The Trail of '98: A Northland Romance

"The Trail of '98: A Northland Romance" by Robert W. Service is a novel written in the early 20th century. The book explores themes of adventure, love, and the human struggle against adversity during the Klondike Gold Rush. The narrative revolves around the experiences of the protagonist, Athol Meldrum, who embarks on a quest for fortune and self-discovery, and his poignant connection with Berna, a girl whose past intertwines with his own in unexpected ways. The opening of the novel introduces Athol, who reflects on his past and the people he holds dear, particularly his late mother and brother, Garry. As Athol rekindles memories of his home in the Highlands, he feels the weight of nostalgia and loss. His yearning for meaningful connections leads to an encounter with Berna, who captures his attention with her fragile beauty and palpable sadness. As he grapples with his feelings, Athol's journey toward the Klondike becomes not only a search for wealth but also a path to understanding himself and the love he seeks. The atmosphere of loneliness, adventure, and longing sets a compelling stage for the complex relationships that will unfold as the plot progresses. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Robert William Service was a Scottish-Canadian poet and writer, often called "the Bard of the Yukon". Born in Lancashire of Scottish descent, he was a bank clerk by trade, but spent long periods travelling in the west in the United States and Canada, often in poverty. When his bank sent him to the Yukon, he was inspired by tales of the Klondike Gold Rush, and wrote two poems, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", which showed remarkable authenticity from an author with no experience of the gold rush or mining, and enjoyed immediate popularity. Encouraged by this, he quickly wrote more poems on the same theme, which were published as Songs of a Sourdough, and achieved a massive sale. When his next collection, Ballads of a Cheechako, proved equally successful, Service could afford to travel widely and live a leisurely life, basing himself in Paris and the French Riviera.