Product Description

Every Alaskan king crab season, brothers Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand risk their lives and seek their fortunes upon the treacherous waters of the Bering Sea. Sons of a hard-bitten, highly successful fisherman, and born with brine in their blood, the Hillstrand boys couldn’t imagine a life without a swaying deck underfoot and a harvest of mighty king crabs waiting to be pulled from the ocean floor. In pursuit of their daily catch, the brothers brave ice floes and heaving waves sixty feet high, the perils of thousand-pound steel traps thrown about by the punishing wind, and the constant menace of the open, hungry water—epitomized in the chorus of a haunting sailors’ sing-along: “Many brave hearts are asleep in the deep, so beware, beware.”

By turns raucous and reflective, exhilarating and anguished, enthralling, suspenseful, and wise, Time Bandit chronicles a larger-than-life love affair as old as civilization itself—a love affair between striving, willful man and inscrutable, enduring nature.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48679 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-31
• Released on: 2009-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780345504128
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
“Gripping . . . enjoyable reading.”—Roanoke Times

“You know that cool reality-TV show Deadliest Catch? . . . The boat captains featured on the series . . . continue to scare us in this behind-the-scenes book.”—Sacramento Bee

“This boys’ own adventure is delivered with the irresistible bluster of a fisherman raving to a rescuer about how he has just cheated death . . . again!”—Sydney Morning Herald

“Their first-person accounts matter-of-factly explain what it’s like to constantly face death on the Bering Sea and what it does to your life back on land.”—Rochester Democrat and Chronicle


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Review
“Gripping . . . enjoyable reading.”—Roanoke Times

“You know that cool reality-TV show Deadliest Catch? . . . The boat captains featured on the series . . . continue to scare us in this behind-the-scenes book.”—Sacramento Bee

“This boys’ own adventure is delivered with the irresistible bluster of a fisherman raving to a rescuer about how he has just cheated death . . . again!”—Sydney Morning Herald

“Their first-person accounts matter-of-factly explain what it’s like to constantly face death on the Bering Sea and what it does to your life back on land.”—Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

About the Author
On board Time Bandit, their family owned and operated vessel, brothers Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand share the skippering duties. Johnathan, a resident of Homer, Alaska, takes the helm during the king crab season. When not on deck, chances are he can be found on the back of his Harley Fat Boy. During opilio season it is Andy who sits in the wheelhouse. In the off-season, however, he can be found training horses on his ranch in Indiana.

Malcolm MacPherson is a former correspondent for Newsweek and the author of more a dozen books including most recently the satirical war novel Hocus Potus and the nonfiction account of battle in Afghanistan, Roberts Ridge. He lives near the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia with his wife and children.

Customer Reviews

Terrific - I couldn't put it down!
I got this book and finished it in less than 2 days. This is the story about the Hillstrand brothers, their childhoods, and their occupations as captains of the Time Bandit Alaska crab fishing boat. I laughed, I cried, and was also on the edge of my seat as I read it. I also felt as though they were sitting right with me and they were telling me their incredible story as I read it. I highly recommend this book for those who are fans of the show Deadliest Catch or for those who are looking for a good book to read.

RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS:"DO YOU STOP WHAT YOU LOVE TO STAY ALIVE? OR DO YOU CONTINUE TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE EVEN IF IT KILLS YOU?
This is a true "HARROWING" spine-tingling story about Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand, two brothers who make their living as Alaskan Bering Sea crab fisherman. This captivating book is not only a scintillating biography but also an absolutely hypnotic first hand education into the entire Alaskan crabbing industry. "TIME BANDIT" is the name of their 298-ton, 113-foot boat that has a "hold" capacity of 120,000 pounds for king crab and 175,000 pounds for opilio. By the time a potential reader finishes this book I predict you will have come to the same conclusion I have: that life on the deck of a Bering Sea crabbing boat being bounced around like a ping pong ball in a wind tunnel, with "Williwaw-Winds" that can reach 130 mph at their peak, with waves over 40 feet high, with temperatures in Alaska hitting as low as 80 below zero, is truly the "last-frontier" as far as employment! And due to the aforementioned work environment, potential employees are not exactly Ivy League button-down types. Johnathan says: "The crews who work best on deck are animals who should be dropped off at the sea buoys on the way to port; we could pick them up on the way out. They are only trouble on land and end up in fights and in jail. I want the animals. But I do not want to take care of them."

The fear of death in this industry isn't really a fear, but an assumed statistic that has to be thought of as always happening to someone else. Because of this visceral "grim-reaper" of the sea that is always implicit but never acknowledged, there is an unwritten code between fishermen to respond even if not asked when a life or boat is in peril. "The killer is the sea." When the water temperature is around 36 degrees Fahrenheit Alaska Fish & Game issues a warning about Alaskan waters, describing what happens to a man who falls overboard:

"The initial cold shock from falling into cold water provokes an immediate gasp reflex, up to 2-3 quarts of air-or water, if your head is submerged. If you inhale water, it is highly unlikely you will come to the surface unless you are wearing a lifejacket. This means you have to have your lifejacket on when you enter the water! The cold shock stage is characterized by hyperventilation and rapid heart rate, which often produce a panic feeling. This stage lasts 3-5 minutes. The initial shock can also provoke a heart attack, which will make self-rescue extremely difficult."

"In the Bering Sea, you have to want to live more than the sea wants you to die, and strange as it seems NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO LIVE WITH THE SAME INTENSITY!" "In 2006 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked commercial fishing in general as the work with the highest fatality rate in America with 141.7 fatalities per 100,000, almost thirty times that of an average industrial worker. And the Bureau lists Alaskan waters and in particular the Bering Sea, which has claimed 2,066 lives since records were first kept, as far more dangerous still."

As the reader gets deeper into the story with Johnathan and Andy narrating, you can almost feel the cold mist on your face and you start saying these guys have to be crazy to do this for a living. Well, they are a "lot-crazy", but fishing is not only in their heart, but it is their entire salt-water soul. In addition to the non-stop action and the "READERS" non-stop fear of death for the real-life characters in this book, you will also receive an intricate non-stop education of this totally unique industry. Even in the midst of all this chaos, the writing style is absolutely seamless! This is truly a book that you won't be able to put down until you and "the boys" finish their story!

A GREAT BOOK ABOUT GREAT GUYS
Look no further if you want to know more about what makes Bering Sea fishermen brave and dariing and even great. Andy and Johnathan had unusual, to say the least, upbringings; they have lived on the edge since they were toddlers. This is an inside view of their lives (and their families' lives) that the cable TV program, great as it is, can't show. This is a must read for fans of the show and for arm-chair adventurers everywhere.