Northwest Terrorstories

Stan Chung teaches English at the College of New Caledonia in Prince
George, B.C.

This competently written novel based on the author’s original
screenplay incorporates a strong setting and story premise. The story
takes place in a gold-mining boot camp on Baffin Island in 1999. Now an
internationally recognized country, the Independent Aboriginal Republic
earns income by accommodating an assortment of Canadian criminals. What
is the last thing expected at the mine? Rehabilitation ... and gold.

The plot revolves around the conflict between the superintendent of the
prison, a dastardly Inuit shaman, and a half-Inuit lawyer trained in the
art of negotiation. With a plot like this, a book’s chapters need to
read quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, some elements arrive too
late; our hero arrives on page 93, and the nemesis turns into a wolf, a
skill that needs to be introduced earlier on to be credible.

But, to be fair, the novel’s worst problem surrounds its profoundly
inept title and poorly designed cover; Liam Kiernan deserves better.
Despite these weak points, the novel warrants keen reading.