A Book by Michael Punke

I’d imagine that a lot of my readers have watched the film that swept the 2016 Academy Awards – The Revenant. I will now shock everyone to point out that I have NOT watched the movie for some reason or another, but that may change soon. To prepare, I decided to check out the book that the film was based on, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The Revenant – A Novel of Revenge, penned by Michael Punke, is a masterful journey into the realm of historical fiction, taking a true story and “fleshing it out” in a very plausible manner. The story is an enthralling journey into the depths of human endurance, resilience, and the unquenchable thirst for vengeance.

“The year is 1823, and the trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company live a brutal frontier life. Hugh Glass is among the company’s finest men, an experienced frontiersman and an expert tracker. But when a scouting mission puts him face-to-face with a grizzly bear, he is viciously mauled and not expected to survive. Two company men are dispatched to stay behind and tend to Glass before he dies. When the men abandon him instead, Glass is driven to survive by one desire: revenge. With shocking grit and determination, Glass sets out, crawling at first, across hundreds of miles of uncharted American frontier.”

Set against the backdrop of the unforgiving American wilderness in the early 19th century, this novel takes readers on an epic expedition alongside Hugh Glass, a frontiersman and fur trapper. After a brutal bear attack leaves him severely injured and seemingly abandoned by his own team, Glass is left with little more than his sheer will to survive. Michael Punke, using historical sources and expert skills at writing scenes of abject horror at the face of nature itself, paints a vivid and harrowing picture of Glass’s struggles as he battles the elements, starvation, and his own battered body. I can tell from the trailer for the 2016 film, that the movie version of Hugh Glass does not get as badly harmed as the book version. In the novel, his scalp is almost ripped off, he has his throat mangled and has huge scars on his back. He would not look out of place as a monster from a horror film.

What truly sets The Revenant apart is its unflinching portrayal of human nature. Punke delves deep into the psyche of his characters, especially Hugh Glass, as he grapples with his desire for vengeance against those who betrayed him. At times he is white hot on “the murder train”, losing himself to his animalistic tendencies. Other times, Glass realizes that such action would harm him, and that he is stronger than his base emotions would lead him to believe. We also see things from the point of view of a handful of the other characters, such as the young Jim Bridger. Bridger is a man that was forced to leave Glass for dead and struggles with his “sins” for the rest of the book, eventually assuming he would be killed for his misdeeds. I love stories that play around with moral ambiguity, and The Revenant sure excels at that.

While the central theme revolves around revenge, The Revenant also explores the complexities of human relationships and the bonds formed in the direst circumstances. The interactions between Glass and various natives he comes across are interesting and help shape the character. Glass, himself, briefly lived within the Pawnee tribe, and with that comes a great respect for the customs and ways of life of these indigenous peoples. At one point Glass comes into a site of a massacre to find a blind Arikara woman who was left behind by her people in the burnt remains of their village.

Throughout the story, The Arikara hunt and murder most of Glass’s short lived companions, so one would assume he’d be hateful towards this woman, especially after barely surviving a encounter days prior. Glass, however, goes out of his way to feed and care for this old woman, giving her final comforts before she passed. Once she does, he gives her a proper burial as denoted by native traditions. Glass, at times has companions from other tribes such as warriors that take him back to their village for medicine and others that attack his companions simply based on their needs. His reactions and relationships with these people go to show that, perhaps, the so-called savages are more civilized and honorable than the men he is vowing revenge on.

In summary, The Revenant – A Novel of Revenge is an exceptional piece of historical fiction that transcends its genre. After reading this book, I could tell eastly why it was chosen to be adapted into a screenplay. Michael Punke’s masterful storytelling, coupled with his meticulous research, creates a world that feels authentic and immersive. It’s a tale of survival, betrayal, and the primal quest for justice that will stay with readers long after they’ve turned the final page. This novel is an absolute must-read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially those that may not know much about this particular time period in United States history.