The Last Canyon

A novel both gritty and sublime" (Seattle Times), The Last Canyon tells the story of John Wesley Powell's 1869 voyage of exploration through the Grand Canyon, the last great expedition of discovery in United States history. In Vernon's hands, there are two stories: that of Powell and his crew, and that of a band of Paiute Indians, known as the Shivwits, who lived on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Told in alternating chapters, the novel moves inexorably toward a violent encounter between the two groups. "What Vernon has written is a novel that borrows the exactitude of history, that lets us trust in the country in which he sets us down, seeing as if with Paiute eyes or mapping, like Powell, with sextant in hand" (New York Times Book Review). This is compelling, richly detailed historical fiction, "a rousing story of adventure and exploration" (Book Page).