The Failure of Herman Calaveras

This is a humorous adventure novel about an attempt by two amateur con-men to extort millions of dollars from an oil pipeline company by threatening to blow up the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The two protagonists are mentally and physically worlds apart but share the common traits of greed and boredom. Herman Calaveras is an obese taxi driver, and the Eskimo, Adak, is a giant-sized native intellectual. The story begins with how they meet in Reno, Nevada, and ends months later with their clever and hasty retreat from Alaska. In between is the story of their hilariously complicated larceny and their encounters with a Fairbanks hoodlum who stumbles onto their scheme. A mad army colonel and a student missionary also complicate the situation. You wonat know until the final pages whether their extortion plan is successful or nota].