Published by Yard Dog Press, $14.25 paper, $23.25 hardcover, 9781945941474. Available from www.yarddogpress.com and Amazon.com.
Val Morrow is on a bus trip to the Grand Canyon. She is trying to get over a loss and in a page taken from THE CANTERBURY TALES, Val has a story that starts in the Highlands of Scotland.
Allister Buchanan is captured after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and is taken to the Port of Liverpool where is to be sent to the New World as a slave.
When he is carried to the Reliant, he is almost dead due to his treatment by his captor. It is here he is befriended by Tariq, who is an Overseer of the slaves but has plans that include Buchanan to become free and escape slavery or die.
It is here Hopkins excels in his narrative of the adventure of their escape, His research is meticulous in that his descriptions of the weapons used during this time are drawn so well that you can picture it and almost smell the gunpowder from the flash of the firearms and see the sharp cuts of the swords as the flesh is drawn apart.
Hopkins knowledge of sailing procedures as their adventures on the stolen ship, the Serpente and battle tactics are very important in the major chase/battle scenes that cover a good portion of Val's narrative to her fellow travelers.
Brian is in his best form as he uses his words to paint a landscape that your minds-eye converts it into a technicolor movie in full 4k resolution. This is nothing new to constant readers of his work, but will only gain more readers as they discover his talent.
The book also has a touch of magic, a taste of brutality, a wisp of love, and historically correct language. This is a bit different from his normal subject matter, but it is a welcomed addition to his overall body of work.
The Buchanan name is not new in his writings and this one calls for more adventures of the Scot as he is a character that would tell you that he only wants to live his life, but would not run you through if you did.
Brian, you need to give us more!
