Review written for ClubReading.com by Barbara
While fishing, Span Barrman is intimidated by a motorcyle gang and escapes into a cave. Returning to explore it, he ends up trapped. Within this cave he discovers a strange and beautiful world of caverns and waterfalls and a river flowing into a sea. He also finds the help he needs from a wondrous strange creature who ultimately also helps illuminate Span’s life.
EXCERPT FROM The Skook:
Skook," he said, his voice a shaky whisper, “I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’m scared. I’m finally down to that. I’m plain scared. I’m going to die, and I don’t want to. I don’t know how to. What does one do? Just sit here and wait? I mean, I’m weak, I’m starved, I’m sick, I’m scalded and smelly and scabby and skinned and bruised and scared, and I’m pretty damned close to just collapsing and ceasing to exist. How can I accept that? I’m only forty-eight. I’m young. I want to get another look at green grass. Another look? A look. I never really looked at green grass. I never really noticed it unless it had just been mowed and I smelled it. And now I’m going to die down here in this God-damned blackness without ever having seen green grass. I can promise you now that if I ever get topside again I’m going to look at it closely. Under a microscope! I’m going to roll in it. I’m going to eat it. I’m going to-” A sob escaped him. “I’m going to die down here. I’m done.”
he Skook hung in black space in front of him, his face as full of unspoken thoughts as the Mona Lisa’s. This infuriated Span.