In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond: In Search of the Sasquatch

by John Zada

On the central and north coast of British Columbia, the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, containing more organic matter than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. The area plays host to a wide range of species, from thousand-year-old western cedars to humpback whales to iconic white Spirit bears.According to local residents, another giant is said to live in these woods. For centuries people have reported encounters with the Sasquatch--a species of hairy bipedal man-apes said to inhabit the deepest recesses of this pristine wilderness. Driven by his own childhood obsession with the creatures, John Zada decides to seek out the diverse inhabitants of this rugged and far-flung coast, where nearly everyone has a story to tell, from a scientist who dedicated his life to researching the Sasquatch, to members of the area's First Nations, to a former grizzly bear hunter-turned-nature tour guide. With each tale, Zada discovers that his search for the Sasquatch is a quest for something infinitely more complex, cutting across questions of human perception, scientific inquiry, indigenous traditions, the environment, and the power and desire of the human imagination to believe in--or reject--something largely unseen.

Teeming with gorgeous nature writing and a driving narrative that takes us through the forests and into the valleys of a remote and seldom visited region, In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond sheds light on what our decades-long pursuit of the Sasquatch can tell us about ourselves and invites us to welcome wonder for the unknown back into our lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Travel, Memoir, History, Science, Paranormal

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2019

About the author

John Zada is an author, journalist and photographer based in Toronto, Canada.

His first book, 'In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond: In Search of the Sasquatch', was chosen by Amazon as one of its '100 Best Books of the Year' for 2019 and was a finalist for The 2020 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. The Washington Post describes it as "a quirky and oddly captivating tale." Steve Donoghue of Open Letters Monthly calls the book "as eloquent and big-hearted as, for instance, Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard."

John's work has appeared in such publications as the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Travel + Leisure, BBC, CBC, Al-Jazeera, New York Post, Explore, Maisonneuve, Montecristo, Los Angeles Review of Books, Toque & Canoe and Canadian Business.

Before turning his focus to writing, he spent several years working as a documentary filmmaker. He directed such projects as 'Up At Dawn: The Working Children of Egypt', and 'The Bitterest Exile'. More recently, John worked as a producer on 'Canada's Dark Secret' for Al-Jazeera, a film about Canada's residential school system.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales of a giant North American ape-like creature have been told for hundreds of years. Native peoples, explorers, pioneers, travelers, hunters, farmers, fisherman, campers, vacationing families....there are many legends and stories of this elusive giant cryptid creature. There are many names as well....Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Skunk Ape, Wild Man, and more. Here in Western NC, the local legend calls the creature Knobby. Does Bigfoot exist? No clue. But I have an open mind and this book caught my eye. Author John Zada travelled to British Columbia, Canada to talk to area residents and to see if he could catch a glimpse of the creature himself. He talked to all sorts of people scientists, experts, members of the First Nations, hunters, trappers, farmers and gathered up tales about the Sasquatch.

I enjoyed reading this book. Zada talks about British Columbia, the forest, wildlife, the local people, and all of the stories. He weaves a rich narrative that ends up not being just about a legendary creature, but more about the rich culture, people and beautiful landscape that keeps the legend alive.

I'm pretty much still a skeptic that Bigfoot is an actual creature. Some sort of factual evidence (scientifically verifiable evidence not things like blurry video and bad concrete casts of footprints) would have been discovered by now, even with the remote and densely forested areas where the creatures reportedly hang out. But....I could be wrong. Up until a few years ago, most people thought giant squid were just tales told by superstitious sailors....until an actual dead giant squid was found. It was a real creature all along...not just a myth. So while I tend to be skeptical....in the event of provable fact, I would immediately change my mind. I feel the same way about any mythical creature or entity....ghosts, demons, mermaids, Mokele-Mbembe....so many tales of really awesome creatures. If giant squid were proven to be real, maybe some....or even just one....of the legendary creatures people tell stories about might also be real. And that would be awesome!

