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McAlister’s Way
McAlister's Way
By his fifteenth birthday, Danny McAlister in on the run. He has escaped from a draconian boarding school after seriously injuring the principal. His flight takes him through Northern Queensland to the New Guinea Highlands where he searches for his father, lost while fighting the Japanese on the Kokoda Track. Thrown into an unforgiving adult world he grows up fast and becomes embroiled in union wars amongst cane cutters, joins the crew of prawn trawler in the Gulf of Carpentaria, gets mixed up with smugglers and New Guinea's burgeoning aviation industry. He teams up with 'Mad' Monty, an eccentric Afro- American pilot and Angela, the stunning teenage daughter of an English missionary. They must endure a series of harrowing adventures as they journey through New Guinea's Central Highlands and the islands in the Bismarck Sea where they face their final challenge against vicious Filipino pirates and discover the final secret of Danny's missing father. '...Masterfully handled and quite eloquent ...Wonderful.' 'I liked this book....it covered issues that needed to be addressed.' 2012 Australian CYA Writing Competition Judges
332 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2012
146 people want to read
About the author
Richard Marman
46 books8 followersEx-military and airline pilot, Richard Marman is now a Sunshine Coast based illustrator and author. His work includes illustrating pamphlets, calendars and posters for the Australian Ground Safety Council promoting workplace safety at airport terminals. He has also been a regular cartoonist for several magazines.
Richard illustrated Anna Tullemans and Rhonda Dixon’s successful book on children’s behavioural difficulties, How to Stop You Words Bumping into Someone Else’s, which has been enthusiastically received by carers and educators.
His illustrated books include, A Tale of Two Turtles, A Whale’s Tale and Hannah Meets a Dragon. Richard has written and illustrated eight published novels for young adults: The Wealth, Escape from Fort McCain and six books in The McAlister Line series. Richard also illustrated The Littlest Bandit, Max Goes to the Zoo and Mountie Moose by Judith Bandidt.
Richard works with most traditional art media, photographs and digital graphics programs. His books are available in paperback and eBook from most online bookstores or via his website
Richard illustrated Anna Tullemans and Rhonda Dixon’s successful book on children’s behavioural difficulties, How to Stop You Words Bumping into Someone Else’s, which has been enthusiastically received by carers and educators.
His illustrated books include, A Tale of Two Turtles, A Whale’s Tale and Hannah Meets a Dragon. Richard has written and illustrated eight published novels for young adults: The Wealth, Escape from Fort McCain and six books in The McAlister Line series. Richard also illustrated The Littlest Bandit, Max Goes to the Zoo and Mountie Moose by Judith Bandidt.
Richard works with most traditional art media, photographs and digital graphics programs. His books are available in paperback and eBook from most online bookstores or via his website
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 21, 2018
A wonderful, wonderful adventure! McAlister's Way is an M rated tale of discovery and adventure, centred around the main character, Danny. Danny seemed to always be escaping something - priests, promiscuous nieces and over-protective uncles... sharks! There was cane-cutting and trawlers, plane crashes, New Guinea natives and pirates! It was fast paced and action packed tale with realistic and likeable characters, culminating in the rescue of a damsel (with attitude) in distress. The adventure was fantastic! You just don't get many tales like this in this day and age - perhaps that is what is wrong with the world. I also enjoyed the historic referencing of the wars, which were obviously very much a part of people's reality back then. And finally, just when I thought the adventures were linear, they all came together and were tied up nicely in a bow. A fantastic read and I am looking forward to the next installment.
June 12, 2018
Refreshing to read a story that reminds of yarns spun from storytellers when the tale was the highlight in itself. Enjoyed this read and the language used.
October 21, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Upon reading the title, I anticipated this book to be about a teenager's life, or an imaginative fictitious storytelling. While it is about a teenager's life, the experiences Danny McAlister endures are nothing short of outrageous.
The novel begins with Zach McAlister, Danny's grandson, visiting while his mother is hospitalized. While the teen isn't excited about staying with his grandfather, he manages to pass the time by learning about his grandfather's childhood, and the adventures he went on. From being sent away to a boarding school with lecherous supervisors, to becoming a cane-cutting, to being a cast away found by what could only be deemed head hunters, through experiencing a mercenary encounter to discovering his long-lost (believed to be dead) father, to an all out battle between pirates - Danny endures hardships, tests of his strength and willpower and always manages to find the ability to continue moving forward.
Through the non-stop action and the integration of history, new cultures and wars the reader is kept engaged from beginning to end on a literary roller coaster ride they won't soon forget.
Upon reading the title, I anticipated this book to be about a teenager's life, or an imaginative fictitious storytelling. While it is about a teenager's life, the experiences Danny McAlister endures are nothing short of outrageous.
The novel begins with Zach McAlister, Danny's grandson, visiting while his mother is hospitalized. While the teen isn't excited about staying with his grandfather, he manages to pass the time by learning about his grandfather's childhood, and the adventures he went on. From being sent away to a boarding school with lecherous supervisors, to becoming a cane-cutting, to being a cast away found by what could only be deemed head hunters, through experiencing a mercenary encounter to discovering his long-lost (believed to be dead) father, to an all out battle between pirates - Danny endures hardships, tests of his strength and willpower and always manages to find the ability to continue moving forward.
