THE UNPEOPLED SEASON

Reviews are saying things like: "...this book is the male version of Wild, by Cheryl Strayed." and, "Anyone who has ever dreamed of living in the woods should read this book." Part Man vs. Wild, part transcendental quest, and part coming-of-age, the newest book from Rice is a powerful follow-up to his debut novel, This Side of a Wilderness. "Today I am an unemployed writer living as a recluse in the great Northwoods." So begins this North Country journal from the author of THIS SIDE OF A WILDERNESS. In the spring of 2011, Rice resigned from his career with the U.S. Geological Survey, and moved alone into a tent deep in the forests of northern Minnesota. THE UNPEOPLED SEASON is his daily record of the four months in isolation. But it is more than a catalog of events. It is a compassionate and introspective quest into mankind's connection to wild places. He writes with humor about his follies and foibles, shares technical know-how about setting up camp, ruminates on fishing, introduces wild animals, and discusses the often invigorating, occasionally disconcerting, task of completing his first novel.