# James Michener's novels **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2020, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530 "2020-05-10T11:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/1 "2020-05-10T11:10:54Z")
Many years ago I started reading “Alaska” but lost interest fairly quickly. That was a different time and I was a different person then (I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now). Anyway, I’m wondering what you all think of his novels. Are they generally held in high regard? Is he a good writer? Which books of his have you read? Any specific recommendations? Eagerly awaiting Doper input. Thanks, mmm ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/2 "2020-05-10T11:28:43Z")
I was a big fan of the Michener novels during my European backpacking trip 30 years ago. They had the advantage of being the same price as other paperback novels if you could find a used or English bookstore, but very long for good value! If I can recall, I read Texas, Centennial, Alaska, Space, Hawaii, and Chesapeake. I enjoyed the fake biography style, but couldn’t figure out why he liked to insert elements like “The State of Fremont” in Space. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/3 "2020-05-10T12:25:18Z")
I’ve read Alaska and Chesapeake. They were entertaining and educational, as well. I hear good things about Centennial and Hawaii and they are on my list. My understanding is that he had researchers gather the historical information and he “fictionalized” it. This doesn’t surprise me since that would be an incredible amount of knowledge for a single person to have. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/4 "2020-05-10T13:15:52Z")
His novel about an archeology dig in Israel “The Source” is a fascinating read ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/5 "2020-05-10T13:30:49Z")
I read a ton of Michener books. Centennial, Hawaii, and The Source were favorites. Another notable one is his semi autobiographical work The Fires of Spring. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/6 "2020-05-10T13:38:44Z")
I read and enjoyed a lot of his books, but then came “Alaska”. As an Alaskan, I eagerly awaited the book’s release, but it turned out to be the most boring thing by him that I had read. Endless pages about a salmon migrating is my recollection. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/7 "2020-05-10T13:44:17Z")
I liked Hawaii, but I gave up on the one set in South Africa. Boring and he never really dove into the characters before they died and their grandchildren were on deck. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/8 "2020-05-10T14:01:56Z")
My dad served with Michener in the Second World War, on a number of islands in the Pacific. I was so excited, “Well, Pop, what was he like?” He shook his head sadly. “None of us ever knew. We’d be eating or playing cards, he’d be over in a corner with his Smith-Corona, typing typing typing… never heard him say a word to anyone else.” On topic: Love his books, but I soon learned to skip the first chapter(s) where he follows a pebble as it forms the mountains that the book will be set on… ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/9 "2020-05-10T14:03:52Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > His novel about an archeology dig in Israel “The Source” is a fascinating read I came to praise _The Source_. Incredibly moving (especially if you’re Jewish IMHO). I remember sitting in a coffee shop reading and got to the place where one of the important ancient sages and thinkers, Rabbi Akiva, was put to death in 153 CE, and I just burst into tears–it was so sad and poignant. I was right there in the moment. [James Michener](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Michener) has an interesting personal history. He was adopted into a Quaker family and did not know anything about his birth parents or his origins. Maybe that was one of the reasons for his deep, detailed diving into history. Interesting modern note from Wikipedia: “[In 1968], Michener was a member of the Electoral College, serving as a Pennsylvania Democrat. He wrote about that experience in a political science text _Presidential Lottery: The Reckless Gamble in Our Electoral System_, which was published the following year. In it, he suggested alternate systems, including using a direct popular vote by majority for the office of President of the United States and other more creative solutions.” :smack: Dang! Why didn’t we think of that? ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/10 "2020-05-10T15:16:15Z")
Read and greatly enjoyed most of his work. Still have many of his hard covers kicking around and reread them from time to time. If you are a fan of his writing try some of the novels by the late Kenneth Roberts. Brings history to life “warts and all”! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/11 "2020-05-10T15:30:18Z")
I loved _The Source_ as well, especially the way it was presented. An international team of archeologists including a Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew [del]walk into a bar[/del] arrive on the tell and start to dig. The first evening, one of them is taking a stroll at the top of the tell and kicks up a spent bullet from the 1948 war (The book was published before the 1967 war). Amused, he treats it like any other archeological finding, recording its location on a card including a sketch of its appearance, which is shown as an illustration in the book. Over a period of six months, two trenches are dug into the tell and artifacts are found, each of which has an illustration and they go back further and further in time until the bedrock of the tell is reached. The last object is a flint-bladed sickle at the dawn of agriculture. Then starting with that sickle each chapter covers the found object covering what was going on at the time and in a few cases, how it came to be there. In each chapter is a vignette in the present day where the three talk about their faith or lack of it). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/12 "2020-05-10T15:44:47Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I loved _The Source_ as well, especially the way it was presented. > > An international team of archeologists including a Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew [del]walk into a bar[/del] arrive on the tell and start to dig. The first evening, one of them is taking a stroll at the top of the tell and kicks up a spent bullet from the 1948 war (The book was published before the 1967 war). Amused, he treats it like any other archeological finding, recording its location on a card including a sketch of its appearance, which is shown as an illustration in the book. > > Over a period of six months, two trenches are dug into the tell and artifacts are found, each of which has an illustration and they go back further and further in time until the bedrock of the tell is reached. The last object is a flint-bladed sickle at the dawn of agriculture. > > Then starting with that sickle each chapter covers the found object covering what was going on at the time and in a few cases, how it came to be there. In each chapter is a vignette in the present day where the three talk about their faith or lack of it). Adding… the title “the source” refers to the well that is the center of all the settlements that happened in this place through the centuries. The multiple meanings of \*source \*add to the depth and significance of the stories that took place in this spot. Incredibly moving book… ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/13 "2020-05-10T16:03:17Z")
I’ve read ‘Hawaii’ and gone back to it now and then, very interesting! (yes, it does start with the cooling of the earth and the emergence of the Hawaiian Islands, lol.). Hollywood got a lot of mileage out of ‘Hawaii’ in one form or another. The movie ‘Hawaii’ with Julie Andrews only showed a sliver from the book…James Michener wrote one modern novel - The Drifters? - about druggie hippies travelling around exotic countries, I hated that one. Hoped they would all overdose and drop dead…All those books he wrote, he must have used an ocean of ink! ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/14 "2020-05-10T17:31:25Z")
Tales of the South Pacific The Fires of Spring \* Return to Paradise \* The Bridges at Toko-ri Sayonara Hawaii \* Caravans The Source \* The Drifters Centennial \* Chesapeake \* The Watermen The Covenant \* Space \* Poland Texas Legacy Alaska Caribbean Journey The Novel \* Mexico Recessional Miracle in Seville Matecumbe Looks like I’ve only read 9 of Michener’s works. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/15 "2020-05-10T17:56:18Z")
I agree with everyone about The Source. It’s been one of my favorite books since I first read it over 40 years ago. The others are hit or miss. I really like Hawaii and Journey (a shorter book following one particular historical vignette from his novel Alaska). I have started both Centennial and Chesapeake but was unable to get through either. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/16 "2020-05-10T20:46:12Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I gave up on the one set in South Africa. _The Covenant_. Speaking as a South African - it was shite, and I have not been motivated to read any other Michener because of it. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/17 "2020-05-10T20:50:33Z")
His historical excavation novels (the big fat ones) are indeed iffy. I prefer CARAVANS and THE DRIFTERS as more intimate but limited portraits. TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC collects short stories to good effect. Brief writing takes more work than formulaic humongous blockbusters. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/18 "2020-05-10T21:14:02Z")
I read _Centennial_ when I lived in Colorado, and _Chesapeake_ when I moved to Washington DC. I found them interesting in giving me a sense of the layers of history in each area. I found them less so when Michener brought the stories into the present day. I might eventually read some of his other books on regions in which I’ve visited or worked, like _Caribbean_, _Hawaii_, or _Tales of the South Pacific._ ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/19 "2020-05-10T21:33:39Z")
My mum was a huge fan, and as a result there were a bunch of Michener books in our house when I was a kid. I read a half-dozen or so when I was in my late teens, and remember enjoying them. I know I read _Chesapeake_, _Centennial_, _Hawaii_, _Space_, _Texas_, and _Alaska_, and I think I liked \*Chesapeake \*best. That was all well before I went to grad school and then started teaching college history, and it’s too long ago for me to remember whether or not the historical narrative was any good. > [@MrDibble](#): > > _The Covenant_. > > Speaking as a South African - it was shite, and I have not been motivated to read any other Michener because of it. Just out of interest, do you have an opinion about Wilbur Smith’s South Africa books, like _When the Lion Feeds_ and its sequels? I used to love them as a teenager, but I suspect that they have their critics. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530/20 "2020-05-10T21:38:36Z")
I absolutely love them. Poland was probably my favorite, used that for a book report in high school while the other students picked 200 page ghost written athletic biographies. Michener and Clancy used to be my long flight entertainment in the days prior to seat back entertainment. Amazon has them on Kindle specials fairly often. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-micheners-novels/853530.md?page=2)