I received a free Kindle copy of Disappointment River by Brian Castner courtesy of Net Galley and Doubleday Books, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review to Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as the description sounded interesting - a mix of history and a modern day reenactment. This is the first book by Brian Castner that I have read.

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it was less than stellar. The premise of the book is Alexander MacKenzie's search for the Northwest Passage and the author's trip following Mackenzie's path. The parts dealing with the history of MacKenzie's trip were the most enjoyable part of the book. The author's modern day narrative I found to be rambling at times and his writing style made it hard to focus and enjoy the book. It simply was not engaging.

Some other early reviews have viewed the book differently, but my recommendation is to check it out from your local library before deciding to invest in a copy.