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The Ship of Pearl #1
Juncture
The silky brush was erotic, like hands everywhere, the multiple lovers she had never had, and then it was not. The first stinging jolt surprised her…
A godly nun, the victim of untold puncturings in Palau’s Jellyfish Lake. A honeymoon couple, their kayaks overturned by orcas off Vancouver Island: in the green deeps the whales drive the girl through the water with a force that finally breaks her back; her groom dies in a bloody burst. Nighttime in the Sea of Cortez: an underwater photographer dragged into the deeps by swarming Humboldt squid; fixing to his hands, his mask, powerful suction cups wresting, the squid flashing iridescent rainbow colors, communicating in a way heretofore unseen.
In the oceans creatures are stirring, a fast-rising tide of seemingly random shocking events not random at all.
Cedar Mahoney, golden-hued dive boat operator, is athletic, sensual, independent and facing the heartbreak of letting go of her only child, about to leave the island of Palau for a better future with his father in Chicago. But sixteen-year-old Justin -- graceful swimmer and strangely attuned to the sea – just might decide the future. Strange events on and under Palau’s sapphire blue waters enfold a cast of characters. Crusty Santy, fuel dock despot with two gears, complaint and nosiness. Able, a detective too wise for a small island. And Marty Haruo, local pilot, possessed of a gentleman’s elegance and a boyish charm; Cedar’s best friend, and then her lover. All are drawn together by a series of strange unfoldings that upend their world, and, quite suddenly, the world far beyond.
For something lives beneath Palau’s waters; something ancient and wise; something capable of a lover’s tingling touch and calculated storms of terrible violence. Something that has observed this world for epochs and now, at this fateful crossroad, is forced to act. Mother, son and primordial creature are about to connect, and mankind’s future balances on the outcome.
Fiction? Yes - and no.
The oceans really are changing.
And we are truly at a Juncture.
A godly nun, the victim of untold puncturings in Palau’s Jellyfish Lake. A honeymoon couple, their kayaks overturned by orcas off Vancouver Island: in the green deeps the whales drive the girl through the water with a force that finally breaks her back; her groom dies in a bloody burst. Nighttime in the Sea of Cortez: an underwater photographer dragged into the deeps by swarming Humboldt squid; fixing to his hands, his mask, powerful suction cups wresting, the squid flashing iridescent rainbow colors, communicating in a way heretofore unseen.
In the oceans creatures are stirring, a fast-rising tide of seemingly random shocking events not random at all.
Cedar Mahoney, golden-hued dive boat operator, is athletic, sensual, independent and facing the heartbreak of letting go of her only child, about to leave the island of Palau for a better future with his father in Chicago. But sixteen-year-old Justin -- graceful swimmer and strangely attuned to the sea – just might decide the future. Strange events on and under Palau’s sapphire blue waters enfold a cast of characters. Crusty Santy, fuel dock despot with two gears, complaint and nosiness. Able, a detective too wise for a small island. And Marty Haruo, local pilot, possessed of a gentleman’s elegance and a boyish charm; Cedar’s best friend, and then her lover. All are drawn together by a series of strange unfoldings that upend their world, and, quite suddenly, the world far beyond.
For something lives beneath Palau’s waters; something ancient and wise; something capable of a lover’s tingling touch and calculated storms of terrible violence. Something that has observed this world for epochs and now, at this fateful crossroad, is forced to act. Mother, son and primordial creature are about to connect, and mankind’s future balances on the outcome.
Fiction? Yes - and no.
The oceans really are changing.
And we are truly at a Juncture.
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 2014
2 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
About the author
Ken McAlpine
13 books43 followersKen McAlpine’s most recent novel, NEXUS, picks up where the page-turning JUNCTURE left off. Cerebral Jaws and riveting thriller, NEXUS unspools in a world rapidly moving beyond anything we know. Our oceans are changing. Very soon survival may be more than just a word on this page.
Ken McAlpine is the author of ten books; fiction, non-fiction and selected essays. Of his novel TOGETHER WE JUMP, USA Today said, “There’s a beautiful Forrest Gump feel to this book. The main character was a delight and I just loved his sad, wistful, wonderful tale.” His novel "Fog", an eerie maritime mystery that unfolds on the wreck-strewn coast of Cape Cod in 1882, was described by a reviewer as "one of the most intelligent, richly detailed, deeply felt and evocative novels I've read." His non-fiction works include the books "Off Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore" (a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection) and "Islands Apart: A Year on the Edge of Civilization," and several collections of essays.
