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The Perils Of Isolation
The Perils of Isolation by Blair Wylie is a collection of three stories connected by similar themes: of using your wiles to make it through unlikely situations and of course, fishing. They are a creative and generous description of humanity. The first story, ‘Mik Muk Mac’ is an immersive and humorous story about a fishing trip gone awry. The second story, the ‘Naive Neftyanik’, is about an oilman known as Blake McTavish who has to set up shop in a new country and navigate the new terrain while making new friends. ‘The Tesla Terrorist’ is about a group of friends who further the work of Nikolas Tesla and make some fascinating discoveries along the way.
The characters and their relationships were interesting and heart-warming, especially in ‘Mik Muk Mac’. I could easily imagine being a part of the tribe of lads going on adventures together- they were complex and fun characters that worked together very believably as a team. Goolee, Mac, James, and the rest of the bunch managed to keep me on the edge of my seat with all their misadventures, even if I kept losing track of who was who.
The ‘Naive Neftyanik’ was my favorite- I love stories about people starting afresh in strange, new places. Blake McTavish was an incredibly likable and real character- an average Canadian who agreed to be the ‘front man’ for a company: he had to set and run an office in Western Siberia. He faces all the problems that a new place poses with a sturdy resolution to find solutions: whether it be business, food, or accomodation. He soon finds himself in the company of some helpful and kind fishing buddies.
I was most intrigued by the title of the third story: ‘The Tesla Terrorist’. The main character, Weldon, is obsessed with the great electromechanical engineer, Nikolas Tesla and his life.
I had a lot of fun reading each of these stories, not only for their plot, but also from the abundance of knowledge on various topics that the author clearly has. They were informative and detailed without being any less entertaining- the slapstick endings on one of the stories made me laugh out loud. This collection is a great respite for anyone sick of dense and intense fiction, and looking for quick and fun stories.
Pages: 281 | ASIN: B07KQ6TC2H