Sick Heart River

Sir Edward Leithen #5

by John Buchan

Sir Edward Leithen - perhaps the most autobiographical of Buchan's characters - is dying of tuberculosis and has been given a year to live. After this prognosis, Leithen undertakes a profoundly heroic quest from London to the Canadian Northwest, tracking down a missing man who is literally 'sick at heart'. In the course of this epic journey, Leithen finds redemption for himself.

Sick Heart River is John Buchan's most powerful novel, completed just days before his death. The rich, authentic descriptions of the rugged Canadian landscape were influenced by a voyage down the Mackenzie River in 1937, at which time Buchan was Governor-General of Canada.

Genres: Fiction, Adventure, Classics, Mystery, Canada, British Literature, Travel

219 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

John Buchan was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
As a youth, Buchan began writing poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, publishing his first novel in 1895 and ultimately writing over a hundred books of which the best known is The Thirty-Nine Steps. After attending Glasgow and Oxford universities, he practised as a barrister. In 1901, he served as a private secretary to Lord Milner in southern Africa towards the end of the Boer War. He returned to England in 1903, continued as a barrister and journalist. He left the Bar when he joined Thomas Nelson and Sons publishers in 1907. During the First World War, he was, among other activities, Director of Information in 1917 and later Head of Intelligence at the newly-formed Ministry of Information. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927.
In 1935, King George V, on the advice of Canadian Prime Minister R. B. Bennett, appointed Buchan to succeed the Earl of Bessborough as Governor General of Canada and two months later raised him to the peerage as 1st Baron Tweedsmuir. He occupied the post until his death in 1940. Buchan promoted Canadian unity and helped strengthen the sovereignty of Canada constitutionally and culturally. He received a state funeral in Canada before his ashes were returned to the United Kingdom.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find links to all my reviews as part of my Buchan of the Month Reading Project 2018 here: https://whatcathyreadnext.wordpress.c...

Sick Heart River was Buchan’s last novel. In fact, he finished it only a fortnight before his death and it was published posthumously. Although Buchan cannot have known his own death was so close, there is definitely an elegiac quality to the book. Whilst writing Sick Heart River, Buchan had been completing his autobiography, Memory Hold-the-Door. Perhaps the process of recalling the experiences of earlier days, the loss of old friends and taking stock contributed to the reflective, meditative sense the reader gets from Sick Heart River.

Diagnosed with tuberculosis, a legacy of his experiences in the First World War, and with no prospect of recovery, Sir Edward Leithen seeks a way to give purpose to the last few months of his life. When the task of finding Francis Galliard comes his way, via a mutual friend, initially he has no particular interest on a personal level in the object of his search. Leithen undertakes the task purely to prevent himself lapsing into self-pity or suffering the slow demise he fears. As he tells Galliard later: ‘I wasn’t interested in you – I didn’t want to do a kindness to anybody – I wanted something that would keep me on my feet until I died. It wouldn’t have mattered if I had never heard the name of any of the people concerned. I was thinking only of myself, and the job suited me.’

Buchan is always good at descriptions of landscape and in the book he captures the harsh beauty of northern Canada. However, he shows that what seems beautiful can also be deadly: ‘Leithen brooded over that mysterious thing, the North. A part of the globe which had no care for human life, which was not built to man’s scale, a remnant of that Ice Age which long ago had withered the earth.’ The reader witnesses Leithen’s desperate struggle to survive a Canadian winter alongside his companions – the Frizel brothers, Johnny and Lew, and their Hare Indian guides.

One of Buchan’s favourite texts, The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, makes an appearance in the book, as it did in Mr. Standfast. However, in this case, The Pilgrim’s Progress is not the benign instrument that assists Richard Hannay to achieve his mission, help him uncover mysteries and reveal insights, as it does in Mr Standfast. In Sick Heart River, it leads to a journey that risks the lives of Leithen and his companions. Lew Frizel, casting himself in the role of Christian in The Pilgrim’s Progress, initially believes the Sick Heart River to be ‘the River of the Water of Life, same as in Revelation’ where all his sins will be washed away. However, Lew’s quest to find the Sick Heart River is shown to be a false pilgrimage, a chimera. The Sick Heart River is not, as he imagined, the equivalent of the Land of Beulah or a gateway to Heaven but, as he tells Leithen, ‘the Byroad-to Hell, same as in Bunyan’.

