Reader Views

An Obsession Called Pheasant: The True Story of a Pursuit of the Elusive

Stories of obsession are intriguing. The diversity of human obsessions is vast. The range of intensity is from quietly passionate to utterly possessed. Now comes “An Obsession Called Pheasant: The True Story of a Pursuit of the Elusive,” written by Jolan Durrah. This book picks up the story of Daniel James beginning with recollections of his child leading up to his life-changing decision as a young man to pursue his passion for exotic Pheasants into the deepest jungles of Borneo. It was that trek which is the subject of the first Daniel James’ story, the award winning “Adventure in Borneo,” also written by Durrah. For those who have read that title, “An Obsession Called Pheasant” is a step back in time and provides background on James and the origins of his obsession which were lacking in the first book.

The book offers entertaining and informative anecdotes about Daniel and his family throughout his childhood. Dorrah also writes of James’ continuous observations of the birds and how his passion for them evolved beyond the birds themselves to affluent breeders and collectors throughout the United States. Sadly, the interior art in the book is in black and white. But, the striking cover art compelled me to go online and look for color photographs of the different species referenced by James.

That engaging and exotic cover art and design strongly suggest that what awaits the reader within is a vivid and exciting tale. For me it never fulfilled that promise, due primarily to the author’s writing style. Simply put, I found Durrah’s writing to be a bit too academic and his passion to be too much in check for the adventure genre at its best. But the tale was told well enough to keep me tagging along and the book does conclude with some strong emotional sparks that tweak my interest in continuing on the trail with reading similar adventures.

Among my internet research in preparation for this review, I noted that one unidentified source, writing about obsession, stated that “when you’re obsessed by something…it means that all you do is live and breathe for that thing…it’s the world to you and you will do anything to keep it and protect it.” If obsession intrigues you, if you have any interest in Pheasants in general, or you like quirky books about house pets, you will enjoy “An Obsession Called Pheasant.”

An Obsession Called Pheasant: The True Story of a Pursuit of the Elusive
Jolan Durrah
Pheasant Tail Productions (2011)
ISBN 9780981700113
Reviewed by Joseph Yurt for Reader Views (11/11)

The Traveler

Jinnie never feels like she quite belongs. Her existence feels vaguely like a dream and she keeps getting bizarre glimpses of another existence and other people connected to her, feeling like she’s constantly in the wrong place – or is it the wrong time? And then the world as she knows it is wrenched away from her and she’s thrown into this other existence, still feeling disoriented. She knows it and yet she does not. She knows herself, or does she? And while she feels like she should stay where her heart feels at home, she is torn away again and thrown into yet another world. Beloved again, but it all feels so wrong. This time she does not remember anything and everything feels truly foreign to her. The only constant is the memory of a love lost. Is there a way out? Why are all of those journeys happening to her? Does she truly belong anywhere?

Jenna Lindsey’s “The Traveler” deftly explores the idea of alternative realities and alternative lives. Her writing is fresh, distinctive and full of wonderful detail. Her worlds of Ispell, Hura and Yar are colorful, convincing and compelling. I’ve greatly enjoyed “meeting” her characters, which I found richly detailed and convincing. Jinnie’s struggle to understand what’s happening to her and her quest for happiness drew me in quickly, and I kept marveling at the twists and turns her life kept taking.

I was particularly fascinated by the explanation of her travels as provided by Ninehtah, the wise Healer of the Daskiny people, which neatly tied everything together in a persuasive manner without destroying any of the previously woven magic of this spellbinding tale. Even the side stories were truly absorbing, and I sincerely hope Ms. Lindsey will decide to revisit some of those worlds and let the readers know how every one of the characters in “The Traveler” fared after Jinnie’s departure. This was one of those quite rare fantasy books that manage to stay believable in the best possible way while transporting the reader into a truly different, magical and fresh world of unlimited imagination and masterful storytelling, full of original and mind-boggling scenes, events and characters as well as very relevant personal and social issues.

The Traveler
Jenna Lindsey
iUniverse (2010)
ISBN 9781450206976
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (03/10)