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Far North

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 979 ratings · 230 reviews

Out on the far northern border of a failed state, Makepeace patrols the ruins of a dying city and tries to keep its unruly inhabitants in check. Into this world comes evidence that life is flourishing elsewhere - a refugee from the vast emptiness of forest, whose existence inspires Makepeace to take the road to connect with human society.

Paperback, 304 pages

Published June 3rd 2010 by Faber (first published 2009)

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Mar 13, 2012 Regina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: narration-is-great, natural-disasters, blew-my-mind, favorites

You know that Tom Hanks movie, Cast Away, the one where Hank's character is stranded on an island alone and everyone on the plane with him that crashed is dead? He has a few reminders from civilization, undelivered packages, some toys – a volleyball. Now imagine that he never got off the island and imagine that it was really really cold. Now imagine that he met some slavers and what happened after that was not pleasant. Then imagine that he met some opportunists who do anything to control their...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Veeral rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apokalipsa, dystopian, favorites-of-2013

Powerful book. Powerful, magnificent, but brutal and bleak. Makepeace is one of the most resilient characters that I have ever come across while reading fiction.

I have noticed that many reviews here give away too much of the plot. I would advice against reading them as the magnificence of this book comes out through Marcel Theroux's ingenious writing. He tells you the story by Makepeace's point of view but everytime Theroux holds something back and reveals it finally in a single sentence as if...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Kat rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalypse, 2012-read, updated

Let me start by saying it took me 11 days to read this book. 300 pages over 11 days is, what, 27-odd pages a day which is VERY unusual for me. I do confess that I was in something of a reading slump when I started this, so please take what I say with a pinch of salt!

This book is beautifully written in a bleak, harsh and short way, full of twists that I didn’t see coming, and gradually reveals its secrets at the right parts of the story.

Without giving away too many twists and secrets, I just foun...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Ian rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award in 2010, but lost out to Miéville’s The City The City. It is yet another US post-apocalypse novel. The writer is British, but the son of US author Paul Theroux; and the novel is actually set in Siberia. The central premise is that Siberia was opened to American settlers, but then some sort of catastrophe did for the rest of the world, and those remaining in the “Far North” gradually succumbed to the usual violence, rape and warlordism. Theroux c...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Gertie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apocalyptic_fiction, favorites

This one is bleak. Not quite as soul-crushing as The Road, but definitely harsh. That is part of the beauty of it though.

Thoroughly engrossing, with a main character (Makepeace) you can enjoy getting to know, both the good and the bad. Makepeace is someone you can't help but admire for sheer stubborn will to live.

I also found the various survival aspects interesting - it never fails to amaze me how authors in the post-apocalyptic genre continue to find new ways to demonstrate the various diffic...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Martin Belcher rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to, it started quite well with a tale of a woman called Makepeace Hatfield stranded in the far north of what was one Russia following some sort of worldwide catastrophic breakdown of civilization. Following a tragedy of her own, Makepeace ends up on the road searching for something or someone or some place to call home. What follows is a bit of a ramble backward and forwards between different bands of horrible people, a spell as a prisoner, a radioact...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Esme rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia-apocalypse, arctic-antarctica

Das Leben in den Städten ist für einige Menschen unerträglich geworden, so zogen sie in Siedlungen in Sibirien, auf der Suche nach einem ursprünglichen, ehrlicheren Leben. Hier ist Makepeace Hatfield geboren und aufgewachsen. Doch Überbevölkerung, Erderwärmung, Krankheiten und Kriege schwemmten Flüchtlinge in ihre Refugien in der Arktis. Die Spannungen zwischen ihnen zerstörte innerhalb kurzer Zeit das menschliche Zusammenleben. Nun ist Makepeace ganz allein in einer Geisterstadt. Bis sie eines...more Das Leben in den Städten ist für einige Menschen unerträglich geworden, so zogen sie in Siedlungen in Sibirien, auf der Suche nach einem ursprünglichen, ehrlicheren Leben. Hier ist Makepeace Hatfield geboren und aufgewachsen. Doch Überbevölkerung, Erderwärmung, Krankheiten und Kriege schwemmten Flüchtlinge in ihre Refugien in der Arktis. Die Spannungen zwischen ihnen zerstörte innerhalb kurzer Zeit das menschliche Zusammenleben. Nun ist Makepeace ganz allein in einer Geisterstadt. Bis sie eines Tages ein Flugzeug abstürzen sieht und sich auf den Weg macht, auf der Suche nach menschlicher Gesellschaft, auf der Suche nach einem lebenswerteren Dasein.