The book explores some familiar themes of Buchan’s novels: fortitude, self-sacrifice, the link between bodily and spiritual health, the spirit of place, and the importance of being in touch with and true to your roots. As Sick Heart River reaches its conclusion, the world has once more been plunged into the calamity of another war. Remembering his experiences in the First World War, Leithen reflects, ‘It had been waste, futile waste, and death, illimitable, futile death. Now the same devilment was unloosed again’. (One of Buchan’s final acts as Governor General of Canada had been to authorise Canada’s declaration of war against Germany in September 1939.)

At the end of Sick Heart River, in an act of epic self-sacrifice and knowing the likely outcome, Leithen takes command of a task that will prove to be his final battle. As always, the book’s ending leaves me slightly teary.

[Julian Worker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb - what a talented writer this man was.

This book was published posthumously and is the story of Sir Edward Leithen who wants to die standing up in his boots in the great outdoors of Northern Canada.

He has TB and knows he's going to die, but wants to make a difference if he can before he dies. He follows the trail of the relative of a friend who has gone to the Canadian Arctic for reasons Leithen is not sure about, but wants to find out.

The descriptions of the Great Outdoors are lovely and made me want to go on a expedition myself, but the story is more about finding the comradeship and affection of our fellow human beings in the most trying circumstances. Kindness, empathy, and consideration count for so much when people are fighting to survive against their environment and nature.

Leithen's symptoms are actually helped in the pure air and cold and his condition improves, but he then has to make a decision whether to help the local Indigenous Americans survive or maintain the steady improvement in his own health...and that's all I will say.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was written the year Buchan died and in fact he actually died about a week after he finished it. It has a valedictory air and is very inspiring and sad. It has been called his masterpiece and I can't disagree. I'm a great Buchan fan, so perhaps I'm biased, but I liked this very much. One of his best.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite John Buchan books.

[Eric Heiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

As of the time I’m writing this, I have not read any of the four preceding books in the Edward Leithen series; this in no way hindered my ability to follow the plot or to identify with Leithen (or with any of the other characters, for that matter).

Our story opens during the months leading up to World War II’s eruption in Europe. Leithen, a retired British politician and lawyer, has just learned that he will be dead from Tuberculosis within a year and has slowly begun to shut himself off from the world, both from his friends and from the looming international tension. A chance encounter gives him the opportunity to lead a search party into the wilds of Canada on a rescue mission. Being a former outdoorsman and preferring to die on his feet rather than in a sickbed, Leithen accepts this proposal, not knowing that this trip will ultimately lead him to the most desolate places of the Canadian north and put not only his fate but the fates of his companions in his hands.

I have to say that out of all the novels I’ve ever read–both classic and modern–this is the greatest, not just one of the greatest, THE greatest. It’s an exciting, well-paced thriller. It’s an intriguing mystery. Its atmospheric writing transports you right into each scene alongside the characters. It has a lead and a supporting cast that are very relatable and likable, all with their own worries and personal demons to overcome. Above all else though, like all great literature, it tackles the big questions; it takes a good, long look at the facets of the human condition–such as doubt, terror, and, especially, obsession–and ultimately offers a message of power and hope. The fact that Buchan wrote this as he himself was dying only adds to its strength.

This book will make you cry. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. It will, at times, even horrify you. But it will also warm your heart and reinvigorate your spirit.

[Steven Langdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Buchan's last novel, about a man who is dying, and it must reflect Buchan's own efforts to come to terms with his looming demise. Those dimensions of the book are powerful and give a depth to this work which is missing in some of B's adventure novels. Above all, though, this is a book that confronts the frightening immensity and grim beauty of the Canadian north. Not many writers have tried to meet that challenge, and this book is one of the first. Ignore the racist paternalism that so characterizes much British writing of the period, and be moved by this story of the struggle for human survival in a harsh yet inspiring environment.

[Celia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sick Heart River is the fifth in a series with Sir Edward Leithen as the protaginist.

Sir Edward is from London. This book takes him on a quest from London to New York to Montreal to the Northwest Territory searching for a man who has unexpectedly left his home on a quest of his own.

Sir Edward is on his last legs, suffering from gas-induced TB. But he wants to 'die on his feet', so when asked to find the husband of the niece of a very good friend, he decides to take on the challenge.

I found this book extremely engaging ranging from the spiritual to the stark description of the area in the Northwest Territory where Sir Edward is searching for Francis Galliard. There are other characters: Lew and Johnny Frizel, half breed brothers. Lew is on a quest of his own-descending into the basin of the Sick Heart River, which Lew feels is a spiritual place. They both become instrumental in finding Galliard.

I was touched by many of the quotes within the book, some of which I have highlighted (Kindle version).

