From the Publisher
"Gripping. . .This story withstands comparison to Kidnapped, Treasure Island, and Robinson Crusoe." —Starred, Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Deep in the rain forests of Borneo lives Bayang, son of the headman of a tribe of Iban. The Iban, writes Bosse ( Captives of Time ; The 79 Squares ), ``often found the meaning of their lives in the world of dreams,'' and so Bayang receives the blessing of his elders when a powerful dream prompts him to set off through the dangerous jungle, accompanied only by the lame girl Tambong. Their path crosses that of 15-year-old Harry Windsor, an English boy orphaned by WW I and now in the care of his uncle, a senior officer for the Sarawak Protectorate. The three learn to help and trust one another in their desperate trek, eluding native war parties and foreign river-pirates. Bosse expertly weaves together his narrative from the points of view of each of the protagonists, showing as much perception in imagining the Iban mind as in that of a young English colonial. His gripping adventure story withstands comparison to Kidnapped , Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe , and is far subtler than each of them. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-Bosse has constructed a complex adventure that has discovery as its major theme. Harry Winston, an English boy of 15 who was orphaned during the First World War, visits his uncle, a state officer of the British government in Borneo. At first conditioned to think of the native people as simple little children, Harry learns the depth of their characters and customs after he is kidnapped by a young warrior and a woman of the Iban tribe. They are on a quest to find the ``Big Fish'' that has appeared to the young man in a prophetic dream, and Harry is forced to accompany them on their trek through the dense and often dangerous rain forest. Attacks by other native war parties, as well as by river pirates, help the three to trust and respect one another. One of the book's strengths is its insight into the way of life of English colonials and of the Iban. This is a multilayered story that has many rewards for patient readers who enjoy learning about the natural history of a very different country and the people who inhabit it.-Ellen Fader, Oregon State Library, Salem
