Michener update

I am really enjoying "Alaska". The Russian names are a challenge: Petropavlovsk, Kuchovskaya, Praskovia Kostilevskaya...the native American tribal names aren't much easier. Cidaq, Alaxsxaq and Tlingit to name a few. The story is, of course, classic Michener: a blend of history and fiction. Alexandr Baranov was a real person (for whom the Alexander Archipelago and Baranof Island are named). There really was a Battle of Sitka in 1804, and the island's name really was changed from Sitka to New Archangel and then back to Sitka. However, the sad island of Lapak is fictional (thank God!). The Tlingit leader Kot-le-an is real, but Raven-heart is fictional. Father Vasili Voronov is fictional, but some of the pivotal events in his life echo that of a Russian missionary priest who later became the supreme leader of the Orthodox church in St. Petersburg. So, I'm enjoying a great story and getting a history lesson to boot.