The book starts with an excellent introduction that describes many of the happenings in the first four books. Since I started with this book, the insight provided for the first four books was invaluable.

I plan to read at least one book situated in each of the provinces and territories of Canada. This book more than fits the bill for The Northwest Territory.

5 stars

[Frankie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had my usual problem with Buchan in this one; ie, that he is at times racist - i suppose he was a man of his time and the views of authors writing a century ago are going to be different, but some of his descriptions of the native american characters made me squirm and fume at the same time.

if you can get past that though, I think it's a book worth reading.

The main point of the story is the death of the main character, so as you can imagine its not exactly cheery. Buchan finished it just before his own death after a long illness, but despite that my overall feeling was that it was a hopeful book.

the descriptions of the canadian landscapes are awesome. made me want to go.

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for the second time 2 Sept 2015. Full review coming.

[dragonhelmuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very self-reflective, and has no connection to the previous books with regard to genre (the whole series is very irregular). For all that it is quite good – don’t listen to the nay-sayers, this book does have a Buchan style plot and it’s not just one man going into the wilderness (although come to think of it, that IS the plot of a lot of Buchan’s books). I have just two quotes for you from the more thoughtful moments in the book, but the second one is looong:

{De Staël in 1800 first popularised the concept of a North and South style of culture, each of which had dynamically different beliefs, languages and literatures. I think here we see Buchan’s interpretation of that idea...}
Leithen brooded over that mysterious thing, the North. A part of the globe which had no care for human life, which was not built to man's scale, a remnant of that Ice Age which long ago had withered the earth. As a young man he had felt its spell when he looked from the Clairefontaine height of land towards the Arctic watershed. The Gaillard family for generations had felt it. Like brave men they had gone out to wrestle with it, and had not returned. Johnny, even the stolid Johnny, had confessed that he had had his bad moments. Lew--Heaven knows what aboriginal wildness was mingled with his Highland blood!--had gone hunting for a mystic river and had then got the horrors of the unknown and fled from it. But he was bred to the life of the North and could fall back upon its ritual and defy it by domesticating it. Yet at any moment the fire might kindle again in him. As for Galliard, he was bound to the North by race and creed and family tradition; it was not hard for the gods of the Elder Ice to stretch a long arm and pluck him from among the flesh-pots.


{Buchan’s style of nostaligia}
His mind ran up and down the panorama of his life, selecting capriciously. Oddly enough, it settled on none of the high lights. There had been moments of drama in his career--an adventure in the Ægean island of Plakos, for example, and more than one episode in the War. And there had been hours of special satisfaction--when he won the mile at school and college, his first big success at the
Bar, his maiden speech in the House, his capture of the salmon when he and Lamancha and Palliser-Yeates poached in the Highlands. But though his memory passed these things in review, it did not dwell on them.

Three scenes seemed to attract it especially, and he found that he could spend hours contentedly in reconstructing them and tasting their flavour. The first belonged to his childhood. One morning in spring he had left his Border home determined to find what lay beyond the head of a certain glen. He had his rod with him, for he was an ardent fisherman, and lunch in his pocket--two jam sandwiches, a dainty known as a currant scone, two bread-and-butter sandwiches, a hard- boiled egg, and an apple--lovingly he remembered every detail. His short legs had crossed the head of the glen beyond the well-eye of the burn, and had climbed to the tableland of peat haggs and gravel, which was the watershed. Here he encountered an April hailstorm, and had to shelter in a hagg, where he ate his luncheon with intense relish. The hail passed, and a mild blue afternoon succeeded, with the Cheviots clear on the southern sky-line. He had struggled across the peat bog, into the head of the glen beyond the watershed, where another burn fell in delectable pools among rowans and birches, and in these pools he had caught trout whose bellies were more golden and whose spots were brighter than the familiar fish in his own stream. Late in the evening he had made for home, and had crossed the hills in an April sunset of rose and saffron. He remembered the exultation in his small heart, the sense of being an explorer and an adventurer, which competed with a passionate desire for food. Everything that day had gone exactly right. No one had upbraided him for being late. The trout had been justly admired. He had sat down to a comfortable supper, and had fallen asleep and rolled off his chair in the middle of it. Assuredly a day to be marked with a white stone. He could recall the sounds that accompanied it--the tinkle of the burn in its tiny pools, the perpetual wail of curlews, the sudden cackle of a nesting grouse. And the scents, too--peat, wood smoke, crushed mountain fern, miles of dry bent, the pure, clean odour of icy water.

