In which trek reviews Iditarod

Alaska -- Where men are men and women win the Iditarod.
-- Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race saying

André Jute put out a call for reviewers on Amazon.com earlier this month. He was putting the finishing touches on a 20th anniversary edition of IDITAROD a novel of The Greatest Race on Earth,especially for Kindle. I am glad I agreed to review André's work, though it is not the sort of book I often read. On the other hand, when I was visiting my in-laws years ago and finished the only book I'd brought with me, I borrowed mom's copy of The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Seaand really enjoyed it. Reading Iditarod reminded me of that book and that trip (thanks, dude!).

This book is well-researched, well-written, and well-edited. The fact that this book was undergoing a complete editing overhaul prior to its release for Kindle was particularly satisfying: so many books are carelessly rushed through the ebook conversion process.

To illustrate how much attention was paid to detail on this anniversary edition, I took a photograph of the map on my Kindle screen.

Iditarod follows the race within the race: the competition between two rookies, Rhodes Delaney and James Whitbury. Rhodes and James' relationship got off on the wrong foot entirely when Rhodes' lead dog, Toots, bit James' wrist. To be entirely fair to Toots, James, on skis, had just crashed into Rhodes while she was sledding. Loyal Toots was simply defending her mistress from a perceived attacker. Later that same evening, James and Rhodes met one another again; it was during this encounter that the musher's mitt was tossed on the table. Rhodes never expected James to accept the challenge. She thought that he, and the other people at the table, would realize that the conversation had entered the realm of the ridiculous. Instead, James scooped up the gauntlet and the game was on, first one to Nome wins.

André's description of Rhodes and James' time on the Iditarod Trail was daunting. As dangerous as the arctic weather can be, it isn't the only hazard Iditarod mushers must face. Hungry bears and renegade wolves still live in the Alaskan wilderness as do rutting bull moose.

Reading this book in December in 27° weather provided an interesting addition to the story: as someone who is "always cold", I can't even begin to imagine being outside in sub-zero weather for a whole day, let alone days on end. André's attention to detail immerses the reader in the action so well that I began to appreciate that bone-numbing cold as well as the isolation and dependence on the musher's team of sled dogs.

If you enjoyed Jack London's White Fangand The Call of the Wild,give Iditaroda try. You'll be glad you did. I was.

PS - The 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race begins March 5th!