Northwest Passage Series

"…a richly re-imagined fable which goes far beyond anything the historical record alone might suggest." Russell A. Potter, Arctic Book Review Perhaps, on a barren Arctic shore in the summer of 1849, knowing he was dying, a British Naval officer wrapped his journal in sailcloth and buried it beneath a lonely pile of frost-shattered stones. He was the last of the 129 doomed men of Sir John Franklin's lost Arctic expedition. His name was James Fitzjames and for four years he had carefully recorded the expedition's achievements, hopes and, as things began to go horribly wrong, the descent into madness and eventual death of his closest friends. This is his journal. "A suspenseful and enjoyable read." Booklist "Wilson has managed to make his invented journal seem authentic and his account of the ill-fated adventurers seem plausible…one reads on, fascinated, to the bitter end." The Globe and Mail

An old man sits by the dying embers of a fire in London of 1669. The ghosts of the past surround him and a decades old guilt weighs him down. As a young man, Robert Bylot did it all: journeyed to the magical Spice Islands on a quest for the alchemist John Dee, communicated with angels through Crystallomancy, and searched for the fabled Northwest Passage with Henry Hudson. He has survived plague, mutiny and fire, and found happiness with an extraordinary woman, but nothing has assuage the ancient guilt that tortures him—unless the old, stained book on his lap contains the answer. The book might be his salvation, or his damnation. Through Bylot's memories and the words written in the book he holds, The Final Alchemy recreates a world at the tipping point between the mysticism of the Middle Ages and the rationality of the Renaissance. The possibilities for glory and profit appear limitless, but the risks are horrifying. At the centre of this world stand two men: Dr. John Dee, alchemist, magus, mathematician, advisor to kings and queens, and believer that England is destined to recreate an empire descended from ancient Troy; and Thomas Smythe, founder of the East India Company, and believer that future empires must be based solely on commerce. Both base their murky plans on fragments of an ancient map, a portolan, that seems to show the unknown parts of the globe in stunning and impossible detail. The conflicting machinations of these two men and the promise of the portolan ensnare Hudson and Bylot in a complex web of intrigue, ambition and betrayal that offers fame or destruction.

"…impressive…fast-paced…The high calibre of writing, together with the thoroughly researched historical detail, make The Alchemist's Dream a compelling read." Quill & Quire In the fall of 1669, the Nonsuch returns to London with a load of furs from Hudson Bay. It brings something else, too—the lost journal from Henry Hudson's tragic search for a passage to Cathay in 1611. In the hands of a greedy sailor, the journal is merely an object to sell. But for Robert Bylot—a once-great maritime explorer—the book is a painful reminder of a past he'd rather forget. As Bylot relives his memories of a plague-ridden city, of the mysterious alchemist John Dee, and of mutiny in the frozen wastes of Hudson Bay, an age-old mystery is both revealed and solved.   A finalist for the 2007 Governor General's Literary Award, the jury said, "In this engrossing historical adventure, John Wilson paints a vivid picture of a bygone era involving Henry Hudson's fateful search for the elusive Northwest Passage, an alchemist, mysterious passengers, and enigmatic maps. The Alchemist's Dream fascinates from start to finish. Set against the thrilling backdrop of the quest for the Northwest Passage, The Alchemist's Dream is a riveting tale of exploration, ambition, and betrayal."

"High adventure, terrifying danger, close friendship, family troubles faced and resolved, and a dash of the mystical or supernatural: this novel for teens has it all." Canada Book Review Annual. Fed by his grandfather's stories, Dave Young dreams of one day visiting the Canadian Arctic. It's a childish fascination, until the dreams become so vivid that Dave has difficulty telling them from reality. By day he is a small-town boy living in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, struggling with arguing parents and difficulties at school, but by night he is David Young, a cabin boy on HMS Erebus, one of Sir John Franklin's doomed exploration ships. When his dreams intensify, the line between Dave in Humboldt and David on the Erebus gradually disappears. As sailors fall sick, threaten mutiny and become lost in the wilderness, Dave/David and his only friend George must summon all their courage to survive the threats of starvation and exposure in a race against time and the elements. With both boys lost in a blizzard the truest test of their friendship is at hand. Will they be able to find each other in time—and will Dave be able to find his way back to his own time? "…the facts of the Franklin voyage are made visceral and real for a new generation of armchair historians/explorers."—Susan Perrin—Globe and Mail "As both lives reel toward the dream's conclusion, the desperation is palpable. The denouement, in both worlds, is an eternity of tension-filled terror that is over in a heartbeat. John Wilson's use of dream travel to explore and examine creatively the Franklin Expedition keeps the reader turning the pages right to the last." Prairie Fire "Time travel with a twist—a fascinating glimpse into the ill-fated Franklin Expedition." Julie Lawson "…meticulously researched, cleverly-crafted and imaginatively too, absorbing for history lovers of all ages." Marion Woodson   Honour Book, 1998 Sheila A. Egoff Award for Children's Literature and Finalist for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People.

"…the best life of Franklin yet produced…(a) wonderfully engaging book." Arctic Book Review Sir John Franklin was many things in his life: an officer in the great naval battles of Copenhagen and Trafalgar; governor of Van Diemen's land; an explorer from Australia to the Arctic, but it is for his mysterious death and the deaths of his 128 crew that he is remembered today. The mystery of the disappearance of the Franklin Expedition to the Northwest Passage has captivated thousands in the 174 years since his men buried Franklin in an unknown grave in the frozen land that kept calling him back. For most of that time only a handful of graves, scattered bones, fragments of debris and Inuit stories have fuelled the speculation as to what killed them all. Now, the wrecks of both of Franklin's ships have been found, preserved in the frigid waters off King William Island, and may contain answers that have been sought for generations. This is the story of the man whose name will forever be associated with the greatest tragedy in Arctic exploration history. An "…excellent overview, the reader is left with an appreciation of the enormous task early exploration of the Arctic represented…a first rate story. Highly Recommended." CM Magazine