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jP
Rio Banditos
Diddle Fuerte Diablo !
Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4404
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Topic: Praise for "The Sand Tower"!! (Book Review) Posted: 12 Dec 2014 at 3:41pm |
"The Sand Tower" is a Sci-fi Fantasy Thriller by Phil Coleman. So why would a book review of a Sci-Fi story be posted in the whitewater forum?
The answer is simple. This story's main characters are whitewater kayakers, and throughout the narrative, plenty of the story occurs in that context. The author himself is also an avid whitewater kayaker, to say the least. It would be fair to state that Phil Coleman is actually about as Original Gansta as almost anyone you can think of in Whitewater History, whether you've heard of him or not.
Not sure how this book evaded my radar for the year or so that its been out, but I got a copy and found that I simply could not set it down. It is a real page turner, and Coleman does a really good job of pulling you along on a fast paced story full of twists and turns not unlike the whitewater we run. The writing is stripped down, lean, mean, and at times raw.
I don't want to give much away about the story, except to say that there is a Mysterious Kayak that plays a central role, and many time periods and geographic locations are interwoven into the plot. Other elements, such as a classic battle of Good vs. Evil naturally drive the story, supported by a surprising array of rich historical details.
I think it resonates w/ me because of the inevitible path we are on at this point in our human history on this wonderful planet. The effects of so called "Progress", the Evil of greed and the corruption of power... Not to mention the intimate portrayal of our sport and the lifestyles it has shaped.
Here is a link to more reviews
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/130090108X/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/181-8192795-1921958
It would make a good Christmas gift for your paddling buddy(s).
As with any Sci-Fi or Fantasy story, one has to be willing to suspend their own disbelief in order to put their own imagination into the tale. In an era where we are almost litterally "drowning" in stories and media, this novel is as unique as it is skillfully crafted.
Check it out.
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🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋
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Fun Eli
Paddler
Joined: 20 Oct 2013
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Posts: 89
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Posted: 13 Dec 2014 at 7:32pm |
On the subject of whitewater kayakers that also happen to be authors writing novels about kayaking, I must thoroughly recommend my buddy Leland's book Precipice:
http://www.amazon.com/PRECIPICE-Leland-Davis/dp/0982737939
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Slackkinhard
McNasty
Joined: 23 Sep 2014
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 268
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Posted: 13 Dec 2014 at 8:51pm |
More suggestions....I'm hurt right now.
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thad2000
Tricky Woo
Joined: 20 Jul 2011
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Posts: 225
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Posted: 14 Dec 2014 at 12:38pm |
Podcast : in between swims.. (especially the one called the great white explorer.)
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why not!
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otterend
Splat Wheeler
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
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Posts: 130
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Posted: 14 Dec 2014 at 1:13pm |
The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko (2013). Story of the Fastest Run of the Colorado River Through the Grand Canyon.
River, dams, weather, environmental policy and politics, history of running the Colorado, and some bad ass boat handling in huge water as the Glen Canyon Dam neared a catastrophic breach.
Chris
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septimus prime
Big Boofer
Joined: 02 Jun 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 502
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Posted: 14 Dec 2014 at 4:56pm |
JP,
I want to read the sci-fi story you outlined to me a couple years ago involving the drones and horse/cart powered shuttle rides in a low energy future.
Start typing like Angela Lansbury in Murder She Wrote!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_rRXazw-Pg
Edited by septimus prime - 14 Dec 2014 at 4:57pm
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Jon Shell Bee
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HINDS
Paddler
Joined: 07 Dec 2010
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 70
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Posted: 15 Dec 2014 at 8:06am |
I highly recommend Brothers on the Bashkaus , not sure I am spelling it right by Eugene Buchanan. It is a surreal but real trip down a river in Siberia following the fall of USSR when the first americans took a trip with some latvians to the gnar. Super amazing tale. And a fantastic read!
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