Very enjoyable read! Zada is a very talented story teller!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Grove Atlantic via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me at a mere mention of Sasquatch. Yeah, I’ll read about a guy going Sasquatch hunting. Certainly read enough about fictional versions of this story. But this book actually turned out to be so much more. A very pleasant surprise. Not a mere quest, but also a travelogue of the British Columbia coastal region and First Nation settlements there and also a meditation of why we look for mythical creatures and what it says about us as a society. The author in a very precise journalistic fashion takes no sides, despite his childhood passion for Sasquatch and the like. This isn’t a passionate cryptozoology account meant to convince the disbelievers. No, this is very much a level unbiased look at the peculiar obsession with the great hairy (ape)man of the woods that has persevered throughout generations and across the world. Are they out there and are just really good at hiding? Is everyone just seeing things overwhelmed by the majestic greatness of nature? Are they an evolutionary offshoot? A legend? A fairy tale? For peoples of British Columbia’s great forested coast they are sort of an accepted fact of life. Seen or at least glimpsed with something of a frequency. John Zada visited many of these settlements (too small to qualify for any other assignation) and interviewed many of the locals. But also he observed their way of life, such distinguished historical past and such severe modern privation, where living as one with nature is no longer possible and present day commercialism, so often lacking respect for tradition and environment, threatens their very existence. It’s a very interesting representation of the inconsiderate brutality of economic progress, especially relevant for anyone living in a country like USA where as of late such things have become rampant. Apparently Canada is trying to do the right thing, but, politics being as they are, who knows for how long. If they are out there, hiding out in the great unbridled wilderness, Sasquatches are exactly right to stay away from civilization. Certainly their way of life wouldn’t be preserved either. Are they out there? John Zada isn’t saying yes and the man spent a lot of time looking in a lot of places, he does, however, gives some very clever psychological explanations for why and how someone might think they saw one. And why not, there are far less exciting things to hallucinate out there. So it’s down to what you believe or what you want to believe. Frankly, Sasquatch and co. are very easy to debunk and explain away as this book amply demonstrates. But…they are much more fun to believe in. Given the opportunity, why not choose a world with such magic in it. And as for the book, it’s a well written account, it’s interesting and dynamic. It has a positively spectacular title. One might wish for some photos, but the author makes due with vivid descriptions, so there’s that and it was a very enjoyable read. Thanks Netgalley.

[dori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely enthralling, well-written, entertaining and thorough.

I picked this up as a curiosity (not my typical choice of read) and read it straight through, grateful that it wasn't a simpering, new age quackery of a read. Trust me when I say the author did a great job at presenting as objectively as possible on a topic such as this.

Initially, I had my doubts, given the topic itself, but was far too curious not to request this (thank you, NetGalley!) My wife is from Vancouver Island and we live in Sasquatch territory here in far northern California, and footprints have been seen. What we call the Sasquatch has existed in indigenous stories for thousands of years, here and in the unceded land many refer to as British Columbia. Many of these stories are very similar (one local tribe here says that back in the day, their ceremonies were not considered complete without an appearance). I'm not saying I fully believe just yet, but... I'm inspired to further thought by this well-written telling of yet another quest to find the big guy.

It most certainly doesn't solve the mystery (what fun would that be? Quite honestly, despite it all, I hope Bigfoot continues to evade this mess of a human race) but if even if you've never questioned the existence of Bigfoot, you'll enjoy a ride through some incredible territory and some very interesting parts of history and geography.

[Wendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the description and early reviews, I requested and was granted an ARC from Grove Atlantic.

The final narrative feels like a bit of a bait and switch. At one point about a third of the way through, Zada mentions that while he has returned to Canadian tribal areas with the intention of hunting for Bigfoot or, more likely, local stories and experiences with Bigfoot, he's given a lecture by a local that he should be ashamed of himself for writing about Bigfoot instead of about the poor social and economic conditions suffered by the people of the area (I immediately asked myself why this clearly literate and seemingly articulate lecturer wasn't writing about his community instead of browbeating a stranger into doing so). Zada admits to feeling shamed, and to wondering if he is, in fact, in the wrong but he's just so interested in his initial attraction to Bigfoot that he intends to persevere. However, he kind of... doesn't. He does, indeed, seem to succumb to the guilt and the majority of the narrative is about his joining with different cultural groups and their expeditions/adventures (not all of the time to look for Bigfoot) and soliciting their potential experiences with the creature but ultimately expounding upon their way of life and their social, political, and financial concerns. He wanted to learn more about Bigfoot and told us he was going to, and we wanted to learn more about Bigfoot and so jumped in to ride along, but then he became mired in guilt (or, obviously, an honest and deeper interest in these concerns than in Bigfoot; it's just that's not what the title/description indicate) and went off on a tangent much of the time and so dragged us along, too.