This memory came chiefly in the mornings. In the afternoons, when he was not asleep, he was back at Oxford. The scene was always the same--supper in the college hall, a few lights burning, the twilight ebbing in the lancet windows, the old portraits dim as a tapestry. There was no dinner in hall in the summer term, only supper, when you could order what you pleased. The memory of the fare almost made him hungry--fried eggs, cold lamb and mint sauce and salad, stewed gooseberries and cream, cheese and wheaten bread, and great mugs of home-brewed beer. . . . He had been in the open air most of the day, riding over Shotover or the Cumnor hills, or canoeing on the upper Thames in the grassy meadows above Godstow, or adventuring on a bicycle to fish the dry-fly in the Cotswold streams. His body had been bathed in the sun and wind and fully exercised, so his appetite was immense. But it was not the mere physical comfort which made him dwell on the picture. It was the mood which he remembered, and could almost recapture, the mood which saw the world as a place of long sunlit avenues leading to marvellous horizons. That was his twentieth year, he told himself, which mankind is always longing to find again.

The third memory was the most freakish. It belonged to his early days at the Bar, when he lived in small ugly rooms in one of the Temple courts, and had very little money to spend. It was the first day of the Easter vacation, and he was going to Devonshire with Palliser-Yeates to fish the Exmoor hill streams. The cheapest way was to drive with his luggage direct to Paddington, after the meagre breakfast which his landlady provided. But it seemed an occasion to celebrate, so he had broken his journey at his club in St. James's Street, a cheerful, undistinguished young man's establishment, and had breakfasted there with his friend. It had been a fresh April morning; gulls had been clamorous as he drove along the Embankment, and a west wind had been stirring the dust in Pall Mall. . . . He remembered the breakfast in the shabby old coffee room, and Palliser-Yeates' fly-book which he spilt all over the table. Above all he remembered his own boyish anticipations. In twenty-four hours he would be in a farmhouse which smelt of paraffin and beeswax and good cooking, looking out on a green valley with a shallow brown stream tumbling in riffles and drowsing in pools under banks of yellow bent. The larch plantations would be a pale mist on the hillsides, the hazel coverts would be budding, plovers would be everywhere, and water ouzels would be flashing their white breasts among the stones. . . .

[Jon Walgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enchanted by the great Canadian 'North' and have spent many years past exploring and enjoying its seemingly never changing uniqueness and mystical aura. I very much enjoy reading the writings of John Buchan, also. I found this book to be a marvelously good read.

[Serena Series · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He had been right in doing as he had done, coming out to meet death in a world where death and life were colleagues and not foes."

I am glad that Leithen finally stopped being a side character and finally stood for himself. this book was a long and immersive journey that used the iconic storytelling of Scottish adventure novels. it also felt like John Buchan's early works setting and I was very much satisfied with it. for this finale, both the author and the fictional character left us with a great note and it is potentially the best definition of "good death" ; the one that welcomes it in open arms and does not restrict them from taking the good out of it. this might be a lesson to learn. after all, death is inevitable to all human beings.

"Soon it would be over, he told himself - soon, soon, there would be the blessed sleep of death."

technically, this fifth book is once again not just about Sir Edward himself but about saving another man than himself. and the point is to prove that a journey can end in a success at any type of result. the man that is meant to be saved showed particularities during his introduction, for first impressions always matter, unlike what people like to say.

'(...) His real strength lies in his flair, which can't be put down in black and white. He has an extra sense which makes him conscious of things which are still in the atmosphere - a sort of instinct (...).

'That's probably due to his race,' said Leithen. 'Whenever you get a borderland where Latin and Northman meet, you get this uncanny sensitiveness.'

'Dearest, I am sick - very sick in my mind. I am going away. When I am cured I will come back to you. All my love.'

somehow, Sir Edward was also sick in his mind at the same time. but what I like about our Edward is that he still tried to see the good in everything and I was actually waiting for that to happen, especially in the first part, until I realised that the point of the book is not to actually be optimistic but rather seek salvation. and our Edward decided to seek his own. it was a journey that literally took all of his being and I liked this aspect, for it felt like art. at the same time, it drastically changed the usual style of John Buchan, for Sir Edward was a completely new man and forgot about his former life. nothing was holding him back now :

"The Canadian papers he glances at were full of the perilous situation in Europe - any week there might be war. The news meant nothing to him, though a little while ago it would have sent him home by the next boat."

though the Leithen series used to lack personality a bit too much, I changed my mind with this book. it was a sudden setting turned to psychology, and I loved this project! but first let's mention other things I liked first.