Der Roman Far North (Weit im Norden) von Marcel Theroux ist ein realistisches Endzeitszenario, weil die Ursachen für die Katastrophe sehr wahrscheinlich sind. Makepeace ist eine Romanfigur, die einen nicht so schnell losläßt. Die Atmosphäre ist bedrückend und pessimistisch, trotzdem empfand ich dieses Buch nie als deprimierend. Das lag zum Einen an Makepeace, wie sie stoisch erträgt, was ihr angetan wird und was sie erlebt, wie sie trotzdem nie aufgibt. Dass sie selten ihren Mut verliert und sich trotz allem ihre Würde bewahrt, sich selbst nicht gehen läßt. Eine so starke Persönlichkeit in einer so rauen und lebensfeindlichen Welt. Das trotzt einem Bewunderung ab. Zum Anderen schafft Theroux mehrdimensionale Romanfiguren, die schlechten Menschen haben auch andere Facetten, es gibt eben keine Schwarz/Weiß-Raster, in die sich Alles und Jedes pressen läßt. Die Welt ist nicht völlig zerstört oder unbewohnbar, ein Neuanfang wäre für die Überlebenden möglich. Doch sie versuchen, die untergegangene Vergangenheit zu bewahren oder wiederzubeleben und scheitern. Makepeace muß schlussendlich erkennen, dass es einen Unterschied zwischen leben und überleben gibt. Und die meisten Menschen kommen nie zu dieser Einsicht, zu überhaupt keiner Einsicht.

Ein rundum gelungener Endzeitroman mit einer Heldin, bei der ich bedauere, sie verlassen zu müssen, aber froh bin, sie kennengelernt und ein Stück auf ihrem Weg begleitet zu haben.(less)

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Jan 29, 2011 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Where I got the book: my own selection, from the library.

Makepeace is a survivor in an age where drought and famine have wiped out most of the population. A remnant of a religious community that settled the farthest northern reaches of Asia, Makepeace struggles with the choice between isolated self-sufficiency and reaching out to other humans in an age where brutality is the norm.

Far North is a compelling book. I've always loved end-of-days novels, and if you've ever read John Wyndham's 1950s cl...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was drawn to this book because of its setting in the north and post-apocalyptic genre, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of its distinctives. First, it has a female protagonist, which I found an enjoyable and insightful viewpoint, as the experience and vulnerability of women in a world gone to hell takes on different shapes than that of men. Further, the protagonist (Makepeace) is witty, philosophical, worldly, and acerbic--thus, accompanying her thoughts is usually quite enjoyable. She c...more

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Jul 14, 2010 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, bought-copy

Makepeace is one of the last survivors in the bleak Far North - a Siberia peopled by those who have fled from the cities and the greed. She lives a quiet and desolate life that is thrown upside down by the arrival of another survivor into the dead city that she patrols each day on horseback. So begins a series of events that sees Makepeace discover what has happened to the world outside the confines of her city.

Far North is a stark, quiet, tired novel. The world as we know it is dead; horizons a...more Makepeace is one of the last survivors in the bleak Far North - a Siberia peopled by those who have fled from the cities and the greed. She lives a quiet and desolate life that is thrown upside down by the arrival of another survivor into the dead city that she patrols each day on horseback. So begins a series of events that sees Makepeace discover what has happened to the world outside the confines of her city.

Far North is a stark, quiet, tired novel. The world as we know it is dead; horizons are closer and the land feels smaller; primitive people are making more of a success of life than those who once ruled the cities. It is an intriguing read, but never an easy one. Light-hearted moments are not to be found, and hope is in short supply.

The prose is pared-down and brusque, narrated by Makepeace from a first person perspective, with her hard-earned wisdom:

"Human beings are rat-cunning and will happily kill you twice over for a hot meal. That's what long observation has taught me. On the other hand, with a full belly, and a good harvest in the barn, and a fire in the hearth, there's nothing so charming, so generous, no one more decent than a well-fed man. But take away his food, make his future uncertain, let him know that no one's watching him and he won't just kill you, he'll come up with a hundred and one reasons why you deserve it."

Rather than plot, which is slight, the novel deals with exploring the idea of what a world would be like where global warming has reached its inevitable conclusion, where mankind is gradually dying out. It is definitely a social commentary - a warning or prediction of what might happen in our future.

This is not a novel that I can say, hand on heart, that I enjoyed reading (it is too grim for that) - but I admired it. It is beautifully written, with some exceptional descriptive work, and surprises right to the last page. Makepeace is a very effective narrator - practical to a fault:

"It struck me early on that if they prayed less, they'd eat better, but as a guest, I felt bound to keep my thoughts to myself."

Overall, I think that Far North has important messages to impart, and that it is written beautifully. I would recommend to this to those who read and enjoyed The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Arthur Clarke thoughts: Well, my fourth read of the short-list contenders and yet another very different novel! In terms of writing, message, science fiction elements and concepts, I would definitely say that this is the book that can come closest to defeating The City and The City for the award. It is clever, grim and written by a superlative storyteller with an exceptionally strong voice. Moving from Retribution Falls straight into Far North has revealed just how stellar the line-up of books on the short-list is - so far each of them has offered a different perspective on the nature of science fiction literature. This is a very strong contender for the Arthur C. Clarke award. (less)

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Jun 25, 2010 Mason rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: failing-gracefully

James Lovelock—the scientist who helped the world discover ozone-hole-creating chemicals and developed the idea that life on Earth has managed the planet's temperature—says we should start planning a retreat.

“At six going on eight billion people,” Lovelock told Andrew Revkin, a New York Times reporter, “the idea of any further development is almost obscene. We’ve got to learn how to retreat from the world that we’re in. Planning a good retreat is always a good measure of generalship.”

And, Revkin...more

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Apr 26, 2010 David Hebblethwaite rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Marcel Theroux’s Far North is a tale of endurance and survival, though not necessarily in the way one might anticipate.

Our narrator is Makepeace Hatfield, the constable of a frontier town in Siberia, though she’s not really sure how many people there are to protect and/or fend off any more. Makepeace is the daughter of parents who, along with others from the US, settled in Siberia looking for a simpler life, environmental changes having put intolerable pressures on the life they knew. It didn’t...more Marcel Theroux’s Far North is a tale of endurance and survival, though not necessarily in the way one might anticipate.

Our narrator is Makepeace Hatfield, the constable of a frontier town in Siberia, though she’s not really sure how many people there are to protect and/or fend off any more. Makepeace is the daughter of parents who, along with others from the US, settled in Siberia looking for a simpler life, environmental changes having put intolerable pressures on the life they knew. It didn’t work out, and now who knows what’s going on in the wider world? Not Makepeace, who has enough on her plate with day-to-day living. But when, one day, she sees a plane – a sure sign of other humanity – she decides to head out beyond her town to see what she can find. In due course, she is captured and taken to a prison-town, where she discovers that maybe not all of that old world has gone, or perhaps a new one may yet be forged.

Far North is striking both for what it is and is not. It is a clearly told tale (Theroux’s prose is expressive, but not densely poetic; the latter would be out of place in the harsh world of his book) of a woman who has to face up to a life and world of deep contradiction; for example, she doesn’t ‘share [her parents’:] view of the merits of scarcity’ (50), yet efforts to rebuild the world bring their own difficulties.

But, even though Far North tells of an individual making her way through the wilderness, it’s not a tale of survival in a documentary sense; the landscapes and how people live are in there, but the details of those aren’t the main focus. Rather, I think Theroux is interested in depicting a more fundamental kind of endurance – the endurance of the human spirit.

Throughout the novel, one is constantly reminded that this is a story: the references to Makepeace writing her words down; the beats of the narrative (the knowledge that Makepeace is a woman comes twenty pages in, in a way that could wrong-foot the unwary reader). And, if we take the view that stories are a way in which humans make sense of the world, then we can say that a story is being enacted even in this harsh setting, which would seem to have no room for stories. Yet the story goes on, and so does humanity.

