This review is part of a series covering each installment of the serialized novel Higher Cause, written by John Hunt and published by Laissez Faire Books. To catch up, start with the announcement, the book’s link-rich table of contents, and the first review.
In part 7, author John Hunt gives us two chapters. The first takes us to a ship on the sea, bound for The Island. The second chapter, through one of the investors, relates some of the tale of Captain Cook in Tahiti. We finally find out something of the nature of the mystery in the Pacific, and there are all sorts of possibilities to be taken advantage of. We shall see how it plays out.
There are some strong story lines going on in the book, but we’ve hit a couple chapters recently where we are left idling a little bit. After introductions are out of the way and the plot comes into focus, I feel like, especially in a book of this nature, we should be building up some speed. Unfortunately, the first chapter in this week’s offering slows down the story. This is extra confounding because there are aspects of the book that interest me that I want to get back to. A bit of separating the wheat from the chaff might be in order.
The first chapter gave me a similar feeling to the chapter with the cross-island race in the previous installment. There was a lot of set up and description and exposition for one important plot point at the end. It was a lot of time to spend on something that could have been mentioned in the next chapter as having happened, or perhaps be related briefly in a paragraph or two.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Unlike the previous chapter with the race, we are introduced to a new character in this one. We spend a little time getting to know him, in the middle of a story that has not been at all about him up to this point, and then watch him die. It could be that something important was planted that will emerge later, but even so I think the segment should be streamlined. As it is, we witness a death that is not all that moving since we only just met the character. The point of the chapter — its service to the plot — is to show a sabotage of something important for The Island. I would counsel getting to the heart of the matter and eschewing excess verbiage.
END OF SPOILER
The tale told in the second chapter is riveting and important to the story. It does not move the plot forward, which is not a problem in itself though its proximity to a couple of slower chapters is problematic, but it is a key part of the book and entertaining in its own right. It also further obviates the need for a prologue.
Apart from the above, there is a brief scene — brief as the first chapter should have been — where we learn that Jeff is coming with Sophia to The Island. Two important characters are going to meet up and we look forward to the meeting and the possibilities to unfold, especially with a man of Jeff’s talents. Once again, Hunt shows he has a handle on leaving minicliffhangers throughout the narrative.
What is good about the work is definitely engaging, and I think this could be reworked to better effect with some editing. The prologue should be removed, and a couple of involved chapters might be reduced to their essentials and leave the story more streamlined. Even so, the story is still a good one and has me looking forward to Jeff’s arrival.
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