18 ~ Friday, April 9. 1999 — North Shore News Inside a cage of fi Terry Peters Book Reviews B The Fires by Rene Steinke, William Morrow and Company, 243 pages, $32.00. IN her debut novel, Rene Steinke draws us into a disturbing tale. At twenty-two Ella is a young woman alone. First her father dies, then her grandfather is gone and Ella finds her- self adrift in the company of women, Family seerets are repressed, the truth is rarely spoken, leaving Ella desperately secking answers to questions no one wants to hear. As her inner tension builds she discovers her only release is through fire. “What lies inside a cage of flames? The truth, the heart, but burned up before vou can see it. Only traces remain in the ashes, a pattern you guess at or invent, an intangible thing that might leave a mark, but could just as easily blow away.” Like watching the flames dance in the fire, Steinke’s writing hypnotizes the reader, blocking out distractions and drawing vou deeper into her story. Ella’s journey of self-discovery takes us down dark roads as she seeks the light that will ultimately save her or burn her compietely. B The Loop by Nicholas Evans, Delacorte Fress, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, New York, 434 pages, $36.95. Author Nicholas Evans returns te the animal world in his second novel for a catalyst to drive his story. In his first book, the huge bestseller, The Horse Whisperer, it was a damaged horse and it’s injured owner that anchored the tale. This time it is a pack of wolves that cause the spark which ignites a small Montana town to explode with passions for and against the wild animals. At the centre of the battle is Helen Ross, a wolf biologist trying to protect the endangered animals. Coming into the small ranching community that believes their cattle are under attack by the wolves, she must walk the tightrope of her own love for the animals and understanding the ingrained hatred the community has for them. A powerful locai rancher leads the charge against the walves and discovers his own son facing him across the bat- tlelines. The story works best when the wolves are at the forefront and Evans? research pro- vides interesting details on the animals, Part love story, part strug- gle tor an older way of life, and part conflict between a son and his father, The Loop enter- tains throughout. @ Tales of a War Pilot by Richard C. Kirkland, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 160 pp. “In World War IIE was a fighter pilot, flying 103 combat missions to destroy whatever came before my guns. In the Korean war I flew 69 missions in unarmed helicopters, saving lives.” And so we are introduced to Richard C. Kirkland who lived through an amazing decade of change between 1943 and 1953. His recollections of that decade are presented in a series of tales that detail his experiences and those of his fellow pilots. As a young fighter pilot in the South Pacific he fought in aerial combat against the fearless Japanese pilots in their Zeros. He crewed with some of the very best. Flying with the top ace of the war, Maj. Richard Bong, Kirkland saw both sides of a hero who was “modest and quict outside the cockpit, but in the air he was fearless, aggressive, and deadly.” When the war ended, Kirkland was one of a small num- ber of pilots who were trained to fly the new helicopters being developed. His new skills were later put to use on a secret project called Operation Greenhouse. As he shuttled scientists around the Marshall Islands in the Eniwetok atoll, he became privy co the activities sur- rounding the planned nuclear tests. Early in 1951 he saw the detonation of a nuclear device. “It was a spectacular, awesome experience, beyond anything I could have possibly imagined... It was several seconds before I realized that the world was not ending and the fire- ball was rising upward. [ stood there and watched in para- Poets read at Black Sheep TWO poeis with new books will read from their work at Black Sheep Books tonight. Shannon Stewart (The Canadian Girl, Nightwood Editions 1998) and Goh Poh Seng (The Girl From Ermita, Nightwood Editions 1998) are sched- uled to begin reading at 8 p.m. 2742, West 4th Ave., Vancouver. For more information contact Black Sheep at 732-5087, . Next week it’s Marc Creamore (Bleeker Street and Other Observations). MASTER SHOU U LIANG National coach, Canada © Wushu (Martial Art) Chair, Phys. Ed Dept. University of B.C. « Coach of Excellence, Peaooles Republic of China. Tai Chi al | LTIVATE POSITIVE ENERGY Qigong MENTAL MANAGEMENT NEW MORNING AND STRESS REDUCTION EVENING CLASSES MEDITATIVE STARTING IN MAY a HEALTH & FITNESS lyzed horror as the gigantic mushroom cloud rose into the atmosphere, seeming to engulf both earth and sky in its monstrous assent.” As a witness to history, he saw the introduction of heli- copters into the armed services and the changes it brought. Kirkland became onc of the brave pilots who faced being used for target practice by the North Koreans every time they flew a rescue mission. Their efforts saved the lives of many who likely would have died before reaching the medical aid they needed. A fascinating look at a violent, historic decade written by someone who had a unique perspective on it. Tales of a War Pilot is an insightful book that ends alt too soon. a re Dog Daycare 103 Riverside Drive ' 929-0663 Planet. 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