About “The Rifles”
The Rifles is a novel by William T. Vollmann that is the sixth in a seven-part series exploring the conflict between Native Americans and European colonizers. It combines a historical account of Sir John Franklin's failed Arctic expedition with a contemporary story about the Inuit people. The novel spans 150 years, beginning with Franklin's 19th-century journey to find the Northwest Passage and moving to the 1990s, where Inuit families face hardship after being relocated by the government. A young Inuk woman, Reepah, becomes pregnant after being seduced by a white man. Vollmann also includes his own experiences, particularly a dangerous solo trip to the North Magnetic Pole, to connect the past and present. The novel is known for its bold style and realistic portrayal of historical and modern struggles.
Praise for “The Rifles”
“The form and sweep of the novel beg comparison to Moby-Dick . . . Nothing prepares you for the visceral chill of The Rifles.”
“Striking . . . The Rifles recreates the heroic, harrowing dimensions, tragic, fatuous, and comic of the Franklin expedition. . . . It presents a vivid picture of life in the Arctic Circle today, both what seems eternal about it and what has changed.”
“An ambitious literary gambit. . . Sharp, often lyrical, and sometimes achingly beautiful.”
Book details
- First published
- 1994
- Latest edition
- 1995 · ISBN 9780140176230
- Pages
- 432
View more editions (5)
| Cover | Edition | Year | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Rifles (Seven Dreams) | 1995 | 9780140176230 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Rifles | 1995 | 9781417703371 | Buy on Amazon | |
 | The Rifles (Seven Dreams) | 1995 | 9780140176230 | Buy on Amazon |
| Rifles | 1994 | 0233988408 | Buy on Amazon | |
 | [The rifles] | 1994 | 0670848565 | Buy on Amazon |
Frequently asked questions
How many pages is The Rifles?
The Rifles by William T. Vollmann has 432 pages.
Book descriptions, author biographies, award records and review quotes on this page are courtesy of Penguin Random House.