This Fijian’s 5-star review of Fiji: A Novel remains one of my favourite critiques of this the first of several historical adventure novels co-authored by James Morcan and I…
“As a Fijian, I find the old traditions of our people fascinating and just as great as they are crude and gruesome. The novel touches on most of these now extinct practices, in mad detail and it’s AWESOME! … Racial prejudice, religion, culture and family were the underlying messages … The adventure, fast-paced and nail biting … The romance, sizzling, exciting, forbidden … I give it 5 stars because that’s the maximum amount of stars we’re allowed to give.” -Random Writings Book Reviews (Suva, Fiji)
Another reviewer describes this book as “a spellbinding novel of adventure, cultural misunderstandings, religious conflict and sexual tension set in one of the most exotic and isolated places on earth.”
The storyline:
In the mid-1800’s, Fiji is a melting pot of cannibals, warring native tribes, sailors, traders, prostitutes, escaped convicts and all manner of foreign undesirables. It’s in this hostile environment an innocent young Englishwoman and a worldly American adventurer find themselves.
Susannah Drake, a missionary, questions her calling to spread God’s Word as she’s torn between her spiritual and sexual selves. As her forbidden desires intensify, she turns to the scriptures and prayer to quash the sinful thoughts – without success. Nathan Johnson arrives to trade muskets to the Fijians and immediately finds himself at odds with Susannah. She despises him for introducing the white man’s weapons to the very people she is trying to convert and he pities her for her naivety. Despite their differences, there’s an undeniable chemistry between them. When their lives are suddenly endangered by marauding cannibals, Susannah and Nathan are forced to rely on each other for their very survival.
Fiji: A Novel is available via Waterstones UK & Europe bookstores, public libraries and via Amazon… https://www.amazon.com/Fiji-Novel-Lance-Morcan/dp/0473194716/
Other historical adventure novels of ours include World Odyssey, Into the Americas and White Spirit as well as my solo-authored recent release New Zealand: A Novel.
–Lance Morcan
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