Movies •Books •Music •Food •Tv Shows •Technology •Politics •Video Games •Parenting •Fashion •Green Living •more >

Lunch » Tags » Books » Reviews » Stone Totem

Stone Totem

1 rating: 2.0

A book by W. F. Carli

STONE TOTEM /adventure fiction The last of the virgin,old-growth forest of North America is about to be logged and all that is stopping this destruction is a small group of First Nation Native People. Led by their dying chief, whose only son disappeared … see full wiki

Tags: Books

Author: W. F. Carli

Publisher: Shooting Star Publishing

1 review about Stone Totem

Showing 1-1 of 1

Sort by:

Fun adventure with ecological and historical twists

Jul 20, 2010

by SheilaDeeth
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

Bill Carli knows his boats. I know this because I met him on San Juan Island and went whale-watching in his boat. It's a fine small boat, and the little girl sailing with us was very keen to see what rooms might be hidden inside. It was a very fine whale-watching expedition too, and the mammals put on a remarkable display. Afterwards, Mr. Carli confessed to being a writer in his "other" life, and I was delighted to get the chance to read Stone Totem, the second in his Captain Mondo adventures.

Stone Totem starts with a beautifully lyrical prologue describing the ways of the forest and the seasons of the world up to the coming of modern man and his disasters. The scene is set for a story with great depth and meaning.

Captain Mondo appears in the tale as a quiet man living on his boat, Smokin' Joe. He's waiting for friends to arrive, and there's something sad in his relationships that probably comes from the earlier book. The backstory's filled in with slightly more detail than might be ideal, but the real story soon gets going, with visits to museums, a mysterious totem pole, and a rather intriguing scientist.

I have to confess, the scientists's lecture, though curious, was oddly annoying, and I still think potatoes were introduced to Ireland in Elizabethan times. But the premise was fun, and soon Mondo finds himself setting sail to isolated parts of Canada, where dark and dangerous surprises await.

Moving from the worlds of homeless people on the streets of Vancouver, to the rich and famous in their office blocks, to the criminal fringe, to the wilds of forest and tribe, Stone Totem is a tale with fast and furious adventure and curious insight into the world's miseries. It's the sort of story that leaves you wondering at what we've done to each other and our earth, even if you don't buy its historical premise. And the premise, when its secret is revealed, is definitely fun.

I almost wished there were more sailing in this tale, but perhaps I'll have to wait for book three for that. Meanwhile, given the fun story-telling, clever fight scenes, and the lyrical language of the prologue, I'm guessing W. F. Carli might be an author to watch out for.

What did you think of this review?

Helpful

Thought-Provoking

Fun to Read

Well-Organized