Ken lives in Ventura, California with his wife and their two sons. He likes to stand in his yard at night looking at the stars, but he does not like to spend any time during the day doing yard work.
If you would like more information, please see http://www.facebook.com/kenmcalpineau... and http://www.kenmcalpine.com Thank you!
Ken McAlpine is the author of ten books; fiction, non-fiction and selected essays. Of his novel TOGETHER WE JUMP, USA Today said, “There’s a beautiful Forrest Gump feel to this book. The main character was a delight and I just loved his sad, wistful, wonderful tale.” His novel "Fog", an eerie maritime mystery that unfolds on the wreck-strewn coast of Cape Cod in 1882, was described by a reviewer as "one of the most intelligent, richly detailed, deeply felt and evocative novels I've read." His non-fiction works include the books "Off Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore" (a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection) and "Islands Apart: A Year on the Edge of Civilization," and several collections of essays.
Ken lives in Ventura, California with his wife and their two sons. He likes to stand in his yard at night looking at the stars, but he does not like to spend any time during the day doing yard work.
If you would like more information, please see http://www.facebook.com/kenmcalpineau... and http://www.kenmcalpine.com Thank you!
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 26, 2015
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads: First Reads Giveaways.
First off: This novel lacks pages numbers which is more annoying than some would think.
The back cover summary sounded interesting but it should be made known that some events mentioned on the back don't really concur until about 75% through the book.
McAlpine writes in clean, to the point prose for the most part. He lacks visual detailing, especially with his characters. I had no clear-cut images of people in my head for the duration of the novel. His love for the sea and its lifeforms were evident as they were described more fully and I could easily picture the ocean views.
Due to some mix up, I didn't realize that the people taking the charters weren't actually taking the nautilus back with them and so I was unsure of why Cedar was so angry with one of her customers. That proved utmost confusing and caused me to backtrack.
I am not sure what McAlpine has against names for his characters for they come too little, too late. Why do I care that the guy's name is Ted after he is no longer a factor in the story? Chapter 5 was truly bewildering to me, as based on the interaction between Cedar and her caller, I thought that she knew the man yet her actions told me differently once she took the man and his posse out on a dive.
Cedar loves her hair and then just chops it off? Characters seem almost bipolar in their actions and thoughts throughout the book and this does't add unpredictability but rather a sense that McAlpine doesn't know how he wants his people to be.
I thought that there was a good story buried beneath the very preachy "sea monster". The flip flopping from Cedar to Sea creature was annoying and it seems to me that the monster was more informed than a marine life-form should have been. Unless SpongeBob was nice enough to let her borrow some internet. I wish the information that the creature imparted to the reader had come from a different source, Cedar or perhaps Justin, through dreams or even as one page chapters that read like a newspaper article.
I did like the fact that Cedar had more than one lover during the story and that it wasn't a bit deal. She wasn't made to sound slutty or whore-like but rather just a normal woman that had needs that she wanted to take care of. Thank you, Ken for that. Most authors can't pull that off.
All in all, a great story was weighted down by pointless direction and unclear detailing, along with the never-ending SAVE THE OCEAN theme. (Don't get me wrong, I am a child of water and love all my days spent in the Gulf, both as a swimmer and ones spent as a volunteer doing clean-up, I just don't like being beat over the head with it, by a killer sea monster, nonetheless.)
First off: This novel lacks pages numbers which is more annoying than some would think.
The back cover summary sounded interesting but it should be made known that some events mentioned on the back don't really concur until about 75% through the book.
McAlpine writes in clean, to the point prose for the most part. He lacks visual detailing, especially with his characters. I had no clear-cut images of people in my head for the duration of the novel. His love for the sea and its lifeforms were evident as they were described more fully and I could easily picture the ocean views.
Due to some mix up, I didn't realize that the people taking the charters weren't actually taking the nautilus back with them and so I was unsure of why Cedar was so angry with one of her customers. That proved utmost confusing and caused me to backtrack.
I am not sure what McAlpine has against names for his characters for they come too little, too late. Why do I care that the guy's name is Ted after he is no longer a factor in the story? Chapter 5 was truly bewildering to me, as based on the interaction between Cedar and her caller, I thought that she knew the man yet her actions told me differently once she took the man and his posse out on a dive.
Cedar loves her hair and then just chops it off? Characters seem almost bipolar in their actions and thoughts throughout the book and this does't add unpredictability but rather a sense that McAlpine doesn't know how he wants his people to be.