What I take away most from Far North is a sense of the enormous pressures (and I’m talking about psychic pressures here as much as physical ones) under which Theroux’s characters have been placed, and the price they’ve had to pay within themselves in order to survive. The novel’s title refers to a moral compass as well as a geographical one, and the idea that, if you travel far enough north, all directions start to lose meaning. Both Makepeace and other characters have done (and do) morally reprehensible things; but right and wrong become malleable concepts in the reality of this book, and that’s what Theroux captures so well.

Far North announces itself quietly, and never raises its voice – but its echoes remain after the book is closed. Like humankind in the tale, it endures.(less)

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Jan 25, 2010 Courtney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As the world grew crowded and warm, but before it all fell apart, waves of settlers uprooted themselves from across America to pursue utopian dreams in cold Siberia. Makepeace Hatfield is born into one of these idealistic communes, and grows into adulthood as the world falls apart. We learn a little of the history of the unraveling of the world when Makepeace pauses to look back, but mostly this is a book of forward motion, even when the motion has no purpose but to keep on moving. Our hero live...more

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Oct 02, 2009 Jv rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 05, 2012 Autumn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This has to be the most surprising book I've read this year. I was kind of expecting something like Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. This was nothing like that. This was more like a dystopian book, that happens to take place in the Arctic. It's no wonder though, that Far North was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Makepeace is a woman living alone in an abandoned town in the Far North, existing on her own. When a prisoner escapes and seeks refuge in Makepeace's town, she realizes there might...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Ryandake rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

what an awesome little book. reminded me of maureen f. mchugh's Mission Child, except told even more sparely.

this is my favorite kind of sf read: a first-person narrative of a small world, intensely and intimately experienced. no view from orbit here--everything is close-up, full of sensory detail, and all acts have significance and meaning.

the narrator here is a the sole remaining inhabitant of a former utopian town. she doesn't remain alone for long, however, so it's a good thing she's got ple...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Milan/zzz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, dystopia

I took this because many reviewers were linked this with "Oryx and Crake" by M. Atwood and "The Road" by C. McCarthy (which I haven't read btw; but I have them on my to-be-read pile and I know I'll like them).
Surely it was very interesting read and something I usually don't read.
Post-apocalypse somewhere in Siberia; life in destroyed cities; radioactive or full of deadly germs; totally deprived humanity among those who have survived... the world as know it doesn't exist; native peoples with the...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Franziska rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia, russia, science-fiction, siberia, end-time, demolition

