Dakota Damned: A Novel

by James Goertel

Dakota Damned is a historical fiction novel set in North Dakota which moves back and forth between two distinct time periods and follows the fortunes and failings of the three Lund brothers as they consolidate their power over the region and its natural resources. Hydroelectric holdings are procured through murder, corruption, and lies in the historical period of post-World War II, while the family's eventual land holdings in the oil and gas-rich Bakken Formation act as the backdrop for the present-day story. Middle brother Karl Lund anchors both eras and his journey spans over six decades. Dakota Damned is both a looking glass into the past when the American Dream appeared to promise a bright future for one and all, but it is also a mirror reflecting the contemporary cautionary tale of that dream's failure for the disenfranchised: immigrant, indigenous, poor, and marginalized among them. By the end, Karl stands at the crossroads of a windswept prairie he has both helped tame and transform: a Dakota dammed, drilled, and desecrated.

293 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2019

About the author

Born in North Dakota, James Goertel spent twenty years working in television for ABC, NBC, and ESPN, among others. "Carry Each His Burden" is his fiction debut and was published in 2011. His poetry collections "Each Year an Anthem" and "With No Need for a Name" debuted in 2012 followed by "Self Portrait" in 2013. Goertel's title story from "Carry Each His Burden" is one of only eleven stories to be chosen for inclusion in "Submitted for Your Approval" — Rod Serling Books' inaugural anthology published in April of 2015. "Oh Mercy" — a collection of faith-inspired poems — was published in late 2015. His writing has appeared in Short Story America, Ascent Aspirations, Manifold, LucidPlay, NexTV, The Quivering Pen, The Writer's Handful, Yareah Magazine, and The Next Best Book Club. His most recent collection of poetry "Manitou Ontario" was published in 2017. Goertel's short stories "Man Out of Time," "All of My Mother's Names" and "Approaching Silence" appear in Short Story America Anthology Vol. IV, V, & VI respectively. His debut novel "Dakota Damned" — published in late 2019 — is now available.

Reviews

[Robyn]

A haunting and visceral journey with a family that reveals what we are all capable of doing to those around us. A great piece of literary historical fiction that will leave a mark.