I'm in the cohort. I agree with the environmental concerns and I appreciate being better educated about the conditions that the people who are most likely to encounter Bigfoot are living in but this is, unfortunately, not what I signed up for. I'm not bemoaning cultural, contemporary, and historical context. I was interested in reading this book because it seemed like an intellectual step up and not a rehashing Bigfoot-experience history and it is that. But it's also really not all that much about Bigfoot.

[Deidre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This journalistic look at Sasquatch sightings and local myths and legends didn’t make me a believer. A lot of bear stories. The author waxed philosophical too often, and it slowed the story down.

[J.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, do I believe in Bigfoot, or Sasquatch? That’s probably not the right question. A better question would be: do I ever even think about Sasquatch? And the answer would have to be no. It’s not that I believe or disbelieve, it’s just that it’s not something I spend any time thinking about. At least not since I was ten years old, but even then...

John Zada thought about Bigfoot when he was ten years old, too, but when the opportunity came to write a book about Sasquatch encounters in British Columbia, he jumped at it. He traveled to the Great Bear Rainforest and sought out people there who have stories of Sasquatch encounters. Most of them are simply stories of hearing them yell or seeing the footprints or being terrorized by them in the middle of the night, even though they didn’t actually see them. But he found a few who did see them, and were willing to share their stories.

So... if I’m not really that interested in Bigfoot, why would I read this? Well, the cover is really beautiful. And it’s a really great title. But mostly because my kids like stories like that - although I’m not sure they believe/disbelieve either - it’s just kind of fun for them. (And they still want to plan a return camping trip to the California Redwoods just so we can stop at the Bigfoot museum in Santa Cruz that was closed last time.) And I guess it just sounded interesting to me.

Zada doesn’t come up with any earthshaking conclusions. He doesn’t even really have a whole lot of stories. What he does have is an interesting travelogue of his time among the First Peoples of BC in their remote towns and villages as he hunts stories. And that actually turned out to be kind of interesting. Maybe not quite 4 stars interesting, but close enough to round up. And I seriously want to visit some of these small towns and out of the way places he went to. And in the end, it was kind of a fun an interesting read.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A combination of travel memoir, Sasquatch sightings and philosophy. As John Zada searched for Sasquatch, he vacillated between "it exists" and "it doesn't exist." He traveled from one village to the next seeking out firsthand reports and searching for evidence. Along the way he became intimately acquainted with the beauty of the Great Bear Forest -- the Noble Beyond -- in British Columbia and saw the ecological struggles occurring there. As a child of the 70's, I was drawn to this book and the search for Sasquatch. This book will also appeal to travel aficionados, cryptozoologists and philosophers. Perhaps we all have our own version of the Noble Beyond.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kamisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I absolutely enjoyed reading this book! Based on the fact that it was about searching for Sasquatch in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia (one of the most fascinating ecosystems in the world to me) I already knew this book was up my alley, but it was so much better than what I expected.

In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond is about a journalist searching for signs of Sasquatch in one of the most ecologically rich forests on earth. But this is so much more than simply another Squatch hunt. Zada excels at creating this beautiful narrative about this almost otherworldly place that exists on the edge of society, his empathy and respect for the Great Bear Rainforest and its denizens (human, animal, plant, and cryptid) shines through the story. I was so compelled by this read that I realized I was reading it faster than I wanted to and ended up having to slow myself down!

Not only does Zada approach Sasquatch with hopeful rationality but he also adds an especially respectful and compelling account of the complex nature of what seeing Sasquatch or humanoid-like creatures means for certain cultures, for humans in general, and occasionally for our emotional states. I appreciated the way he balanced science and tradition. He covers many different scientific views on Bigfoot, both skeptics and believers, while also taking the time to speak with local indigenous communities and finding out what Bigfoot traditionally meant to them as a culture.

Overall, I cannot recommend In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond enough for fellow cryptozoology enthusiasts, or even someone looking for well done nature writing!

[NinjaMuse · Rating 3 out of 5]

In brief: A journalist visits the Great Bear Rainforest looking for Sasquatch and the folklore around them.