"Johnny as talker had one weak point - he was determined that his auditor should comprehend every detail, and he expounded in minutiae."

Johnny was the MVP of this story for sure. he was an experienced adventurer and I was glad that Sir Edward had such a companion by his side. though tending to talkativeness, Johnny was my favourite character because no one would have make it this far without him for sure. I was expecting a bit more from him, rather than just monologues about Lew. they are not a bad thing, it is just that I wanted to hear Johnny speak about what he is like and what he thinks. in my opinion, Johnny was just a bit to excited about having to meet new people and to discover new things, to feel rather completed by what he has already achieved. it makes sense but this element was not productive to me.

in my opinion, the greatest quote would be this one, for it both sums up all of the ideas shared in the story, and also explains clearly things:

"For months Leithen had been insensitive to human relationships. Even his friend at home, who had warned and lit his life, had sunk into the background, and the memory of them when it revived was scarcely an extra pang. (...) But the return journey from Sick Heart River had wrought without a change. His sudden realisation of the mercifulness behind the rigour of Nature had made him warm towards humanity. He saw the quality of Lew and Johnny, and thanked God for it. Now he was discovering Galliard, and was both puzzled and attracted by him."

it is true that Sir Edward finally meeting Galliard was a strong moment in his life, for John Buchan was constantly stressing the whole attraction in any time he could. our Edward has a connection with worshipping, according to the past Leithen works, so it is even plausible by how his mind works. Leithen was careful, confident and free in mind but physically weak. on the other hand Galliard was strong and healthy but mentally weak. and the two perhaps convinced each other. the parallelism was a strong good idea and it went beyond the original definition of it at the same time. both of them were a completion, and I feel like our dear Edward would have thought the same:

"He seized the other's right hand and held it in both his own. Leithen felt that if he had been a woman, he would have kissed it."

Sir Edward was rather pessimistic about his condition in the beginning of the book, which was surprising to me, as he is one of the most optimistic and soft-spoken characters of John Buchan's fictional world, if not the only one. I was really intrigued at first, but what is nice with our dear author is that the evolutions are always well written and smooth. this quality is very admirable from him, for they are the continuation of the previous stories and truly make sense no matter what. it is just that Galliard was absent for most of the story, which was regrettable.

the second was unnecessarily long. but the third part was the best. Leithen came to understand Galliard in a deep manner. the best reference would be the chapter 1 of the third part ; it was like a therapist talking to his patient. it may happen because Sir Edward is an educated man after all.

'(...) What is on earth is there for you to fear? Look at me. I'd be an extra-special cross in a hospital for the sick and aged. You stride like a free man and I totter along like a sick camel. The cold invigorates you and it paralyses me. (...) You can defy the North, but my only defiance is that the infernal thing can't prevent my escape by death.'
'You are wrong,' said Galliard solemnly. 'You have already beaten the North - you have never been in danger - because you know in your heart because you do not give a cent for it. I am beaten because it has closed in on me above and below, and I cannot draw breath without its permission.'

this debate is interesting - if not the whole debate thing Galliard and Edward used to have together. the combination of the dialogues, with the intense description of nature and places, was like a frozen painting, making me feel like I was with them, and actually turning my head to hear them better. unlike our dear Richard Hannay, Leithen never was afraid to speak his mind, and also talk about his feelings, especially to us, readers. and that is so cool! but trust me, I had no idea mental illnesses were considered contagious back then.

five stars because it was marvellous and it ends better than the Richard Hannah series.

[Rob Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Flawed Swan Song: John Buchan's Final Adventure Struggles Between Wisdom and Weariness

John Buchan's final novel reads like the work of a writer grappling with mortality—which, given that he died shortly after completing it, proves disturbingly prophetic. "Sick Heart River" follows Sir Edward Leithen, a recurring character from earlier Buchan novels, as he embarks on one last adventure in the Canadian wilderness while facing his own terminal illness.

The premise is compelling: Leithen, diagnosed with tuberculosis and given months to live, accepts a mission to find a missing businessman in the remote Canadian North. What should be a straightforward search-and-rescue becomes a meditation on death, purpose, and what it means to live a meaningful life in one's final days.

Buchan's descriptive powers remain formidable. His portrayal of the brutal Canadian wilderness is vivid and authentic, drawing on his own experiences as Governor General of Canada. The landscape becomes almost a character itself—vast, unforgiving, and beautiful in its indifference to human ambition. When the novel focuses on this elemental struggle between man and nature, it achieves genuine power.