Wie so oft finde ich, dass der Klappentext vollkommen falsche Erwartungen in den potentiellen Lesern weckt. Es handelt sich bei dem Buch keineswegs um einen spannenden Krimi mit Herzrasen vor Spannung, eher im Gegenteil. Kampf- oder Todesszenen werden "kurz und schmerzlos" abgehandelt, in wenigen Zeilen.
Überhaupt passiert in dem Buch nicht übermäßig viel: Makepeace, die letzte Überlebende in ihrer Siedlung, führt ein einsames und ständig von Gefahren überschattetes Leben. Sie muss immer auf der...more Wie so oft finde ich, dass der Klappentext vollkommen falsche Erwartungen in den potentiellen Lesern weckt. Es handelt sich bei dem Buch keineswegs um einen spannenden Krimi mit Herzrasen vor Spannung, eher im Gegenteil. Kampf- oder Todesszenen werden "kurz und schmerzlos" abgehandelt, in wenigen Zeilen.
Überhaupt passiert in dem Buch nicht übermäßig viel: Makepeace, die letzte Überlebende in ihrer Siedlung, führt ein einsames und ständig von Gefahren überschattetes Leben. Sie muss immer auf der Hut sein, um ihr Überleben kämpfen. Als sie eines Tages auf Ping trifft, die gerade Bücher zum Verbrennen aus einem der verlassenen Häuser stehlen will, schießt Ping sie aus einer Überreaktion heraus an - und gewinnt Ping doch noch als Freundin, als sie ihren Fehler erkennt. Wenige Monate später verlässt Ping aber Makepeace' Leben genauso plötzlich wieder wie Ping in ihr Leben eingetreten war und Makepeace Lebenswille ist gebrochen, die Einsamkeit scheint ihr unerträglich. Erst Wochen später, als sie ein Flugzeug am Himmel entdeckt, schöpft sie wieder Hoffnung: Gibt es möglicherweise noch eine zivilisierte Welt da draußen? Städte, wie es sie früher gab, bevor die Katastrophe über die Menschen hereinbrach? Und so macht sie sich auf den Weg, um auf diese Fragen eine Antwort zu finden.
Die meiste Zeit geht es in dem Buch dabei weniger um den Aspekt der Zerstörung des (für uns Leser) gewohnten Lebens - der Zivilisation-, sondern tatsächlich um das Leben danach. Was wird aus den Menschen, wenn man ihnen alles raubt? Gehen Liebe, Mitleid, Hilfsbereitschaft, Freundschaft und Moral vollständig verloren? Wer wird überleben, wer als Sklave oder Herrscher? Neben diesen oft eher ernüchternden Fragen (und Antworten) ist das Buch aber auch eine Hommage an das Leben - denn Makepeace' Lebenswille bricht (fast) nie, immer möchte sie weiter und noch das Beste aus ihrem Leben machen.
Eine der Fragen, die im zweiten Teil des Buches aufkommt (deshalb möchte ich hier auch nicht zuviel darüber verraten), ist zudem, ob man eine Gesellschaft mit einem Lebensstil aufbauen kann, der darauf fußt, dass andere Menschen dafür versklavt werden und sogar sterben müssen. Spontan würden die meisten wohl "Nein!" antworten, andererseits sind wir auch heute vielleicht nicht so weit davon entfernt ... aber darüber kann ja jeder in seinem stillen Kämmerchen nachdenken (oder es sein lassen).
Ich habe das Buch in nur zwei Tagen gelesen, insbesondere der erste Teil hat mich extrem gefesselt. Das Buch liest sich flüssig und süffig. Die Schriftgröße ist recht hoch, dadurch liest es sich auch schneller als man bei der Seitenzahl vielleicht zunächst erwartet.(less)

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Jul 12, 2010 Jeffrey Mervosh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

A cautionary tale about global warming's effect on the near future, this is an interesting book with some surprising reveals along the way. Not highly suspenseful, but it does keep you reading.

The dystopian world that Makepeace Hatfield wakes up to find is the result not of a nuclear holocaust or disease pandemic, but rising seas and food scarcity, which prompt violent human reactions. Mass migration quickly leads to a refugee crisis of epic proportions. Natives of the Far North come into confli...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012books

On the one hand this was a page-turning, exciting book; on the other, I was frequently bored. On one hand, it re-hashed a slew of standard post-apocalyptic elements, and on the other, managed a number of legitimate, wonderful surprises and twists. I flew through the whole thing eager for more and felt entirely ho-hum when it was all finished.

I certainly enjoyed it for the most part, but there were definite frustrations throughout. Short pockets of heart-pounding action and terror punctuated a ki...more

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Dec 13, 2010 Abbey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-sci-fi-or-speculative, dystopian

The voice of the narrator, Makepeace, and the word substitution that signals this as an alternative history aren't entirely consistent (for instance, substituting "milliards" for "millions" except for one slip-up), but this is a compelling story of survival in solitude and what a difference a little companionship can make, both good and bad - good, because companionship brings more dimensions to life, and bad because other people can complicate the delicate balance of daily survival. Makepeace w...more

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Oct 13, 2010 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Are post-apocalyptic novels better if they detail how the world ends?

I guess it depends upon what sort of message we're looking for.

My favorite post-apocalyptic novels -- Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Margaret Atwood's Oryx & Crake -- represent the two ENDS of this apocalyptic spectrum. McCarthy's END is ambiguous, allowing him instead to focus all of his energies on a commentary about hope and despair. Atwood's END is clearly explained, allowing her to speculate on where our choices are le...more

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Aug 07, 2009 Lorie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cormac McCarthy's The Road may have spawned a whole subgenre of speculative fiction, all dealing with the aftermath when wars or climate change or some other apocalypse lead to the end of civilization as we have known it.
I have just finished Far North by Marcel Theroux. He is not the writer McCarthy is, but has his own style that fits the subject well - short sentences, spare language.
In this take on the future, a few "settlers" have survived the demise of civilizatoin by staking claim on pie...more

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May 06, 2012 Christopher rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I imagined this novel would be something along the lines of a science fiction, human, version of The Call of the Wild; perhaps with a touch of Blade Runner: and I Am Legend.