Thoughts: When I picked this up, I was expecting sensationalism, voyeurism, and adventurous gung ho. I was pleasantly surprised (and relieved) that this is much more actual travel writing, that there’s a lot more to the travelogue than just the search for Bigfoot, and that Zada spends a fair bit of time meditating on belief and consciousness and the nature of truth. The result is an illuminating, thoughtful book that doesn’t deal in firm answers.

The book has three main threads: nature writing, including ecological issues; the lives of the people living in the Great Bear; and Sasquatch. The descriptions of the rain forest ring true to what I know of other coastal rain forests, and are evocative without being rambling or poetic. He conveys an awe of the place, but also a sadness as he talks about pipelines and over-fishing and bear hunts and other resource issues in the area. And also hope, because he talks to eco-activists and Heiltsuk people who are working to protect the forest.

Similarly, the lives of the locals, who are largely Indigenous, are treated with care and open-mindedness and respect, regardless of politics or anything else. Whole scenes and even chapters are about talking, asking opinions, experiencing the towns and the cultures, and listening. Yes, Zada’s asking about Sasquatch and listening to what people say, but he’s also talking about poverty and hunting licenses and summer camps and grandkids. The portrait seems pretty rounded and pretty true to, again, what I know of BC coastal and Indigenous life.

That said, though, Zada does some things at a ceremony out of ignorance that he shouldn’t have done, but he apologizes when called on it and isn’t afraid to state the full facts in the book. It would’ve been very easy to drop that sequence completely and pretend he’s a perfect Western outsider, and I’m glad he didn’t choose that route.

And the Sasquatch? The reason why I read the book to begin with? The subject’s as rounded as the other threads. Zada talks to people who swear it’s a real animal, people who swear it doesn’t exist, and people who say it’s in the spirit realm. There are scientists and eyewitnesses and skeptics. He also adds some of his own history with Sasquatch lore, and the history of said lore, and also talks about trance states, tricks of the mind, and other bits of psychology as possible explanations. It’s an approach I’m not used to in Sasquatch books, and I found it very thoughtful and interesting.

In short, Zada tells a good story full of description and beauty and truth, and you get a good sense of his emotional as well as physical journey. It’s an enjoyable and thought-provoking read, timely as it relates to culture and ecology, and also a fast one. I think that’s partly due to length (this is not a hefty book) and partly due to the simplicity of the writing (not dense, not literary, just clear). Also, the content was pretty darn interesting.

To bear in mind: Contains mention and discussion of racism, deforestation, and poverty. The racism does include but is not limited to some stark Islamophobia. The aforementioned intercultural screw-up.

7.5/10

[Tasha-Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well. This was NOT what I expected it to be. I picked up this book at the end of December thinking "sure..why not..this will probably be some good brain fluff for the end of the year when I barely have time to read at all and cant really focus on anything.." boy was I wrong. For me, this book pumped up every bucket list dream of visiting the tiny remote communities in Coastal BC. I was already obsessed with Ocean Falls after reading about it on an urbex site awhile back and wanting to go there to take photos of it all. Now Ive also added Bella Bella, Bella Coola and every other small community up there I could find. For me, this was less about Sasquatch and more about those communities and the people who live in them. The flora and fauna surrounding them and everything in between. This is definitely a book that, personally, I am going to think about for a long time. Is there a sasquatch? I dunno. maybe? maybe not. Do I care? Not really :) But I am sure glad I took a chance on this book.

[Andrew Boden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd never read about the Sasquatch before, but this book seized my attention from the first page. Zada captures not only the rainswept valleys and rugged coasts of the Great Bear Rainforest, but the beating heart of the region, too: with its rich characters, strange adventures and, of course, its first hand accounts of the Sasquatch. But Zada's story isn't so much about finding this illusive creature, but about seeking something of the extraordinary in our sometimes too ordinary lives.

If you're worried that this book might be a bit out there, because of the subject matter -- I assure you that it's not. Zada writes with the same level-headed insight that I found in John Vaillant's The Golden Spruce and The Tiger. I hope to see more from Zada soon.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Zada goes on a "modern-day mythical journey" and finds the middle ground between scientific evidence and metaphysical beliefs. On the way he discovers truths about himself, the environment and First Nations communities.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come for the cryptozoology... Enjoy a bonus course of considerate curiosity for native cultures and environmental issues ... Stay for the revelatory existential musings on perception and phenomenology 🤯🔮🏔️

[Deccagirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, really wish we could give half stars! This was so much more than just a book about Sasquatch! Really enjoyable, educating read.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bold masterpiece. This is not a novel about the existence of the Sasquatch. This is a haunting glimpse into the human experience and indigenous culture.

