During the Civil War, a group of Yankees and a dog use a hot air balloon to escape from a Confederate prison. Swept toward an unknown island, they have no tools, no food and no weapons. They must survive with their wits, what they have with them, little that is, and what can be made or foraged. They become farmers, hunters, masons, sailors, potters, chemists, physicists, and more. The key character and leader is an engineer who uses his knowledge to create pottery, iron tools, gun powder and other items.

They name the island Lincoln Island with animals and plants from other sites. Making their home in the mountain, they encounter dangers from animals, nature, even pirates. Yet something is very strange about the island. Over and over something or someone rescues the group from catastrophe. Are the rescues pure luck, a man or a god. What it is the reader discovers only toward the end.

I was lucky to find this unabridged copy in the library. It is based on the tale of Alexander Selkirk, who lived almost five years on an uninhabited island near the coast of Chile. Robin Hobb, one of my favorite authors, rated the book âamazing.â I agree. However, don't let the length keep you from reading this wonderful classic. It is AMAZING!

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