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Book Review: Absalom’s Wake, Part Six: The Eye of Tangarora by Nancy A. Collins

Absalom’s Wake, Part Six: The Eye Of Tangaroa by Nancy A. Collins

Biting Dog Publications, 2014

ASIN:  B00I3L72UE

Available:  eBook(Kindle, Nook, Smashwords)

 

Absalom’s Wake, Part Six: The Eye of Tangaroa completes the tale of Jonah Padgett, and the ship known as Absalom.  The story picks up with Koro escaping into the sea, leaving his friend, Jonah, facing the angry looks of his shipmates.  “The man’s a wizard!” declares the crew, preparing to throw Jonah to the sharks.  Jonah is saved by the mercy of Captain Godward, who puts him into the small dinghy normally used to taxi about when in harbor,  now towed behind the Absalom.  Rations are thin, to say the least.  The crew sets about the business of hunting King Jim’s harem.  Jonah can only watch as the first kills are brought in.  King Jim’s response is fast and deadly.  The Absalom and all hands, save one, Jonah, go to Davy Jones‘ locker.  King Jim, better known as Tangaroa, Lord of the Ocean, has avenged his brides.  Jonah is all alone on the open sea.  His supplies dwindling, he must struggle to survive.  All is lost, except for one hint of hope; Koro!

Part six is a fine ending to the series and I enjoyed reading all of it.  The tone continued in this part and flowed well.  The multiple plot lines came together efficiently and with good result to make for a great ending.  The characters voices continued to keep me engaged.  The tension built as each conflict point emerged and was resolved.  The ending itself was really good.  My only criticism is the large number of typographical errors in this part: these really disrupted the story.  I found multiple cases of either repeated words or tenses and just outright missing words that made me guess what the author was trying to say.  I cannot overlook errors of this sort, and it is an unfortunate flaw in the conclusion of what is otherwise a great story. While The Eye of Tangarora is not up to the standards of the previous parts of the story, the series overall I would give a “Recommended” Rating.  Previous works by this author I have read are: Absalom’s Wake, Part One: Gone A’ Whaling; Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Blood on the Beach; Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider; Absalom’s Wake, Part Four: Terror Comes Aboard; Absalom’s Wake, Part Five: Ocean Born. 

 

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher

Note: Absalom’s Wake is a six-part ebook serial. Check out these reviews of earlier parts of the story!

Absalom’s Wake, Part One: A Serial Adventure of Terror on the High Seas

Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Terror on the Beach

Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider

Absalom’s Wake, Part Four: Terror Comes Aboard

Absalom’s Wake, Part Five: Ocean Born

Posted on March 7, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Absalom’s Wake, Part Five: Ocean Born by Nancy A. Collins

Absalom’s Wake Part Five: Ocean Born by Nancy A. Collins

Biting Dog Publications, 2013

ASIN:  B00G4LMYGW

Available: eBook(Smashwords, Kindle)

 

Absalom’s Wake Part Five: Ocean Born picks up where part four left off.  The crew is recovering from the fight with the savage shark-men of the Mano Kanaka tribe.  Ten crew members lie dead, including Captain Solomon.  The only surviving officer is Mr. Godward, and he assumes command as captain.  Captain Godward decides they are too close to catching King Jim’s harem to stop the hunt and look for new crew members.  The hunt continues!

That evening Koro reveals to Jonah that he is descended from one of the Ocean Born, the gods of his people: Ikatere, the Dolphin God. After they fall asleep, Jonah dreams of swimming under the sea with Koro.  He is told that it is taboo to hunt King Jim’s harem in these waters.  The Absalom is doomed!

The next morning dawns blood red, and the Absalom is in the midst of the harem.  Koro refuses to break his taboo and hunt the whales.  Captain Godward orders the crew to clap Koro in irons.  Eager hands hold Koro until his secret is revealed.  Koro is a merman!  The shocked crew cries, “Monster!” as Koro dives into the sea, narrowly escaping torture.

This part is as splendid a read as the others in this six part series.  The descriptions are just enough to keep it interesting without bogging down the action.  The characters each have distinctive voices and have developed to show more depth in each part.  The tone has maintained throughout the series very well.  The multi-layered plot line is a lot of fun.  The mystery and tension keep building as one question leads to another.  This is what keeps me hooked!  Previous works by this author I have read are: Absalom’s Wake, Part One: Gone A’ Whaling; Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Blood on the Beach; Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider; Absalom’s Wake, Part Four:Terror Comes Aboard.  Recommended for adult readers.

 

Contains:  Racist Language, Swearing

 

Note: Absalom’s Wake is a six-part ebook serial. Check out these reviews of earlier parts of the story!

Absalom’s Wake, Part One: A Serial Adventure of Terror on the High Seas

Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Terror on the Beach

Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider

Absalom’s Wake, Part Four: Terror Comes Aboard

Posted on March 6, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Wyatt in Wichita: A Historical Novel by John Shirley

Wyatt in Wichita: A Historical Novel by John Shirley

Skyhorse Publishing, 2014

ISBN-13: 978-1629143132

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook download

 

Wyatt in Wichita is a novel I have been reading about for a long time. John Shirley, while known as both a horror and science fiction author, transcends genre in almost everything he writes, and I was intrigued to learn that he had been working on a historical novel set in the Wild West.

Shirley’s fascination with the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp was the seed for this novel, which is based in solid historical research. Focused on a lesser known aspect of Earp’s life, this novel is a fictionalized account of his search for the murderer of a girl from Wichita. Shirley uses the plot as a tool to explore Earp’s character. While legend sometimes paints a black-and-white picture of Earp as a hero, or villain, Shirley uses shades of grey. While the novel has plenty of action, it is, above all, a character study.

While a historical novel is a departure for the writer whose stories were once called “Lollipops of Pain”, Shirley delivers, with his intense view of the world expressed through this new setting and genre. His use of tiny details sets the tone effectively. While description can overwhelm a story and slow the pacing, Shirley’s writing remains fluid. All the elements of a successful Western are here: period accurate action, engulfing natural landscapes that jumped off the page, and characters that made me a little uncomfortable.

Authors writing outside of their traditional genres often have trouble getting their readers to follow them. Wyatt in Wichita is an excellent choice to get readers to step outside their genre and try something a little different. This should be in any library with a serious eye to western and historical fiction.

Reviewed by David Agranoff

 

 

 

Posted on February 22, 2015 by , Reply
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