The philosophical underpinnings are ambitious and often moving. Leithen's journey becomes both literal and metaphorical as he confronts not just physical challenges but questions about legacy, sacrifice, and redemption. Buchan explores themes of cultural clash between indigenous peoples and European settlers with more nuance than many of his contemporaries, though by modern standards, some passages feel dated and paternalistic.

Unfortunately, the novel's strengths are undermined by significant weaknesses. The pacing is uneven, particularly in the middle section where philosophical reflection overwhelms narrative momentum. Buchan seems uncertain whether he's writing an adventure story or a spiritual treatise, and the tonal shifts feel jarring.

The character development, while thoughtful for Leithen himself, suffers elsewhere. Supporting characters often feel more like symbolic representations than fully realized people. The missing businessman at the center of the quest remains frustratingly underdeveloped, making it difficult to invest in the search itself.

Perhaps most problematically, the novel's colonial perspective, while more enlightened than many works of its era, still reflects attitudes that feel uncomfortably outdated. Buchan's portrayal of indigenous characters, while respectful by 1940 standards, relies on romanticized stereotypes that modern readers may find troubling.

The resolution, while emotionally satisfying on one level, feels somewhat contrived. Buchan ties up loose ends with a neatness that doesn't entirely serve the complex themes he's explored throughout the novel.

"Sick Heart River" is ultimately a noble failure—a book with genuine insights about mortality and meaning that struggles to find the right vessel for its profound themes. It's essential reading for Buchan completists and offers moments of real beauty and wisdom, but it lacks the propulsive energy of his earlier adventures like "The Thirty-Nine Steps."

This is the work of a master storyteller at the end of his career, bringing hard-won wisdom to his craft but perhaps lacking the vigor to fully realize his ambitious vision. Recommended for patient readers interested in early 20th-century adventure fiction and meditations on mortality, but newcomers to Buchan would be better served starting elsewhere.

[Graychin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember the September 1981 issue of National Geographic because it introduced me to the existence of Nahanni National Park. In the Mackenzie range of Canada’s Northwest Territories, Nahanni is a place of hidden rivers, impossible mountains, and the daunting Cirque of the Unclimbables. It became a symbol for me of unattainable wilderness glory. If I could visit only one place in the world before I died, I thought, that would be it. I still kinda feel that way.

Novelist and diplomat John Buchan’s last book, Sick Heart River (1941), is set there, though he doesn’t exactly name it (and it wasn't yet a national park). The story follows aging Sir Edward Leithen, who is dying of tuberculosis, as he travels from London to New York to Canada on a quest to find a man who has left behind wife and home and worldly success and wandered off the map into the North. It was written (dictated, rather) when Buchan was British Governor General of Canada and dying himself.

The path across Canada takes Leithen from the idyllic late-summer woods of Quebec to the scraped-metal landscape of the Arctic shores, which Buchan had once visited on a tour of state. His description is memorable:

“It was like no ocean he had ever seen, for it seemed to be without form or reason. The tide licked the shore without a purpose. It was simply water filling a void, a treacherous, deathly waste, pale like a snake’s belly, a thing beyond humanity and beyond time. Delta and sea looked as if here the Demiurge had let His creative vigour slacken and ebb into nothingness. He had wearied of the world which He had made and left this end of it to ancient Chaos.”

It’s an image of death for Leithen (and presumably for Buchan), a vision of a world – and a deity – “with no care for humanity.” The story, however, doesn’t end there. Though winter is coming on, Leithen and his guide track their quarry to the Mackenzie River and up one of its wild tributaries. Here the local tribe is literally perishing of an unnamed dread and the solitary Catholic priest who serves them is at hope’s end. In the unexplored mountains to the west, Leithen loses one trail but finds another just when death seemed ready to snap its jaws on him.

Sick Heart River is a good book, but not a great one. Buchan has some fine moments but the pacing is self-indulgent and some of the characters are unconvincing. In certain respects (Leithen’s offhand comments on "halfbreeds") it hasn’t aged well. In my experience, Buchan’s short stories are better than his novels. Even so, Sick Heart River is worth reading, not least for the vicarious trip to Nahanni.

3.5 stars>

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A review of this book would not be complete without mentioning that the author died soon after finishing it. Since the main character, Sir Edward Leithen, is also on the brink of death, it makes one wonder how autobiographical it truly is. There is a lot of ruminating about death. Leithen's thoughts toward his impending fate change throughout; sometimes he is defiant and others he is resigned. Always, however, he lives out his goal to 'die with his boots on.' Consistent with this goal, he excepts a request to find a missing man in the wilds of Canada (Leithen himself is Scottish and a former member of the British Parliament).

