From Max Brand’s westerns and pulp fiction to Frank Herbert’s Dune to Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, serialized stories have long shaped readers’ understanding of California and the West. Alta Serials reinvigorates the form with five-part tales distinguished by heart-thumping action, genuine emotion, and shrewd writing.
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Current Serial
Finding Francis, Part One
After returning from service in World War I, John Francis Daly disappeared. His great nephew, historian William Francis Deverell, decided to find him.
Finding Francis, Part Two
Tracing Francis’s time at Fort Dix and in the trenches of World War I.
Finding Francis, Part Three
Late in life, Deverell’s father asks him to find Francis.
Finding Francis, Part Four
Tracking down Harry Wheeler, the man once known as John Francis Daly.
Finding Francis, Part Five
His search completed, Deverell discovers more than he expected.
Recent Serial
Properties of Thirst, Part One
With the publication of this excerpt from Properties of Thirst, Alta Journal is pleased to begin a five-part serialization of the opening section of the new novel by National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist Marianne Wiggins.
Properties of Thirst, Part Two
Properties of Thirst, Part Three
Properties of Thirst, Part Four
Properties of Thirst, Part Five
Coming Soon
Surviving the Sierra
by Robert Roper
Follow along as author and Alta contributor Robert Roper retraces Joseph R. Walker’s 1833 crossing of the frozen Sierra Nevada with 60 starving fur trappers and 200 shivering horses.
Coming in fall 2022.