Imagine a land more than a dozen times the size of Montana, a land of immense inland seas, oceans of uncut forests, and myriad untamed rivers filled with huge northern pike, arctic grayling, and char. It is also a land of rock and of ice that lies glistening beneath flickering northern lights, a place where grizzlies wander among isolated mountain ranges, where polar bears roam among herds of caribou on the tundra flats. This is Canada's far north, the place of Arctic Aurora. Canada's Northwest Territories--an area larger than California, Montana, and Wyoming combined--boast a population of less than 42,000 and, according to Holt, a wealth of terrifying roads, beautiful landscapes, bloodthirsty mosquitoes, and prime fishing spots. Best known for his fly-fishing guides, Holt here compiles a "road report" of his experiences in the territories. These straightforward essays, gleaned from nine trips, outline the people, towns, and wildlife of Canada's Far North. The author doesn't claim to be objective, and many of his frustrations have to do with "bizarrely dressed" tourists who "descend upon the community like a poorly imagined nightmare," and the environmental destruction wrought by oil and mining companies. While Holt is no Barry Lopez or Rick Bass, his love of open country and fishing rescue the book from becoming merely a list of motels, restaurants, and meals taken along the road. A curmudgeonly yet useful guide to planning a trek above the sixtieth parallel. Rebecca Maksel Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved A full-time writer, John Holt is the author of several guides to fly fishing in Montana, among other books, and his essays have appeared in the nation’s most prestigious fly-fishing and outdoor publications, including Fly Rod & Reel, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Fly Fisherman, and Field & Stream. John lives in Livingston, Montana. Used Book in Good Condition