What moved me the most in this book was the inner transformation that Leithen undergoes. He initiates his adventure from selfish motives. He doesn't want to die lying in bed. He has only the remotest connection to the missing man. In the midst of his adventure, the awesomeness of the landscape, its vastness and danger, make him consider God. Initially, the God he considers is the one who spoke the universe into being. The fearsome God who created a fearsome Canadian wilderness.

As he gets to know the missing man (who, of course, he finds) and nurses him back to health, he gains compassion. Leithen's compassion grows as the restorative effects of nature cause his health to improve. The compassion increases more as Leithen encounters a tribe of Hares who have resigned themselves to death, a state of mind he too closely understands. With the Hares, Leithen's transformation is complete. He no longer acknowledges only the God of creation. He also contemplates a merciful God and acknowledges his own personal responsibility to reflect that mercy. He is no longer on the trajectory for an early death, but he lays down his life to help his neighbors. It is really very moving.

[David Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written and set at the onset of WWII telling the tale of Sir Edward Leithen, distinguished barrister, former Attorney General and soldier. Leithen is an old pal of Richard Hannay, Sandy Clanroyden and the American, Blenkiron. Blenkiron has a task for the ailing Leithen who has been assured he has, at most, a year to live due to pulmonary tuberculosis. A Canadian/American businessman of great repute and glittering future has disappeared, abandoning a) his pretty young wife, b) New York and c) a brilliant career - so seemingly gone a bit bonkers - but America needs him back and fighting fit.
Having no family and resolved to tackle something to distract himself in his last few months Leithen accepts the challenge, particularly as he had already decided that he needs to get away to a delightful place in Quebec that he had longed to see since his youth - a veritable Shangri-La that Francis Galliard was also known to hale from and maybe had returned to.
It turns into an exhausting quest for the physically failing Leithen and, as he travels further north towards Hudson Bay and the Arctic Circle, Leithen has time to reflect on his approaching death and come to terms with himself and his faith. In fact the whole book is a treatise on dealing with mortality and how to confront the dying of the light by simple acquiescence or by fighting and doing something useful and fulfilling, utilising the skills and experience that a long (he’s 58!) life has bestowed.

[Carol Bakker · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It seems to me there isn't one section of society that hasn't got some kind of jitters - big business, little business, politicians, newspaper men, even the college professors. We can't talk except too loud. We're bitten by the exhibitionist bug. We're boosters and high-powered salesmen and propagandists, and yet we don't know what we want to propagand, for we haven't got any kind of common creed. All we ask is that a thing should be colourful and confident and noisy."

This is a novel about Sir Edward Leithen (it's #5 but the first I've read), a bachelor who has received a terminal diagnosis. How will he spend his final days? All Sir Edward wants is to die with his boots on. He accepts a challenge that involves traveling to the wilderness and requires the skills of a detective, a psychologist, and a sportsman. There are both epic exterior obstacles and elemental interior battles, seated in the soul.

Curiously, it is John Buchan's last book, published posthumously.

I reserve five-star ratings for books I plan to read again (or at least *want* to re-read). The one caveat I have with this book is Buchan's attitude toward the Natives.

[Peter Hendrycks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book a few years ago, while on a trip to Scotland. Leakey's bookstore in Inverness. I asked if there was a notable local author, and was told John Buchan was a good choice. I chose his last book. I finally got around to reading it. The first half of the book was pretty straightforward. A dying man on a quest to seek out and return a man back to his family, whom he had left voluntarily. I thought that would pretty much take up the whole book. It did not! Mr Buchan threw a curve, and the ending was much different than anticipated. Leithen was dying of a terminal disease, given a few months to live. But what was heartwarming about this book was what he chose to do with his last few months, and how it affected many lives around him. It made me think if I would have made the same choices. I will read more of his work, as I wss impressed.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

You either love Buchan’s novels, or you’ve yet to discover them! And if you think that Buchan is only derring-do capers when men were men, the Germans were Boche, “I don’t know much about women”, and the regiment is all, then Sick Heart River will come as a bracing surprise.

And bracing as it is set in the unforgiving arctic wastes of the Canadian Northern Territories.

The main character - Edward Leithen - arcs across the novel: a dying man, frozen inside before he even reaches the frozen North to seek out another man who is lost, physically and mentally. Leithen finds him, and finds himself.

This psychological discovery is beautifully, delicately written, and must rank as one of Buchan’s finest pieces.

If you haven’t guessed: highly recommended!

