I must confess that The Legend of the Firefish is not a book I’d normally pick to read. I mean pirates are not my usual cuppa cha. But as I began reading it, I got hooked. Maybe I got ensnared by Talon—evil personified, God forbid! She gave me the willies. Very creepy. Or did I see myself in Panna? God-fearing, feisty, a little naïve, and with a monstrous mission. These are the two key female characters, although I must mention Hen, the endearing personification of motherliness.
I don’t think I identified with the key player, Packer Throme, because frankly I’m not a boy—although I live with two and I bet they could plug into this character, especially my son. The characters are very well portrayed, distinct and enough stereotyped to allow us to recognize them from life.
The book is filled with adventure, action, pirates, intriguing plot and gore. Yes gore. Blood spilling fights. It all had a purpose. Polivka brilliantly portrays the horror of life, sin, evil and carefully weaves the beauty of mercy into his story. That to me is what Firefish is really about.
Sure, Firefish is the story of Packer Throme, a young man who loves God and is also in love with the young and beautiful pastor’s daughter, Panna Seline.
Packer has apparently failed at seminary, but seeks to make a difference in the world and, like most of us, is has mixed motives; he wants to combat evil but he also wants to marry Panna. Should he risk his life to try and improve the world of his poor fishermen in his world? Or should he stay and settle down with Panna ignoring the knowledge left to him by his now deceased father?
Packer finds himself joining the pirates in the quest to follow his father’s discoveries and help find the fiendish firefish. His goal is to improve the economy of the poor fishermen in the world he grew up in. Unexpectedly, Packer finds himself targeted by Talon who is driven by cold blooded cruelty that shows no bounds.
I really should say no more. You just need to read the book. And I’d especially recommend it for men and for boys. How hard it is to get our teen boys to read. Maybe this will lure them in. It did me—and I ain’t no pirate person.
Brief interview with author, George Bryan Polivka. (GBP = author, JD = me, the interviewer).
JD - George, did you draw your inspiration for this book from the Pirates of the Carribean craze?
GBP -- No. I wrote "Firefish" a dozen years ago.
JD - I see mercy as a key thread throughout the book. Is mercy a facet of God's nature you particularly hoped to portray?
GBP -- Yes. That, and the heart of the believer that craves it, knowing mercy is not deserved. I like to talk about faith as what happens on the other side of despair, and I tried to work that out in the story.
JD - Did you write this book for any particular audience?
GBP -- It's for the people of God, in response to the command, "Feed my sheep."
JD - Do you think see the book being made into a film? (I do and I even have a suggested actress for Panna).
GBP -- I see the book as a film when I write it! I have written movie scripts and television programs. But I'd love to hear how you see Panna. I can't mentally cast it myself; the characters are too real for me... and they aren't actors!
JD -- Thanks George. Keep on writing, and killing those firefish. We'll be looking for the next book.
GBP -- You're welcome. And it's available now! Amazon or your local Christian bookseller. "The Hand that Bears the Sword."
Check out some of my fellow bloggers’ reviews of The Firefish:
Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Merrie Destefano
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Karen McSpadden
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver
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