It was in a way, with a plot that does take some rapid and unexpected turns, occasionally stretching the suspension of disbelief.

The book does paint a vivid picture of a future that may be closer than we think; a bleak, vast and freezing continent left empty by catastrophic events that are really not ever explained.

The prose...more

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Oct 05, 2010 Joe B. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Joe Bricker Bricker Romaniuk/Moyer
Reading/Language Arts Book Review #2
04 October 2010
Far North:
How Far Will You Go?
Imagine yourself in a barren landscape, no one to help you, only yourself. How would you live? It's a survival of the fittest, and it's live, or die. In Far North, by Marcel Theroux, Sheriff Makepeace, the city's last citizen is on a search for civilization. Makepeace lives in a post-apocalyptic landscape, the “far north”, wherever that is. This adventure follows Makepeace throug...more
Joe Bricker Bricker Romaniuk/Moyer
Reading/Language Arts Book Review #2
04 October 2010
Far North:
How Far Will You Go?
Imagine yourself in a barren landscape, no one to help you, only yourself. How would you live? It's a survival of the fittest, and it's live, or die. In Far North, by Marcel Theroux, Sheriff Makepeace, the city's last citizen is on a search for civilization. Makepeace lives in a post-apocalyptic landscape, the “far north”, wherever that is. This adventure follows Makepeace through her quest for life, while trying to save her own. Marcel Theroux displays himself as an author in this book by vividly describing characters, twisting the plot, and letting the reader, “feel the adventure.”

In Far North, Marcel Theroux construes exactly how characters think, feel, and live their own lives. To describe Makepeace, Theroux puts her as first-person, so the reader can hear her thoughts. On page 41, when Makepeace tries to kill herself, the reader can then understand how she was feeling, how she wanted a “final image of life” to flash before her eyes. When she saw the plane, anyone who has read this book felt the excitement, and how the story is just getting started. To illustrate Reverend Boathwaite, Theroux explains how religion is the most important thing in the world, and it pushes them to stay alive. Without enough food, Boathwaite is the city's only peace. As Boathwaite said, “Sometimes, our imperative is survival. We are much reduced. But this community coheres. You (Makepeace) are the last of your whole city. Ask yourself, by what grace did this settlement survive, while your's collapsed?” This shows Boathwaite has the upmost faith that religion will pull them through. These examples show how Theroux demonstrates characters through description and perspective. Bricker

Theroux also shows how well he can write through his plot twists. In the beginning of Far North, Makepeace doesn't lead an exciting life. Then, while patrolling, she discovers Ping, an escaped slave. This puts purpose into Makepeace's life, and the story can go on. Then, when the reader discovers that Ping is pregnant, another spark hits Makepeace and the reader. The narrative then picks up its' pace. When Ping dies at childbirth, and Makepeace's life begins to fall apart, the story begins to pick up the sad perspective on Makepeace's life. Then, when the plane appears, the story picks up again. When Makepeace is caught of fraud by Boathwaite, and is sentenced to death, the plot regains a lot of it's pace. However, when the “two-faced” Reverend decides to pull Makepeace out of death, and sentences her to service for life, the story can continue, and take a new twist. When Makepeace begins to work, the story slows dramatically, but when she escapes, it picks up again. Then, when she is caught again, the story continues on a steady pace. As you can see, Theroux keeps on twisting the plot to keep the book “alive”. To maintain the attention of the reader, Theroux uses his skill to keep the characters and plot “living” throughout the book.

To envelop the reader, Theroux also tries to make sure that the reader “feels” the adventure. When Makepeace found Ping, a light went off in my head. As a reader, I know that when a new character is introduced to the story, something will change, and lead to a new sub-plot. When Ping died at childbirth, I could tell that the story began to die, and I felt lonely. The book made me feel many different emotions. I believe that if a book can make a person feel something, then the book means something deeper in you. Once I began to “feel” the book, I could “feel” the adventure. Later in the book, in the city of Horeb, I felt how when Boathwaite grew angry at Makepeace for offering to hunt for them, I felt kind of guilty, because Makepeace interrupted the sermon, and religion is the most important thing to the city of Horeb. In Horeb, Makepeace is a guest and is considered very impolite. When Makepeace escaped, my heart began to beat faster. I knew that something, anything, was going to happen to change her, and I
Bricker3
couldn't put the book down. Even when Makepeace was finally permitted to “The Zone,” I felt as if all was well. If a reader can feel the book, then the author has done a good job of being able to encompass the true meaning of the story. Theroux, through his writing in Far North, envelops the reader to “feel” the adventure.

