Disappointment River

Finding and Losing the Northwest Passage

By: Brian Castner

Narrated by: Brian Castner

In 1789, Alexander Mackenzie traveled 1200 miles on the immense river in Canada that now bears his name, in search of the fabled Northwest Passage that had eluded mariners for hundreds of years. In 2016, the acclaimed memoirist Brian Castner retraced Mackenzie's route by canoe in a grueling journey -- and discovered the Passage he could not find.

Disappointment River is a dual historical narrative and travel memoir that at once transports readers back to the heroic age of North American exploration and places them in a still rugged but increasingly fragile Arctic wilderness in the process of profound alteration by the dual forces of globalization and climate change. Fourteen years before Lewis and Clark, Mackenzie set off to cross the continent of North America with a team of voyageurs and Chipewyan guides, to find a trade route to the riches of the East. What he found was a river that he named "Disappointment." Mackenzie died thinking he had failed. He was wrong.

In this book, Brian Castner not only retells the story of Mackenzie's epic voyages in vivid prose, he personally retraces his travels, battling exhaustion, exposure, mosquitoes, white water rapids and the threat of bears. He transports readers to a world rarely glimpsed in the media, of tar sands, thawing permafrost, remote indigenous villages and, at the end, a wide open Arctic Ocean that could become a far-northern Mississippi of barges and pipelines and oil money.

Critic reviews

"Discovering history, and not just new landscapes around the next bend in the river, is one of the delights of Disappointment River. And, during a time when so many American descendants of foreign extraction rail against immigration, it’s useful to recall that all of us originated in a diaspora."
—Rinker Buck, Wall Street Journal

“Whether recounting the historic search for the Northwest Passage or his own epic journey on the Mackenzie River, Castner is an able guide, a steady hand, a voice of reason. You’ll want to sit in his canoe and ride this out. I couldn’t put Disappointment River down.”
—Dean King, author of Skeletons on the Zahara and The Feud

"...[Castner] provides a lively biography of Mackenzie, the youngest principal in the Northwest Company, contending not just with the rigors of exploration, but also with early corporate politics...A vital addition to the library of the far north and of exploration."
—Kirkus, starred review

"An exhilerating historical narrative...Castner evokes vivid personalities and drama from the archives ... Historians and armchair travelers alike will be equally pleased with this volume."
—Publishers Weekly

"Vividly described, in well-wrought scenes that alternate from inspiring to humorous to stomach-clenching... Castner is a highly skilled writer and engaging companion."
—Anchorage Daily News

"Appealing on both historical and contemporary levels, Castner’s work will please readers fascinated by tales of discovery."
—Booklist

"...Intriguing and enlightening...For anyone concerned with the global effects of climate change, the meaning behind Disappointment River becomes alarmingly clear."
—BookPage

History come alive!

Learn a long forgotten piece of Canadian high school history, much embelished with colorful detail. sad to hear history of how the colonizers destroyed a plentiful land and willfully created a relationship of dependence among the indigenous population.
Loved the parallel journeys. Author as narrator lent authenticity - a form of oral history.

Obscure History and High Adventure

I enjoyed this saga of little-known history of McKenzie and the English Chief's search for a Northwest Passage interspersed with the challenges of the author's (Brian Castner's) quest to canoe the route in 2016. Further, I was reminded of many similar experiences in backwoods across the globe and found myself looking for time to continue the narrative. Note: I don't recall Castner describing his portages due to waterfalls along his modern day McKenzie River run.

Instantly transported to the voyage

This is a great selection. The author does a fantastic job of transporting you to both his and Mackenzie's voyage. The entire book will keep you engaged. I wanted to learn more about Mackenzie's voyage and did so. And as much as I enjoyed the story of Mackenzie's voyage, I enjoyed hearing about the author's voyage more.

Canoe Travel Inspiration

This is a fascinating story of two canoe trips happening alongside each other 100+ years apart. The history of Sir Alexander MacKenzie, Native Nation neighbors, and the voyageurs in parallel to Brian Castner's narrative of traveling down the MacKenzie river in 2016 inspire this reader to plan for canoe travel, and aspire to perhaps a larger expedition someday.

Fantastic adventure story, excellent reading

This was an excellent story of both historical adventure and a contemporary rediscovery of the same journey. I felt very connected to both of the narrators experience as well as McKenzies adventuresome spirit.

If you are a student of pioneers and adventurers, this one absolutely belongs in your library .