The Forty-Niner

by Thom Whalen

In 1848, the seventeen-year-old son of a Pennsylvania dairy farmer yearns for the wealth and adventure of the California Gold Rush. In his own words, he tells the story of sailing from New York around South America to San Francisco. After two winters and a summer in the Sierra Nevada mountains, he is driven from his claim by an unlucky accident. He flees overland, forced by circumstances to detour through Texas, where he lives for another two years. Five years after leaving, he returns home with a wealth of tales to tell.

238 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2019

About the author

Thom Whalen studied experimental psychology at UCSD (B.A.), UBC (M.A.) and Dalhousie University (Ph.D.). After working for the Government of Canada conducting research on the human factors of computer networks for thirty years, he retired to begin a new career writing fiction.

If you wish to send him email, a form is available at thomwhalen.com
He eagerly awaits your comments.

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I closed this book at the end and said out loud, “Wow, what a fantastic book!” It reminds me a lot of the old boys’ adventure stories, such as Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I enjoyed all the tales in this somewhat picaresque novel, and the narrative voice has a wonderfully authentic quality. Overall, a lot of fun to read.