I thought that there was a good story buried beneath the very preachy "sea monster". The flip flopping from Cedar to Sea creature was annoying and it seems to me that the monster was more informed than a marine life-form should have been. Unless SpongeBob was nice enough to let her borrow some internet. I wish the information that the creature imparted to the reader had come from a different source, Cedar or perhaps Justin, through dreams or even as one page chapters that read like a newspaper article.
I did like the fact that Cedar had more than one lover during the story and that it wasn't a bit deal. She wasn't made to sound slutty or whore-like but rather just a normal woman that had needs that she wanted to take care of. Thank you, Ken for that. Most authors can't pull that off.
All in all, a great story was weighted down by pointless direction and unclear detailing, along with the never-ending SAVE THE OCEAN theme. (Don't get me wrong, I am a child of water and love all my days spent in the Gulf, both as a swimmer and ones spent as a volunteer doing clean-up, I just don't like being beat over the head with it, by a killer sea monster, nonetheless.)
October 23, 2014
I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads: First Reads giveaway.
Overall, this was a really interesting novel. I liked the concept very much, although the mystery part of it took awhile to get going. For example, the events previewed in the summary and on the back of the book don't happen until much later in the story. The main character, Cedar, runs a dive boat operation in Palau with her teenage son; she takes dive groups out to a reef where they have the opportunity to interact with and handle nautili. I didn't know much about the nautilus prior to reading this novel (I was really only familiar with the shell, not the creature that forms/lives inside it), and I learned a lot about it - in fact, I was inspired to Google them to see what the animal actually looks like. Cedar is a good mom who is also a multifaceted, intelligent woman with desires of her own. Her story is interspersed with another voice throughout the book, the voice of an ancient, sentient being who lives in the ocean.
Ken McAlpine clearly loves the ocean and its creatures, and that comes through in his writing. The sea creature gets a little preachy by the end of the book, but the intent of this novel is clear: to convince readers that we, as a species, need to take better care of the environment and the water that covers most of our planet. I think the reminder that we actually know very little about the things that live in the deeper parts of our oceans (including cephalopods - it's true, Google it!) is very timely and thought-provoking.
The writing is good, although there were a few minor editing errors. Also, I would have liked to have page numbers. I finished the book wanting to talk about it - I wasn't sure of the motivation behind some of the characters' actions toward the end of the novel. Definitely worth a read - would be good for a book club discussion.
Overall, this was a really interesting novel. I liked the concept very much, although the mystery part of it took awhile to get going. For example, the events previewed in the summary and on the back of the book don't happen until much later in the story. The main character, Cedar, runs a dive boat operation in Palau with her teenage son; she takes dive groups out to a reef where they have the opportunity to interact with and handle nautili. I didn't know much about the nautilus prior to reading this novel (I was really only familiar with the shell, not the creature that forms/lives inside it), and I learned a lot about it - in fact, I was inspired to Google them to see what the animal actually looks like. Cedar is a good mom who is also a multifaceted, intelligent woman with desires of her own. Her story is interspersed with another voice throughout the book, the voice of an ancient, sentient being who lives in the ocean.
Ken McAlpine clearly loves the ocean and its creatures, and that comes through in his writing. The sea creature gets a little preachy by the end of the book, but the intent of this novel is clear: to convince readers that we, as a species, need to take better care of the environment and the water that covers most of our planet. I think the reminder that we actually know very little about the things that live in the deeper parts of our oceans (including cephalopods - it's true, Google it!) is very timely and thought-provoking.
The writing is good, although there were a few minor editing errors. Also, I would have liked to have page numbers. I finished the book wanting to talk about it - I wasn't sure of the motivation behind some of the characters' actions toward the end of the novel. Definitely worth a read - would be good for a book club discussion.
February 1, 2015
An eye opening "thriller" with a message: "Humans, stop polluting the oceans! Bad things can happen to you." There ARE consequences!! I liked the relationship between the mother and son and I could feel her sadness in sending him away for school, knowing in the long run it was the best for him. I feel that way everytime my sons go back to school after a holiday with us.
The author, Ken tells me that sea animals actually have altered their behavior due to the negative influence by Man.
The author, Ken tells me that sea animals actually have altered their behavior due to the negative influence by Man.
September 11, 2014
Ken McAlpine exercises his sharp mind, his open heart, and his sense of global responsibility to enlighten and entertain. Juncture is at times poetic, romantic, and tragic. A story that fetches sadness through accountability, motivates one to personal responsibility, and ultimately inspires hope.
July 17, 2016
Loved it! I did not think I would but that is the beauty of Ken - what an amazing story! Loved it!! On th Nexus for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews