ODYSSEYA

A Family Of Russian Colonists Settle And Develop New Extremities Of Russia. Their Journey Spans Over Two Hundred Years And Takes Them Southward, Close To The Black Sea. Eventually They Cross The Vast Land And Resettle In The Untamed Russian Far East.Their Involvement With The Far Eastern Railroad And The Goldfields Leads Them To A New Russian City, Harbin, Along The Sungari River In The Manchurian Hills Of China.By 1920, Like Shangri-La, Harbin Provides Sanctuary For Countless Refugees Seeking Freedom From The Clutches Of The Soviet Regime Who Has Taken Over Their Homeland. Their Reprieve Isdisturbed By A New Invader From The Empire Of The Rising Sun - Japan. Just As The Aggressors Are Rebuked, The Evil Claw Again Extends From Beyond Their Homeland Wooing Them To Return.Some Of The Remaining Descendants Flee Once More, This Time Across The Ocean To Australia.They Were Men And Women With Wills Of Steel, Tempered By Their Long Journey. This Strength Helped Them To Adapt And Succeed In The Land Down Under.Alex Vassilieff Vividly Recounts The Extraordinary Journey Of His Ancestors. He Not Only Provides A Compelling Account Of Survival Against The Odds, He Also Gives A Personal Insight Into What It Is Like To Be Born A Russian, With All The Complexities That Entails.. A Fascinating And Moving Australian Immigrant Saga Set Against The Backdrop Of Ancient And Modern Russian History.-- Archbishop Hilarion, Archbishop Of Sydney, Australia And Nz Russian Orthodox Church (Canadian Born Now Metropolitan Of The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad). A Triumph Of A Novel!-- Wendy O'Hanlon, Acres Australia. From Russia To China, Around The World And Back Again - Share The Author'S Well Researchedfamily Story And How He Came To Call Australia Home.-- John Morrow'S Pick Of The Week Armidale . "This Was Truly An Odyssey Lived Through By Many But Told By Very Few, Which Makes The Book Not Only Interesting But Also Valuable As A Documentary."-- Dr Paul A Urtiew, Orur Snr Scm (Chief Sct Ret'D), San Francisco . "In This Family Memoir, Anecdotes Of Hope And Courage Enliven The Bleak Backdrop Of War And Deprivation... The Family'S Belief In One Another And Their Promising Future, Despite Volatile Political Events And The Necessity Of Starting Over--Again And Again."-- Kirkus Discoveries New York