+ Critic. 48: 96. Ja. ’06. 110w. + Reader. 7: 228. Ja. ’06. 200w.
Cheney, Warren. Challenge. †$1.50. Bobbs.
The dramatic incidents of Mr. Cheney’s tale serve to show in turn stout-hearted, superstitious and treacherous phases of character as exhibited among a group of Russians in the Alaskan bay of Ltua. The rebellious gurgling of the “draw”—a dangerous whirlpool at a certain turn of the tide—gets into the very action of the story, and as it sinks every mortal caught in its swirl except the brave-hearted Ivan and his Mortyra, typifies the evil of the tale. There is also a case of mental assassination worked out which introduces a metaphysical problem.
“There are some very strong situations and finely-drawn scenes in the work, which on the whole is far above the ordinary present-day story of this character.”
+ Arena. 36: 572. N. ’06. 220w. + Critic. 48: 572. Je. ’06. 50w.
“It is a novel with a new idea, if there is such a thing in the world, and a new field, which is worth while in itself.”
+ N. Y. Times. 11: 274. Ap. 28, ’06. 410w.
“Warren Cheney ... knows his Alaska and the Russians there thoroughly. There is in this story a restrained dramatic intensity very grateful to the artistic sense.”
+ Outlook. 82: 762. Mr. 31, ’06. 110w.