LAURIE WOOD - BLACK ICE REVIEWS

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	Reading and writing have been a passion for Laurie Wood since winning city-wide writing contests in Grade Five and Eight. Her favourite genres are romantic suspense, mysteries, and a good spine-tingling thriller. She loves to judge contests as well as enter them, and is active in several RWA Chapters. Although published in non-fiction articles, she's yet to grab the golden ring of being published in novel-length fiction. Until then, she writes at home and takes care of her two special needs children, an alpha male husband who inspires her heroes, and a golden retriever who thinks she's just a kid in fur.

THE COLLECTIVE
Kerry Downing
Quiet Storm Publishing, 2003, $30.95, 235 pgs.
ISBN 0-9744084-0-9

Sam Masters is a middle-aged computer programmer who's been in love with space and studied the stars since boyhood. His love of space and the possibility of life on other planets, as well as his lovely wife Tara are the only things he has going for him.

The Collective, an alien race who control earth's weather, reach into this ordinary man's life and decide to contact him to be their ambassador to Earth to explain both their existence, and the fact that Earth's weather has been manipulated by them for centuries. Even though Sam Masters has immersed himself in the belief that aliens exist since boyhood, the fact that a voice speaks to him from a radio Sam's father had built for him is scary but not fantastic. He's shaken up, but it's not long before he's hooked on the voice and its evangelical message that Sam and Sam alone must bring The Collective's knowledge of weather to the world.

The Collective nightly brings Sam 100% accurate weather reports and Sam becomes a worldwide celebrity in no time. But human nature is hard to break. People want weather reports for their own uses, but when Sam tells them he's getting them from an alien race people quickly turn on him and he's labeled a quack, tar-brushed, and he and Tara are afraid to leave their house. I won't spoil a sweet ending to this book, because author Kerry Downing brings a nice twist to what could be an otherwise pedantic ending to his tale.

Although the book is slow in some parts, Downing's knowledge of his subject is solid and should appeal to all readers who've looked at Mars and the galaxy through telescopes, and wondered, "What If?" It's a morality tale on the collective greed of human nature and our inability to believe in anything beyond ourselves. Downing has managed to spin a tale of both man against man, and man against nature - which is no mean feat.

Downing has a solid book under his belt with this debut novel. With some extra action and sub-plots for his second novel, he'll be well on his way to a career in the science fiction field. We can all look forward to that - in the meantime, pick up THE COLLECTIVE at www.quietstormpublishing.com.

Laurie Wood
Black Ice Reviews

THE FISHERMAN'S SON
Marilyn Peake
1stBooks Library, 2003, $12.50, 169 pp
ISBN: 1-4033-9714-7 (e-book)
ISBN: 1-4033-9715-5 (paperback)

THE FISHERMAN'S SON is a transitional children's book which uses fairy tale archetypes to lead young readers into higher concepts of adult literature. It is the story of twelve-year old Wiley who is caught up in a world of poverty on an island far up north around the beginning of the nineteenth century. The author, Marilyn Peake, has used careful research to give a real sense of the history of that time, for example, the wake and funeral of Wiley's mother who dies of an unnamed illness.

The archetypes mentioned before include a bear in the woods, which tests Wiley's bravery as he begins his quest for a better future. There is a beautiful woman who resembles a fairy but turns out to be one of the underwater people he later meets, and a magical golden cup which holds the key to beginning his underwater adventures with Elden, his dolphin friend.

Here, Marilyn Peake has tapped into every child's dream. Who wouldn't want to cavort with dolphins and speak their secret language? Wiley and Elden become fast friends and Elden reveals to Wiley the secrets of a fallen world, and they begin a rescue mission that will test all of Wiley's strengths and abilities.

With simple yet stimulating language, Ms. Peake brings forth the ideas that every child can be brave, one must never leave a friend in need of help, and one must see a course of action through to the end. Her fantasy story complete with beasts, danger, treasure maps, and visions of days gone by is sure to be enjoyed by both boys and girls. Ms. Peake has left her ending open for a sequel, one that will be looked forward to by her fans.

Laurie Wood
Black Ice Reviews

JAY WALKER 4TH GRADE NOIR:
The Case of the Missing Action Figure
Grant P. Phillips
Quiet Storm Publishing, $10.95
ISBN #0974960845

JAY WALKER 4th Grade Noir: The Case of the Missing Action Figure, is a series that has all the makings of being this generations answer to the Hardy Boys. Author Grant R. Phillips uses the tone of the old adult "noir" pulp novel to bring an almost lyrical quality to his prose that makes for easy, rhythmical reading.

Jay Walker is a nine-year-old detective who must find an action figure doll between Wednesday and Friday, or his friend Benny will be "outed" as playing with a "girl" action figure – not a nice problem to have when you’re in the fourth grade! Walker uses logical deduction, advice from his policeman father, and writing down all his clues to solve the problem.

The subject matter is pertinent to Middle Graders and the time span of the story is short which helps to keep their attention. I tested it out on my own two children and they enjoyed the fast plot, and references to the Daisy Flyer Action Figure from a major movie, and the trading cards of a magic game.

The descriptions of Jay playing with his father the policeman, and his mother sometimes joining them made a nice change from some of the "politically" correct books often showing children from fragmented families. Jay’s dad is a solid role model for a young boy. Also refreshing was Jay going after school to do homework with the girl living next door, and her mother serving them homemade cookies and milk. Sound nostalgic? Grant R. Phillips does an even-handed job of meshing today’s environment with the solid values of our own generation.

Altogether, THE CASE OF THE MISSING ACTION FIGURE is a Middle Grade book that young readers will find challenging without being too difficult, fun to read, and will leave them wanting more. Jay Walker has a great career ahead of him! Let’s hope Mr. Phillips has another Walker book in the offing sometime soon.

Laurie Wood
Black Ice Reviews

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