Two hundred years ago, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark launched their wooden boats up the Missouri River in search of the illusory Northwest Passage, a journey that would capture the American imagination and help forge a young nation's identity. Now, in a riveting debut novel, Allan Wolf tells the story of this extraordinary voyage through the eyes of not only the famed pair but also several members of their self-named Corps of Discovery.

Here, in powerful, lyrical language, is a medley of voices from a surprisingly diverse crew — from the one-eyed French Indian fiddler who pilots the boats to Clark's African American slave; from the young Shoshone woman who has a baby en route to Lewis's Newfoundland dog, a "seer" whose narrative resonates long after the book is closed.

This amazing work presents the exciting adventure of the Lewis and Clark expedition through the eyes of its participants. Using poetic form, Wolf tells the story in alternating narratives by a dozen of the human participants and Seaman, the Newfoundland dog belonging to Meriwether Lewis. The dog, called Oolum here, supposedly his private name, serves as the omniscient narrator. His prose entries provide a running description of and commentary on the events. Factual details abound, reflecting the intense research on which the book is based.

But Wolf has managed to give intriguing, well-developed personalities to the Corps of Discovery members who tell this tale. The disparate group included educated men, adventurers, traders, a captured teenage Shoshone girl, and a slave belonging to William Clark. Talk of freedom from different points of view is enlightening as is Clark's rationalization for slavery. The dramatic effects of the expedition on the participants come to life as they share their experiences and thoughts with readers.

The mind-boggling reality of what these people went through to explore and expand this nation instills appreciation for their sacrifices and accomplishments. In notes following the novel, Wolf describes the limited literary liberties he took with some of the details. For example, Thomas Jefferson's closing narrative includes reminiscences of a fictitious boyhood relationship with Lewis.