches of Nome, the Great San... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0962197955
• ISBN13: 9780962197956
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Autodidactic Press
• Length: 379 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great Story Telling

Portals In A Northern Sky is a fresh and new concept on time travel that rivals Michael Creitons wonderful "Timeline" at it presents a mystery adventure of a family migration across the continent from the east to the west where several of its characters find common threads in their genealogy just like many of us might do if we had the ability to see all of the events of the past. The book begins in Alaska and after many twist and turns has its surprising and complex climatic end in Alaska. It is like reading three novels in one with lots of philosophy, history, intrigue, a journey back and forth in time. For Science Fiction lovers it has an examination of the ramifications for governments to no longer have secrets, for Mystery lovers it has crime and murder, for Adventure lovers it has searching for gold in Alaska, for Classic lovers it has several summaries of some American classic literature with various philosophical ideas in interpretations and for History lovers it has many of the great events in American history mentioned.The novel is a puzzle where in the end all of the pieces fit together to form a very large picture of past and present letting know that know one can foresee the future. This is a must read for anyone who is interested in creative three-dimensional plots and interesting characters.

Thoughtful and Stimulating!

This is a great book for skeptics, but is bound to be disturbing to true believers. You aren't likley to find a copy of this book on a WalMart shelf and it is likely to make the Tim Lahaye (Left Behind) crowd break out in hives. I agree that for free thinkers this book may become a classic.

Very thought provoking story

This multi-faceted novel takes place in and around the state of Alaska. Part of it is a multi-generation saga of one family over the last 150 years. It starts with a young woman named Sara Spencer Peek, part of a westward-bound wagon train in the mid 19th century. Back in the present, Bob Thornton is a Wall Street superstar, who, one day, walks away from everything, and heads for Alaska. He's not totally sure where he's going or what he'll do once he gets there, but there has to be more to life than Wall Street. While hitchhiking, he is picked up by Ruben Sanchez, self-educated philosopher. They do a lot of talking about philosophy, most of it centered on the book Moby Dick.Adam Whitehead is a world-renowned physicist doing his best to drop off the face of the earth. Both his parents died of complications from Alzheimer's Disease, and, being of the age where such a thing is a major concern, he is terrified that he will be next. Should it happen, he will end his own life before he ends up in some nursing home. James Tall Tree, the Presidential Science Adviser, calls out the Alaska State Police in almost-desperate search for Whitehead. His theories have led to a major discovery that is about to be released to the public. Tall Tree wants to officially acknowledge Whitehead's contribution.It has become possible to go back in time and watch events as they happen in real time. Going to any coordinates, as long as it was outside and there was no cloud cover, it is possible to go back as far as the cavemen and watch it 'live'. Access to this system will be freely available to anyone with an internet connection. The repercussions for all of human society, especially fields like history and archaeology, will, of course, be cataclysmic.I really enjoyed this book, but it's not for everyone. The reader had better like home-grown, self-educated philosophy, because there is a lot of it in this book. Otherwise, it works as a science fiction novel, as a Jack London-type adventure novel, and it will give the reader plenty to think about. It's very much worth reading.

A unique combination of action and deep thought

My kind of book!As a rule, I don't take time for novels, but this one is an exception. It addresses in depth some of my primary interests to include self-learning, over-conformity, and the quest to make sense of American culture which too often is dominated by superficiality, and materialism. Hayes gives us lots to chew on.And the book is an action-packed, fun, easy read to boot. Highest recommendations!

Blends science fiction with action adventure

Portals in a Northern Sky is a novel by Charles Douglas Hayes that blends science fiction with action adventure, as a new technology is developed which allows people to see the past in real time and thereby forever changes America as its citizens know it. Individuals from the present and the past cross paths and influence one another in this uniquely woven, dramatic and serious story about strictly logical consequences. Portals In The Northern Sky is confidently recommended reading which will especially appeal to science fiction fans in general, and those who appreciate finely crafted speculative fiction in particular.