Halcyon Shadows: A 1973 Odyssey

by Rick Hill

287 pages, Paperback

Published September 22, 2025

Reviews

[Jason Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply loved this book. This book sparks with the author’s facility with prose, the scope of his literary allusions, and the humor which is seemingly congenital and flows effortlessly. The author both mines humor from alternately the brightest and starkest of life experiences. Indeed, the travelogue is both a vehicle for the plot, and is both a literal devise and by finis, a metaphor for life’s own rich (and turns, stark) pageant. If I could invoke a comparison, I feel the same as I felt when first exposed to Larry McMurtry as a kid- for Rick finds and expresses the human pathos, absurdity, and humor in all qualities of human experience. However, this comparison is not to mislead, because Rick has a voice all his own. I confess that I might not be a completely unbiased critic, but I encourage you to read and find yourself, your friends, and your youth in the story yourself. My only regret is that I can only have one, first reading. Blessings!