Marcel Theroux displays himself as an author in this book by vividly describing characters, twisting the plot, and letting the reader, “feel the adventure.” (less)

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May 24, 2012 Sargeatm rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Habe in letzter Zeit einige Endzeitromane gelesen, dieser zählt definitv zu den ungewöhnlicheren. Interessant zum Beispiel, dass man erst nach langer Zeit erfährt, dass es sich beim Ich-Erzähler um eine Frau handelt. Das ist mal ein echtes Aha-Erlebnis, da zumindest ich mir instinktiv ein Mann vorgestellt hatte, der sich in der lebensfeindlichen Post-Apokalypse durchschlägt.
Auch sonst ist die Perspektive eine andere, denn die Erzählerin stammt von amerikanischen Emigranten ab, die aufgrund ihres...more

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Jan 28, 2011 Sooz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

whoa i read this one so quickly it went straight from to 'read' from 'to-be' without a lay over on the 'currently' shelf. what can i say. i have a weakness for post apocalyptic stories.

for the first half of the book i was a little lukewarm i have to admit. yes i like post apocalyptic but i prefer ones who have an element of sci fi about them. those in the vein of Dies The Fire, do not appeal to me and i find myself wondering, 'dude, why didn't you just write a historical novel about those good o...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Seth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's a shame the post-apocalyptic movie has been overdone recently, and so poorly, because I think of all the recent fare this one would adapt well to the screen. It does rely on several fictional conceits (generally, I find that the further from reality dystopian fiction gets, the more it resembles sci fi and the less impactful it is), but it still projects a very believable potential future (more Mad Max than The Road, thankfully). Ultimately, the story is violent and the vision of humankind b...more

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Oct 12, 2009 Tanya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just read Far North by Marcel Theroux. FIrst of all, if ANYONE sees me anywhere near any more dystopian, the end of the world is near and it isn't pretty books, please steer me clear! Having said that, this one is probably worth the read... if you are into this sort of thing (which, apparently, in spite of myself, I am). The style wore on my nerves a bit -- a few too many similes for my taste; and the content wore me down -- annihilation is a little hard to take, set in the future Syberia, it'...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sustainability

The world is heating, the novel takes place in Siberia. People are mostly gone. The level of the technology in the novel is minimal, at one point the protagonist marvels at the one thing she encounters that she would not be able to make with her own hands (an airplane). The most prevalent "advanced" technology in the novel is in fact the gun. Yet a turning point in the plot rests on a technology that is neither explained nor extant in today's society, and the possibility of even more amazing tec...more

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About Marcel Theroux

Marcel (Raymond) Theroux is a British novelist and broadcaster. He is the older son of the American travel writer and novelist, Paul Theroux. His younger brother, Louis Theroux, is a journalist and television reporter.

Born in Kampala, Uganda, Theroux was brought up in Wandsworth, London. After attending a state primary school he boarded at Westminster School. He went on to study English at Clare C...more

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Quotes from Far North

“...the years have taught me not to wonder too much at the dark things men do. Strange how it is that men never act crueller than when they're fighting for the sake of an idea. We've been killing since Cain over who stands closer to god. It seems to me that cruelty is just in the way of things. You drive yourself mad if you take it all personal. Those who hurt you don't have the power over you they would like. That's why they do what they do. And I'm not going to give them the power now. But it was a cruel thing that they did, and when they had finished hurting me, a splinter of loneliness seemed to break off and stay inside me forever.” — 8 people liked it

“Strange how it is that men never act crueler than when they're fighting for the sake of an idea. We've been killing since Cain over who stands closer to god. It seems to me that cruelty is just in the way of things. You drive yourself mad if you take it all personal. Those who hurt you don't have the power over you they would like. That's why they do what they do.” — 4 people liked it

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