Forty-Ninth
| Author | Boris Pronsky and Craig Britton |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | |
| Cover artist | Yasen Denev (illustrated edition only) |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Pages | 192 pp (first edition, paperback) |
| ISBN | 9798201386238 Search this book on  . |
| Preceded by | N/A |
Forty-Ninth is a historical novel about one of the biggest land deals in history, the Alaska purchase written by Boris Pronsky and Craig Britton. It examines the supposed mystery surrounding the disappearing payment to the Russian Empire, and the international loans given by a powerful banking family.
Novel's structure
Forty-Ninth consists of three separate acts that happen simultaneously. Act I focuses on the territory of Alaska and the impact of the Russians and the Americans on the Native Alaskans and their culture. Act II focuses on the corruption surrounding the Alaska deal during a time of deep polarization in a still divided post-Civil War America. Act III tracks the route of the money to its presumed final destination, St. Petersburg.
Character's background
Sakari is a young Native Alaskan and daughter of a Tlingit clan leader, facing the tough realities of a rapidly changing world around her. On top of that, she has to overcome a series of personal tragedies and challenges.
Mrs Davis came to Alaska as the wife of the new governor, but her secret mission is to create chaos and disturb the Alaska deal. She works as an unofficial representative of the President of the United States and coordinates some of his business affairs.
Dionisiy is a Russian priest strongly committed to Orthodox Christianity, working on converting the local tribes and establishing religious missions across Russian Alaska. He finds himself in a very awkward situation when he is dragged into a major political plot orchestrated by Mrs Davis.
Goodwin is assigned to secure Congressional approval for finalizing the Alaska deal by any means necessary, and he believes this is the chance of his life for a big opportunity. Unfortunately, he finds himself in the middle of a war between two profoundly serious opposing factions.
President Johnson progresses Goodwin’s application to become a Freemason, grooming him to become a devoted apprentice for some of his business opportunities. Johnson is under constant political attack from the major political parties, and he needs to balance his position by keeping Seward, his Secretary of State, on his side.
Seward is a very skilled politician and diplomat who needs the Alaska deal to happen at all costs, seeing it as a necessary step for the successful accomplishment of Manifest destiny. He secretly approaches Johnson’s apprentice, Goodwin, to gain access to some of the key political allies of the President.
Grand Duke Konstantin is the brains behind the liberal reforms of his brother, Russian Emperor Alexander II. Over the last decade, Konstantin packed the Imperial council with his people, and Alaska is not a part of Russia in the future he envisions.
Imperial Foreign Minister Alexander Gorchakov is a person of principle who strictly follows protocols and rules. He has been given the task of ensuring the Alaska payment reaches its destination in St. Petersburg.
William Thompson is a shadowy criminal figure, a resourceful and result-oriented ‘one-man show’. He is sent to London by George Riggs to prevent the Alaska payment from reaching the Russian Empire.
Historical background
After the devastation of the Crimean War, the Russian Empire had to start a series of reforms to prevent cultural and economic collapse. In 1866, an assassination attempt against Alexander II unfolds a series of events that leads to his decision to sell Alaska. In a world dominated by the colonial powers of Europe, the United States seems to be the only natural ally and the ideal buyer.
In Alaska, things looked stable for the Russian-American Company, a monopolistic government organization that controlled profitable trade routes, like beaver fur to St. Petersburg, New York and Shanghai. Kept out of the loop of the Alaska deal, the Russian General Manager starts scheming a way to personally benefit himself from the company’s liquidation.
Meanwhile, the United States President Andrew Johnson would like to make some money from an old arms deal contract with the Russians. At the same time, the Secretary of State, William Seward, is working on the Alaska deal, a deal that could prevent Johnson’s arms deal. Things get more complicated, as they need each other in a time of deep polarization in a divided post-Civil War America.
A probe into corruption surrounding the Alaska deal and President Johnson’s impeachment pushes them both to bypass their agreement. Johnson tries to handle the situation initially by sending an associate of his to Alaska to create chaos and sabotage the Alaska deal, but the attempt fails. He raises the stakes by asking Riggs for assistance, one of the most powerful international bankers in the world, who offers to distract the public’s attention from Johnson’s impeachment trial.
What Johnson doesn’t know is that Riggs was already contacted by a Russian representative requesting help to settle an Imperial payment to the Rothschild bank. He was asked to arrange part of the money from the Alaska deal to partially cover a previous debt, and the rest be sent to Russia. As the story progresses, with the help of a notorious time-bomb expert, Riggs manages to redirect part of the gold intended for St. Petersburg.
In 1868, we learn of Konstantin’s personal plans to develop the Empire and his long-term strategy to hire people close to him in key Imperial cabinet positions. Konstantin promoted progressive reforms and eagerly wanted to liquidate the Russian-American Company in Alaska.
Characters list
Many of the novel's characters are real-life historical figures.
- Marietta Davis – Wife of the new governor of Alaska, she is responsible for scheming a conflict between Native Alaskan warriors and United States soldiers.
- William Seward – A strong believer of Manifest destiny, Seward has ambitious plans for the development of America which should start with the Alaska purchase.
- Grand Duke Konstantin – The Emperor’s brother, Konstantin has a liberal vision for the future of the Empire and works constantly to pack the Imperial council with his protégés.
- Andrew Johnson – United States President Johnson is trying to cement his power while being attacked by an impeachment procedure.
- Sakari – The daughter of a Tlingit clan leader, Sakari must overcome a personal tragedy and struggle with her family over the religion she adopted from the Russian colonists.
- Dmitry Maksutov – General Manager of the Russian-American Company and Governor of Alaska, Maksutov essentially yields unlimited power in the territory before the land is sold to the United States.
- William Thompson – One of the most colorful characters, Thompson is a time-bomb expert with a criminal career that involves conducting scams and insurance fraud.
- Priest Dionisiy – A strong believer, Dionisiy wants to spread the word of God across the lands of the Native Alaskans.
- Emperor Alexander II of Russia – Pressured by the domestic and foreign challenges of the Russian Empire, Alexander is compelled by the circumstances to consider selling his possessions in America.
- Edward de Stoeckl – Russian ambassador to the United States, Stoeckl is the point of contact for many shady agreements between the Russian Empire and its counterparts.
- Benjamin Goodwin – Used by both Seward and Johnson to serve their own plans, the young and ambitious lobbyist sees the Alaska deal as a once in a lifetime opportunity.
- George Riggs – High profile banker and owner of Riggs National bank, who manages to successfully divert a significant amount of money from the Alaska deal.
References
This article "Forty-Ninth" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Forty-Ninth. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ Noble, Barnes &. "Forty-Ninth|NOOK Book". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- ↑ "Boris Pronsky". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- ↑ Pronsky, Boris; Britton, Craig. Forty-Ninth. Search this book on
- ↑ "Forty-Ninth ebook by Boris Pronsky". Rakuten Kobo. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