You cannot truly appreciate the vastness of the Canadian wilderness until you experience it for yourself. It is wild, untamed, free, and dangerous. The scale is massive. We have national parks that are larger than Denmark.

John Zada has captured the isolation, perils, and awe-inspiring beauty of Canada in this novel. It is a tribute to British Columbia, the cultures that shaped it, and the concerning future of our breathtaking wilderness. If we lose our sensitive ecosystems to global warming and capitalism, we will lose a vital part of our culture, particularly for the indigenous communities that are one with their land. The story of the whale caught in the fishing net was gut-wrenching, so much that I set the book down for a while and cried. I cried for the magnificent creatures that are being driven to extinction by corporate greed, all intelligent and vital in their own ways.

Additionally, the book focuses heavily on the circle of life and "coincidences" -- every story has an end, and you will find the answer exactly when you need to. With that perspective, John Zada approaches the Sasquatch phenomenon in a unique and refreshing manner:

Beyond the obsession with the rational question of whether the Sasquatch physically exists, there is a whole other field of inquiry that is being neglected, an ether of subtler possibilities -- his Noble Beyond. What can the Sasquatch and our pursuit of it tell us about ourselves, about our motives, individually and as a culture, about what we deeply and truly yearn for?

I would recommend that everyone read this book. For me, at the very least, it helped me come to terms with my own quest for answers. For the people who rated it poorly, I would challenge them to travel to British Columbia and live in nature for a week, then read the book again. John Zada perfectly captured the essence of British Columbia; it is a spiritual experience that cannot be ignored and will change you for the better, if you allow it to.

[Julie (Bookshelf Adventures) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book with no real idea what it was about, was it fact, fiction, or hopeful supposition.
What I found was beautiful descriptions of the Canadian wilderness and Pacific Northwest. Zada did a good job with researching all form of the Sasquatch legend; bringing in the Yeti, Abominable Snowman, forest devil, bush Indians, etc.

I greatly enjoyed travelling through Canada in this book. The scenery depicted was breathtaking, I only wish that there were photos to go along with the writing. The well-researched and reasoned facts about Sasquatch were fantastic to read through. Zada did a good job of bringing in all types of witnesses, from back woods guides to Teddy Roosevelt and a local teacher, John Burns. Adding in his own personal accounts and stories really helped the narrative as well.

I enjoyed that he did not come out and say that “yes, there is such thing as Sasquatch”; instead he gives plenty of well-reasoned examples and ideas that could lead people to believe. Great book overall.

Thank you Netgalley and John Zada for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a book about Sasquatch but I was pleasantly surprised to instead get a book about the Pacific coast of British Columbia and the native people that still live there. I found the Sasquatch stories interesting, but it was the stories and first-hand accounts of life among the First People that provided the true story. The author travels up and down the remote and sparsely inhabited west coast of British Columbia and experiences it's beauty and danger and learns about the lives of the tribes and tiny villages that live there. The book seems to be about the Great Bear Rainforest and it's ecology more than anything else. This is by no means a criticism. I was intrigued and fascinated by the author's descriptions of his travels, the people he talked to, and the adventures he experienced during his hunt for Sasquatch. His faithful representation of the tribal people of the area was a refreshingly up-front depiction of the complicated issues they face.
The whole Sasquatch thing did turn out to be kind of interesting too. I highly recommend it. I'm definitely convinced that I need to visit the area and experience its wild beauty for myself.

[Julie Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond is really a deeply satisfying travelogue and social study about how our environments shape us and why our minds are so well suited to believe in supernatural phenomena. I grew up in "Bigfoot country" and so was always terrified of the myth of the Sasquatch, but I have never found any writing about the subject which isn't sensationalized or silly. I live in the Middle East, so reading about the dappled forests and silence of the Great Bear National Rain Forest was an armchair vacation for body and mind. Zada is a poetic writer and he takes a brave, deep dive into the local culture and beliefs of the area, as well as taking seriously the claims of "Sasqualogists" without demeaning or mocking them, but rather, putting it all into a fascinating context about why we need meaning and myths in our lives. Intellectually and philosophically intelligent, without a trace of sensationalism or cynicism, In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond is a worthy read.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

IN a slight break from my regular list of sci-fi/fantasy books, my mother recommended this one. Loved it. There was a strong sense of cultural awareness and history that carries through this highly intelligent and readable tale. The actual search for the Sasquatch was secondary to the exploration of an area of the world that I knew nothing about. The descriptions of the towns and people of the Great Bear Rainforest are quite vivid and memorable. For me, the sections which describe theories of psychology were slow and detracted from the power of the main narrative. But I still devoured every page. Does he find the Sasquatch? Read it and find out.

