★★★☆☆ Brian's camping trip

Brian's Return

Gary Paulsen

Brian's Return is book 4 of Brian's Saga, by Gary Paulsen. As the story begins Brian is living at home with his mother again. (For those who have become a little confused about the timeline, here is how I think we're supposed to understand it. The first 53 days of Hatchet occurred as recounted in that book. However, subsequent events are as described in Brian's Winter -- Brian was not rescued on day 54, but spent the winter in the wilderness, until he stumbled on a family of Cree trappers, the Smallhorns, who hooked him up with a pilot who got him out. Then the events of The River happened mostly as described. The most visible consequence of The River is that Brian now has the kevlar canoe that Derek gave him in gratitude for his rescue.)

So, Brian is back in civilization and high school. Alas, Brian has been ruined for the modern world. He can't bear the noise, the constant activity, and can't bring himself to care about the things a person living in the modern world needs to care about. A dramatic event, which I will not spoil, makes it evident that Brian needs to get out -- back to the woods.

A friend suggests that Brian visit the Smallhorns. Brian now becomes acquisitive -- he starts buying camping gear. In addition to the canoe he already owns, he buys a tent, a bow and arrows, and various other survival gear. We thus have a chapter that is almost entirely about Brian's shopping for camping gear. He calls it the List. Well, you all know how that works, Once you've gone shopping and bought a bunch of goodies, you can't resist the urge to use them. Thus Brian returns to the wilderness with all this cool new gear.

Stuff happens. I don't want to spoil the story, so I'll leave it at that.

I found Brian's Return disappointing because it all felt too ordinary. It felt like Brian went shopping, then took a vacation to go camping, the way any ordinary person might. Now, obviously, Brian's version of a camping trip is extreme. It involves what most of us would call great danger and hardship. At this point, however, you have read three books about Brian living rough in the woods with nothing. With a canoe and a couple backpacks full of the highest quality gear, you KNOW he can hack it. The stakes just never feel high enough to matter.

The book ends with an Author's Note that makes it clear that Brian is, to a very large extent, modelled on Gary Paulsen himself. He begins the Note with these words, "This is the final book about Brian, ..." which, since Brian's Hunt exists, is clearly not literally true. Change of plans? I'm looking forward to reading it.

Amazon review

Goodreads review

Comments

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★★★★☆ Rincewind leads a revolution

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