The Brian Saga, Book 3 of 5
As much as the kids and I love reading Gary Paulsen—and as prolific an author as he was!—we sure don’t read him as often as we could. Authors like Roald Dahl and (much earlier for us) Barbara Park drew us back again and again with their wit and humor, and we could read several of their books in a week and still want more. Paulsen, on the other hand, is different.
Despite his simple writing style, Gary Paulsen generally fills his books with heavy themes: survival, death, divorce, abandonment. His characters battle themselves and their emotions inwardly, while also battling the elements and nature outwardly. His books can sometimes leave my kids (ages 12 and 14) mentally exhausted, happy to have experienced the tale, but not yet wanting to continue with another, at least for a while.
I say all this at the front end, because this is the 4th book we’ve read in the Brian Robeson Saga (out of chronological order, sadly), even though we started reading with Hatchet five years ago! Admittedly, my kids were a bit too young to appreciate that first book when they were 7 and 9—particularly the plane-crash scene, which gave them nightmares. We paused our reading then, but read Hatchet together again two years later. We followed that with The River and Brian’s Hunt the next two years, and now with Brian’s Winter added to the list, we’ve unintentionally made The Brian Saga an annual thing for us.
The Story in Brief
Brian’s Winter is a unique plot for an author, because he deals with a major “What if?” scenario. Specifically, Paulsen asks what many of his readers of Hatchet had wondered: “What if Brian hadn’t been rescued at the end of Hatchet? What if he had to survive the winter?”
With this concept in mind, Paulsen jumps right into the story with a new, alternate ending. He removes the radio option from the plot, as well as the rescue plane. In their hplace, he gives Brian a survival bag and his hatchet only, and he opens the story in the dwindling days of Fall. A biting cold is in the air. Winter is coming, and Brian—completely hopeless for rescue—must figure out a way to face it.
Throughout the bitter season, Brian discovers new ways to shelter, build fire, and find food. Most prominent in this book are his self-fashioned weapons and hunting abilities. He becomes a person of “the old ways,” donning himself is furs and hunting with stones and sinew. It’s really cool to watch, and far different than the methods we might see on our favorite survival show, Alone.
Some Favorite Scenes
In the very first chapter, Brian begins to view himself as “a two-legged wolf,” which is an image that set the tone of the book. Although he did not enjoy killing the animals he hunted, he knew that he must be either hunter or prey. He also knew that in order for him to survive, “something else had to die.”
I also liked from this chapter Brian’s stated preference for boiling meat instead of roasting it. Granted, I love myself a nice charred hunk of meat roasted over a wood fire, but I know that in a survival situation, every drop of grease that falls into the fire is a drop wasted. We’re a family of soup-eaters (thanks to the Chinese roots), and we gnaw on delicious soup-softened bones all the time. So whenever we watch “survivalists” roasting their meat and throwing the bones (or feet or head) into the fire, we’re always frustrated. What a waste! Brian knew better, and I’m glad Paulsen stated the forgotten obvious for his audience.
In Chapter 2, Brian has an internal debate about his situation and comes to a very important conclusion about his enemy. As the victim of an accident in the Canadian wilderness where predators and cold may be the very things that kill him, he realizes that they are not the enemy. Instead, he concludes that he himself is his own worst enemy. This realization motivates him to think differently about his situation and his attitudes in the midst of them and to face the unknown with a renewed focus. It’s the internal dialogue mentioned above, but it’s an important feature of this book and this series.
In Chapter 12, Brian faces what must be the Thanksgiving season, and he’s forced to ask what in the world he could possibly be thankful for. After some open debate, he finally realizes that, despite his situation, “it could have been worse.” This shift in perspective is something we all need! Life might be hard and circumstances might seem really crappy, but no matter what we’re going through—it could always be worse!
This is no Christian book, but I realized that this is a perspective Christians especially need to have. God is a wonderfully good and gracious Savior. Life isn’t easy and problems and pains abound, because He has not called us to a life of ease and comfort—or to put it another way, to a life of prosperity, health, and wealth! Instead, He asks that we put off our old lives, forsake those things that keep us bound to this world, take up our crosses, and follow Him. One of my oft-quoted verses is 2Timothy 3:12, which says:
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
This Thanksgiving, be sure to bear in mind not only the blessings God has given you, but also the many things he has graciously, mercifully kept you from. Remember with Brian: “It could have been worse.”
Conclusion
We’ve so enjoyed reading Gary Paulsen together. He’s an author that reminds me a great deal of Jack London, not only for content but for style. He’s abrupt yet clear and gets right to the heart of the issue, so we’re not just watching his characters, but we feel with them too. Paulsen deserves a literary legacy akin to London’s. Hatchet is his own The Call of the Wild. I hope he’s long remembered for it.
The final book in this saga for us to read is Brian’s Return. Guess we’ll have to wait until next year to read it. Looking forward to it.
©2025 E.T.
Read More from Gary Paulsen:
- Dogsong (1985)
- Hatchet (1986) [view also my first review of this book]
- Woodsong (1990)
- The River (1991)
- Brian’s Winter (1996)
- Brian’s Return (1999)
- Brian’s Hunt (2003)
- Time Hackers (2005)
- Woods Runner (2009)