I had heard a presentation by Peter Stark at a Powell's book event, so I knew the broad outline and some of the peak crisis moments as I started. The beginning was not so exciting, but I knew more and better was coming.

Stark skillfully moves between the land group and the sea group heading to found a trading colony on the Pacific Northwest coast, a colony that would become the hub of a trading empire that touched the continent on the west, China, Europe, then the east coast, making profit at each stop. He also weaves history and botany and social comment into the narrative in bits long enough to inform but short enough not to interrupt.

Stark painted a vivid picture of almost unimaginable hardships of explorer cross country travel while also reminding us that it had been explored already by the various Native American nations. Sometimes the European travelers were helped by natives, sometimes hindered, sometimes harmed. Sometimes the Europeans did the harm. He also conveyed the hazards of sea travel and how they were intensified by the mix of people needed to found the colony.

The book reads like an adventure story, but also informs.