The Black Ship

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

The Black Ship is a well-crafted science-fiction novel written by First
Nations writer Gerry Williams. The narrative moves quickly, with the
pace of commercial science fiction, while exploring the theme of
cultural dislocation. While the book is certainly competently written,
the future created could use more original touches. The story captures
the reader’s interest, but the reader’s passion for the main
character, Enid Blue Starbreaks, who returns to her original home and is
forced to adapt to an alien culture, never gets a chance to truly
develop. The story depends very much on Enid’s internal thoughts, and
thus a more sophisticated unveiling of her inner life might have
improved this strong first effort.