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After obtaining a Western education and spending more than two decades intoxicated by American culture, Robuku “Robby” Makolu has returned home to Tidal Island. A remote island in the South Pacific, Robby’s native land is home to the indigenous Tanawan people, whose culture is an intricate blend of Christian faith with tribal tradition and spirituality. The great Tanawan tribal chieftain Marafu Makolu has cast a huge shadow. Upon Marafu’s death, his son Robby bears the tremendous burden of trying to fill his father’s shoes as head of the Remote Islands Mission. On a mission fundraising trip to the States, Robby reconnects with childhood friend Tom McClure, a linguistic prodigy working for NASA. While Robby is still haunted by their traumatic past, Tom is desperate to escape his present precarious circumstances. Soon, Robby finds himself embroiled in a CIA investigation and caught up in a web of intrigue that threatens the mission, Marafu’s legacy, and Robby’s freedom.
Wallace delivers an imaginative adventure wrapped up in science fiction with a central core of spirituality. The book portrays the delicate balance between technological advancement to improve a people group’s quality of life and maintaining cultural traditions and morality. Wallace creatively depicts the insidious corruption of an indigenous culture by Western greed and manipulation. The author also explores the metaphysical view of language as a spiritual entity with creative power and a connection to the divine. Historical characters and references give the narrative an air of plausibility that will delight UFO conspiracists and cause even the most staunch realist to consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Well-developed characters and an evocative antagonist produce an engaging plot that leaves readers thoroughly invested in the story’s outcome and the characters’ fates. Wallace’s debut novel is a highly entertaining, creative triumph.