[Thomas Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part travelogue and part mediation on travel, this is a sublime book that truly captures a unique place and explores in depth the reality of what we know about the Sasquatch and more importantly what we know about the idea and meaning of such phenomena. By far the best travel book of the summer of 2019.

[Ami Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.

* I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book was very different then what I thought it would be. Not in a bad way! Just different. The author dived deeper then just bigfoot talk, and talked about the land and the people who lived in the area. We learned a lot about some Native American tribes in the far west coast of Canada that we really don’t hear much about. We learn about a lot of the problems they are facing and how they are trying to fight back. Mixed in to this environmental and cultural political narrative, we get sprinkles of bigfoot sightings and stories, all second hand.

I was very impressed with the author. Even though he was a big fan of bigfoot, and truly wanted to believe in it, John did a remarkable job of staying unbiased and looking at both sides of the coin equally. Not many people can pull that off. You are either a big believer or you are a skeptic. It is rare to see someone in the neutral camp. I thought that was great because the author didn’t try to force any one view on you. He just reported what he heard and what those stories (and bigfoot) meant to the people telling them.

I wished this book had focused a little bit more on bigfoot, because that IS why I wanted to read it… I didn’t really want to get in to the political quagmire of the region. BUT… it was very informative about the native American tribes living in the area and I really knew nothing about them before hand. So I do appreciate the fact that the author took time out of his project to write about what is going on in that area and the life of these people and their struggles with the government, hunters, and commercial fishing. So if you want to learn about a diverse area that you don’t hear much about, or you would like to learn about some environmental issues from the far west coast, I highly recommend this book. I also highly recommend this book if you are into travel writing. If you want just straight up bigfoot searching with fanfare, you might be a little disappointed unless you know going in that it’s not going to be sensationalized.

[Sophy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a funny old title really! The titular Sasquatch receives a large swathe of the word count here, although true to form it is never seen by the author (hardly surprising, if I were a Sasquatch and I'd witnessed the destructive from mankind and their cruelty in hunting bears for sport, I'd be keeping a low profile in another realm too!)

The most interesting parts of the writing come from Zada's observations on the landscape and the people of the "valleys of the noble beyond". I love hearing the viewpoints of First Nations individuals and communities, the inherited stories, the traditions. The landscape sounds stunning, truly epic forest and water sources.

I like how Zada's head is battered with conflicting views of something that is never quite tangible, just beyond the reach of the provable.

An interesting book on many different levels.

[Amit Verma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This journal attempts to discuss myth of Sasquatch ( Big foot, Yeti) in British Columbia area by author.
Book is wide in its coverage and covers all aspects of history, present events and hotspots related to sasquatch encounters.
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It throws light on epic yeti researcher John Brindenagel and various books and testimonials about encounters with bigfoot.
Book covers beauty of the great bear rainforest, koeye, hoodoovalley, kitasoo valley, oceanaa falls and solitude ridden wuiknuxv village.
Author is unbiased and discusses various psychological baises which may lead to erroneous descriptions of encounters.
Problems of global warming, oil spillage and reckless bear hunting is underlined and incidence showing author's encounter with bear is interesting.
.
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Part describing his feelings when when fires gunshot for first time is very nice.

Writing is engaging and enjoyable. Description of natural beauty is awesome.
Interspersed quotes are very nice.
Authir has captured feelings of characters at various points in a expert manner.
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When author returns home after spending days in natural solace and beauty, he has clearer vision about meaning of life and futility of modern pacy life.
Book is recommended as a scientific exploration of human longing to decipher mysteries even at personal risk.

[Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. I was not expecting what it ended it up delivering. It is not a book just about searching for Sasquatch but a book about finding meaning in nature, connection to people, nature and community and is a sort of travel memoir through the backwoods of beautiful British Columbia. The author goes into great detail about the Native communities up the Pacific Northwest coast of the province and within the Great Bear Rainforest, which I never knew existed. The stories about all of the Sasquatch sightings are also great and very compelling. I would recommend it to anyone.

