covediver
Contributor
I read nearly everything related to scuba diving, particularly fiction, primarily action-adventure novels. Most of these works entertain, earning the praise of a good read. The well-written works end up on my bookshelf and get reread over time; the also rans quickly get traded in at the used book store. Until a few weeks ago, one book among the dozens really stood out featuring great writing, solid character development, interesting narrative and a fast-paced and complex plot. Oh yeah, it also involves lots of diving, succinctly described and accurately portrayed. The long out of print paperback, Jacobs Well, by Stephen Harrigan occupies a central location on the top shelf of my bookcase. It is about to be joined in joint tenancy of that space by Mercy of the Elements by Christopher Blehm.
I discovered Mercy looking over the description of recently published scuba diving books on Amazon. The blurb on the site described a somewhat mystical story involving two women centuries apart. I recalled a high school English teacher once telling me that most males cannot write accurately about a female character and vice-versa. So rather than order it immediately, I tagged it for my list to be ordered later in order to save on shipping. At the LA Scuba Show a couple of weeks ago, I had a chance encounter with the author, Christopher Blehm. We spoke about one of two subplots in the book, the plundering of a Manila Galleon by two English ships under the command of Thomas Cavendish. I mentioned that Manila galleons are a particular interest of mine as I had worked as a maritime historian and skeptically checked into a 1970s expedition to Point Bennett on San Miguel Island which claims to have found indications of a wrecked ship from that era. The mysteries of wrecks, especially colonial era vessels, make for great story telling and the California islands are chalk full of such stories. Recently, a number of novels have come out involving the old wrecks in the Southern California area, most notably Sunken Dreams and Sunken Graves by Otto Gasser and When the Killings Done by TC Boyle. Fiction feature Socal wrecks and maritime history have been notably absent from the bookshelves. No more.
Blehms novel is set on Catalina Island. Anyone who has more than a cursory knowledge of the island will recognize the places and characters of Avalon and the dive spots on the island. Those who do not will quickly be drawn to the locale. I especially liked his observations of the divers lined up at Casino Point; a great locale to observe divers and instructors in their natural habitat. On my several trips to Catalina, I have participated in this spectator sport that is more than just people watching more akin to exercising the global awareness and sixth sense about others abilities that experienced divers develop. Its the same as a lifeguard automatically starts scanning water standing at the waters edge, whether on duty or not.
The novel combines action with a mystery wrapped in mysticism that provides an exotic draw into the story for the reader without overwhelming the plot. Subplots, one modern and one historical develop in parallel, precisely fusing together at the appropriate points while maintaining flow and authenticity.
Blehms taut prose accurately captures the feel of the dive. For example, he really captures the experience of a lead diver whose buddy has gone missing. No feeling of emptiness compares to that of a diver looking after another who looks back to discover their charge has disappeared. It can happen in an instant, and the feeling stays forever.
The novel's protagonist, Mercy, maintains a kind of honorable if somewhat flawed dignity in the face of adversity. Her dive adventures and life tribulations are at once thrilling and in the same instant tragic. At the end of the story, we are left on the edge wanting resolution while hoping it is not revealed. Mercy of the Elements denotes both the fate of one person left to a sea that is not forgiving of mistakes or human nature and a sanctity and saintliness of one who is part of the sea.
I discovered Mercy looking over the description of recently published scuba diving books on Amazon. The blurb on the site described a somewhat mystical story involving two women centuries apart. I recalled a high school English teacher once telling me that most males cannot write accurately about a female character and vice-versa. So rather than order it immediately, I tagged it for my list to be ordered later in order to save on shipping. At the LA Scuba Show a couple of weeks ago, I had a chance encounter with the author, Christopher Blehm. We spoke about one of two subplots in the book, the plundering of a Manila Galleon by two English ships under the command of Thomas Cavendish. I mentioned that Manila galleons are a particular interest of mine as I had worked as a maritime historian and skeptically checked into a 1970s expedition to Point Bennett on San Miguel Island which claims to have found indications of a wrecked ship from that era. The mysteries of wrecks, especially colonial era vessels, make for great story telling and the California islands are chalk full of such stories. Recently, a number of novels have come out involving the old wrecks in the Southern California area, most notably Sunken Dreams and Sunken Graves by Otto Gasser and When the Killings Done by TC Boyle. Fiction feature Socal wrecks and maritime history have been notably absent from the bookshelves. No more.
Blehms novel is set on Catalina Island. Anyone who has more than a cursory knowledge of the island will recognize the places and characters of Avalon and the dive spots on the island. Those who do not will quickly be drawn to the locale. I especially liked his observations of the divers lined up at Casino Point; a great locale to observe divers and instructors in their natural habitat. On my several trips to Catalina, I have participated in this spectator sport that is more than just people watching more akin to exercising the global awareness and sixth sense about others abilities that experienced divers develop. Its the same as a lifeguard automatically starts scanning water standing at the waters edge, whether on duty or not.
The novel combines action with a mystery wrapped in mysticism that provides an exotic draw into the story for the reader without overwhelming the plot. Subplots, one modern and one historical develop in parallel, precisely fusing together at the appropriate points while maintaining flow and authenticity.
Blehms taut prose accurately captures the feel of the dive. For example, he really captures the experience of a lead diver whose buddy has gone missing. No feeling of emptiness compares to that of a diver looking after another who looks back to discover their charge has disappeared. It can happen in an instant, and the feeling stays forever.
The novel's protagonist, Mercy, maintains a kind of honorable if somewhat flawed dignity in the face of adversity. Her dive adventures and life tribulations are at once thrilling and in the same instant tragic. At the end of the story, we are left on the edge wanting resolution while hoping it is not revealed. Mercy of the Elements denotes both the fate of one person left to a sea that is not forgiving of mistakes or human nature and a sanctity and saintliness of one who is part of the sea.