Through the non-stop action and the integration of history, new cultures and wars the reader is kept engaged from beginning to end on a literary roller coaster ride they won't soon forget.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2018
McAlister’s Way won me from the first chapter. The book starts in Rockhampton where Danny McAlister was born and grew up. Because Rocky is my hometown, and the main character was born at about the same time as my Dad, it caught my attention. For the first few chapters, I found myself looking for the people I knew. I recognised a few names and the author researched enough to make me believe he had lived there.
Nostalgia soon gave way to the story which maintained a steady pace as the hero fled north to Mackay, Townsville and on to Papua New Guinea.
Conflict and adventure flourishes in every page as Danny McAlister searches for his father who went MIA in WW2 on the Kokoda Trail. And the characters are colourful; each carries distinctive personalities and side stories.
In many ways, it reminded me of the adventure movies I watched as a kid. It’s great reading for all ages.
This is one of the three best Indie published books I have ever read and deserves a read. Richard Marman pulled out all stops for this cracker yarn that ends with a strong hook.
Nostalgia soon gave way to the story which maintained a steady pace as the hero fled north to Mackay, Townsville and on to Papua New Guinea.
Conflict and adventure flourishes in every page as Danny McAlister searches for his father who went MIA in WW2 on the Kokoda Trail. And the characters are colourful; each carries distinctive personalities and side stories.
In many ways, it reminded me of the adventure movies I watched as a kid. It’s great reading for all ages.
This is one of the three best Indie published books I have ever read and deserves a read. Richard Marman pulled out all stops for this cracker yarn that ends with a strong hook.
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June 21, 2018The first of the 'McAlister Line' although I wrote three prequels afterwards. But this book is the best one to get started on the adventure.
September 23, 2018
rollicking yarn, lots of action
June 26, 2018
Who likes Pirates, maidens in distress (and maybe not), mad Generals, smugglers, gun-tooting Italians and wild aeronautical acrobatics? It's all here in this great story!
Zach McAlister is on holiday with his hermit-like Grandfather and discovers some WWii trinkets in his stash, there's even a Victoria Cross medal. This package opens up Zach's Grandfather, Danny, to tell of his crazy antic's which he'd been through, pre-war years and beyond. Danny has many tall-tales to tell, but are they really 'tall-tales', or actual reality?
He tells Zach things that appear unbelievable and hard to swallow. There certainly is a fine line between Fiction and fact.
This is a fast paced, thoroughly enjoyable adventure that will take you through strange places where smugglers do their dirty deeds and pirates are not far behind. Where beautiful ladies are hungry for life and young men find adventures unlimited. There are plenty of hazards along the way to leave you wondering 'what will happen next'. The characters are lovable, humorous and there are desperado's amidst then too. I highly recommend you gt your copy ASAP. There's an added bonus too with this story... Marman is apparently an artist too and the artwork/sketches throughout that he has drawn are amazing!!
Zach McAlister is on holiday with his hermit-like Grandfather and discovers some WWii trinkets in his stash, there's even a Victoria Cross medal. This package opens up Zach's Grandfather, Danny, to tell of his crazy antic's which he'd been through, pre-war years and beyond. Danny has many tall-tales to tell, but are they really 'tall-tales', or actual reality?
He tells Zach things that appear unbelievable and hard to swallow. There certainly is a fine line between Fiction and fact.
This is a fast paced, thoroughly enjoyable adventure that will take you through strange places where smugglers do their dirty deeds and pirates are not far behind. Where beautiful ladies are hungry for life and young men find adventures unlimited. There are plenty of hazards along the way to leave you wondering 'what will happen next'. The characters are lovable, humorous and there are desperado's amidst then too. I highly recommend you gt your copy ASAP. There's an added bonus too with this story... Marman is apparently an artist too and the artwork/sketches throughout that he has drawn are amazing!!
October 27, 2016
So this isn't Kafka (now there's a relief) or even Cussler, but it's what we have come to expect from Richard - a move-along yarn in which good things happen to the good guys (most of the time) and the nasty little men get their comeuppance in the end. As my experience has been, Richard treats his characters with appropriate respect and while the frequency of happy coincidence boarders on the fantastic, it makes one smile.
It can get a bit trite and at times a little more research might help credibility, even if its to make the critique bite home a little more. There isn't a snowflake's chance in Hell of a devout Baptist of the '50s (or probably any time) wearing a crucifix and the straw-man stereotype of Christianity (God bothering) is only useful as an easy target. Not that the worst of institutionalised Church wasn't (and isn't) as bad as our tender Father and Nun, and there is some balance.
Pick this up if you want what it is designed to be - good fun escapist adventure with a few (questionable) reflections on the world that you can leave on the coffee table if you want to.
It can get a bit trite and at times a little more research might help credibility, even if its to make the critique bite home a little more. There isn't a snowflake's chance in Hell of a devout Baptist of the '50s (or probably any time) wearing a crucifix and the straw-man stereotype of Christianity (God bothering) is only useful as an easy target. Not that the worst of institutionalised Church wasn't (and isn't) as bad as our tender Father and Nun, and there is some balance.
Pick this up if you want what it is designed to be - good fun escapist adventure with a few (questionable) reflections on the world that you can leave on the coffee table if you want to.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews