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Here's what people are saying about Skookum, A Tale Of Bigfoot:

Autumn Williams, Oregon Bigfoot, June 2006

Author Fred Robertson did the unthinkable. He took on the monumental task of writing a fictional book that "explains" Bigfoot origins and behavior.

And he did a great job.

Occasionally, authors send me copies of their books to read - and I always enjoy reading them. But whenever I receive a fictional book that attempts to tackle an explanation of the Bigfoot phenomenon within the confines of a fictional piece, I cringe... I admit it. There's a danger inherent in writing a book like this... in attaching "theories" to the events in a book and making them reality, at least in the fictional world, the author asks the reader to suspend his or her own ideas and beliefs about what can be a very volatile subject. One false move, one over-dramatized or cheesy scene later, and you've lost the reader. "Gimme a break!" is NOT the response you want from your reading public!

With these thoughts in mind, I began to read Fred's book, Skookum: A Tale of Bigfoot - and was VERY pleasantly surprised!

With a story-telling style vaguely reminiscent of Theodora Kroeber, author of Ishi, Last of His Tribe, Fred takes us on a journey into the life of a Skookum, or Sasquatch. From the birth of a strange child in a Native American village, the author begins to weave a very believable "reality" out of popular (and some not-so-popular) theories about our large, barefoot friends.

We follow Tua as he grows, discovers his true nature and becomes what he truly is. Along the way, Robertson offers potential answers to those things we wonder about the nature of the Sasquatch: Why do Sasquatches whistle? What do loud screams reported by witnesses mean? Do these creatures speak to one another? How do they communicate? What do they eat? How do they sleep? How do they interact with one another? How do they view us? Do they really "disappear"? Why do they emit a foul odor? Where do they come from? Are they humanlike in their intelligence, or simply very clever animals?

Skookum tackles each and every one of these questions - with answers that I found to be entertaining, occasionally enlightening, and - amazingly - mostly believable. And the final kicker? Robertson addresses one of my own pet theories that I've spent 16 years mulling over... bigfoot "pow-wows". That in itself made me grin from ear-to-ear.

This book was an enjoyable read and difficult to put down. Make sure you add it to your Bigfoot library!



Chris Murphy, The Murphy File, April 2006

Fred Robertson sent me his novel Skookum: A Tale of Bigfoot, which I have just completed. While I am not into novels, Fred's approach to the subject is very unique, and this coupled with his excellent writing skills makes the book a very pleasant and informative read.

Fred has definitely done a lot of research on bigfoot and native American culture. Indeed, I had to sort of remind myself every now and then that this was a novel - I definitely got "carried away." I won't get into the theme of the work as it is really a bit of a surprise.

I will mention that the work can definitely be recommended for young people - no nightmares in this book, in fact, the complete opposite.