The Sign of the Manipogo

Gemma Files is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

It takes Thiessen exactly 348 pages of turgid prose and breathlessly
wooden dialogue to describe his vision of a post-holocaust future—for
once ravaged by plague rather than nuclear warfare—in which a tiny
white fundamentalist Native mystic resistance movement fights to free
Canada from Chinese totalitarian domination (e.g., “Dave stared at her
in puzzlement. ‘Forgive me for returning with a question, but where
have you been hiding that you do not know these things?’ Linda told
him of her amnesia. ‘Ahh,’ Dave said, nodding. ‘There is much to
tell you then.’”).

And just as the back cover promises, he does indeed “[insert] solid
and thoughtful teaching about Christianity, care of the environment and
pacifism” here and there between Uzi fire, dream-sharing, and demonic
possession—right about where most people would think of putting the
exciting plot twists, realistic character development, and genuine
emotional weight.