[Laura Haggart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a while to get into this because it’s not my usual kind of book — but after about 100 pages I was hooked. I wanted a Sasquatch sighting though!!

Thanks for the recommendation, Cousin Elliot 🙏🏼

[Alma Tilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough but did anyone HAVE to write a book about this ... the great bear rainforest sounds dope tho

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

can't recommend highly enough

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher, and author John Zada for allowing me to read an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I've been fascinated by Sasquatch and was thrilled to see an upcoming title pertaining to one of the great mysteries that continues to plague us: Is Sasquatch real? Whether you believe or don't believe in Sasquatch, you're familiar with the stories, famous sightings, and plenty of fun reality television shows that surround hunting for Sasquatch. And as with many things, "no proof" doesn't mean that these creatures do not exist. So--I jumped right into this novel hoping to gain more insight into Sasquatch.

Zada details his journeys across Canada, especially in First Nations locations where the Sasquatch (who goes by many names in these areas) has reportedly been seen. By speaking with individuals and going on his own treks, Zada begins to realize how intricate the question "is Sasquatch real?" really is. He posits that either (1) the creature is indeed real and has not been categorically proven to the scientific community yet or (2) a lot of people are seeing similar things when they're (basically) having a bit of a mental breakdown in the isolated woods. Could it be that people trick themselves into seeing Sasquatch because they want to see him/her? Or is there really something out there that maybe we just have not fully discovered yet?

I was in love with this book the moment I started reading. I'm a sucker for any novel that tries to explain the unexplained and this one was well written, had great information about Sasquatch, and used a lot of dialog from people who have seen things.

What I loved the most though: Zada's discussion of indigenous peoples, their issues, and especially acknowledging that in order to research on their lands you should introduce yourself first. As an Indigenous Studies scholar, I really appreciated that this information and some of the tensions Zada encountered made it into the book. This shows this book is more "scholarly" and not entirely pop-culture (not that there's anything wrong with either!).

A really fun read, very compelling, and I would highly recommend this for those interested in Sasquatch.

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what I liked: the stories of First Nations people and areas of present day British Columbia that even people like me (who live in the province) never get to experience. Zada does a good job describing characters, relationships, moods, and terrain.

What I did not like as much: We get to Part III and are given a bunch of theory on how the brain works, etc. — pattern recognition, cognitive dissonance and all the rest. Perhaps another reader may have enjoyed these sections, but I had to skim through them. I mean, I grew up reading The Doors of Perception and Carlos Castaneda — I understand that the things that we "see" are not necessarily what someone else may "see" or something that can be "grasped". ("Physical reality" is given a very high priority in the Valley of the Noble Beyond). In the pursuit of big questions why not ask “How do I know I exist?” Going down that rabbit hole, burrowing into the nature of the absolute, is endlessly philosophical but not usually a gripping read.

Are they "real or not" is a discussion with only limited appeal to this reader. That these creatures exist in the history of the First Nations, as part of the "people" who are lived with in the world, is not in doubt. There are details of different types of creatures and what it means if one is encountered. They definitely exist as part of the supernatural / natural continuum of existence, and one does not need a whole book to point that out. This book might have been better if Zada has just stuck to portraying the various characters he encountered and the nature and motivations of their quests, and not tried to spoon feed some sort of definitive answer to the reader.

[Stiina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook with the kids on a road trip.

The title should have twigged me, but this book was not so much about the sasquatch as it was about using grand language to tell a rambling story about a travelling journalist exploring cultural history around indigenous folklore regarding the sasquatch.

I appreciated his careful journalistic approach to learning, listening, asking questions, and sharing stories with the indigenous people from the Great Bear region. He presented a intersectional narrative around environmentalism, oral history, indigenous traditions, commercialism, spirituality and science.

I think he wanted it to be compelling but it was just kind of... boring. It would have been an engaging book had it been focused on the rainforest and the indigenous people he met and learned from, instead of trying to also make it a story about the psychological characteristics that influence 'belief' in unseen creatures.

The musing, waxing-poetic descriptions and psychological rabbit holes were too much for me. The sasquatch part ended up being a secondary thread, and it felt like he had to force himself to draw conclusions to wrap up the story.