[Karen M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wish I’d been better educated on Buchan and not just read the 39 Steps… it’s been a revelation to me reading these books. I must admit having found this by accident I should have read the others in the series first but that won’t change the fact that I found this a truly inspiring read.
The settings, characters and storyline jump off the page and I was pleased to see the catalyst for Leithen was Blenkiron. Leithen sets off to face his death by living , he determines to track and find a missing man.
The wilds of Canada and the very particular characters drawn to such a life are brilliantly brought to life and I became totally enmeshed in his story of self discovery and human mortality. I hope it reflects Buchan’s own feelings.

[Geoff Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines one man's search for the meaning of life. It also provides some marvel0us descriptions of the hardship of life in northern Canada. The book does have spiritual content but it is not at all 'preachy' and raises some profound questions about the meaning of life and death. It is well worth the read just to set your mind thinking about these matters even if you are not religious. It also gives an insight into human behaviour. Well written and quite an easy read despite the topics raised.

[Graham Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good novel. Quite different from what I had expected, with my main experience of John Buchan being "The 39 Steps". Unlike that more familiar novel, this is not a thriller. It is more of a psychological, almost spiritual novel. I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery. Perhaps the pace was a little too slow in the middle of the book, although that may just be me, but I found it improved greatly towards the end.

[Simon Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly my favourite book of all time.

There is a shocking, obvious disparity in physical power between one very sick man and the might of nature in Canada's far north. However, even more shocking than that is the strength of Leithen's will to go on.

To me it's a story about mortality, life, duty and perseverance.

This story speaks to me on a profound level I can't fully explain. Each time I read it, my love for it grows.

[Marylyn Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with such heart and thoughtful understanding of the human condition. Set in the wilds of North West Canada. It is of its time though and referred to the First Nation characters by the tribe name Hares instead of using their actual names which bothered me a little. Otherwise, I thought he wrote the book in such a way he helped me to understand the people therein and even the bigger questions of life, death and beauty.

[Eleanor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear - the British white man as the saviour of the poor helpless Canadian "Indians", as well as a few other people on the way. Despite being seriously ill with TB, everyone sees Leithen as their leader in the Canadian wilderness in winter. All pretty far-fetched, but I read it for the descriptions of the far north of Canada in autumn and winter.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moralizing is a bit old-fashioned, but the nature descriptions are powerful and the characterization of Americans as true now as it was in 1940. "We're a great people, but we're only by fits and starts a nation . . . . Our population is more like a collection of pebbles in a box. It's only the containing walls of the box that keep them together."

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very philosophical book. It was also very descriptive of northern Canada in a way that reminded me of Jack London's writings. It was mainly about things which are scorned by many today, such as honour, mercy, God, and love for one's fellow humans. I enjoyed it very much.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sir Edward Leithen gets terrible news. He has advanced tuberculosis and his time on earth is short. Leithen agrees to help John S. Blenkiron, whose niece's husband is missing. An adventure to northern Canada is begun. Good story of adventure and spectacular landscapes.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sick Heart River is much more than an adventure novel; it is, as Buchan’s granddaughter and biographer Ursula Buchan puts it, ‘a spiritual testament, wrapped around by a gripping story of survival and self-sacrifice in the far north of Canada.’” Full review, the last of John Buchan June 2022, at my blog.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different Edward Leithen from that in previous novels. These have portrayed him as something of an adventurer, often engaged in physical challenges and solving mysteries. Not quite in the same league as his contemporary Richard Hannay, but nevertheless, in a more diffident way, 'putting the world to rights'. This novel introduces a more introspective, spiritually minded character. This is triggered by the news that his death is imminent as chronic respiratory disease from war time gas damage and tuberculosis takes its toll. Whilst accepting of his fate, he is determined to die doing something worthwhile rather than simply succumbing quietly.

The story describes his final challenge, to find a French-Canadian businessman who has gone missing from his New York home and family without any obvious reason. This takes him on a journey across Canada to the far North, a cold, largely inhospitable place. Here, at the edge of the natural world, he comes to terms with his approaching demise. The combination of the bleak environment, his failing health and the behaviour of those around him provide him with the tools that allow him to make peace with his 'God'. The story ends with his final 'heroic' deed prior to his death.

I enjoyed this book which provided a different Buchan reading experience. Some of his dated views about racial differences were still evident. Otherwise this was a more philosophical/spiritual account, no doubt influenced by the authors own failing health and imminent death. Altogether it felt like a novel based in real world experiences rather than the more fantastic world of his earlier novels