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Readers > Distortions > Comments And Reviews
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Comments And Reviews
"John's backpack trip into Tibet quickly turns deadly, and he finds himself a fugitive from justice. A thrilling tale!
---ActionTales.com
"...it is a must read."
"...I was riveted to this book from beginning to end."
Midnight Reviews
When John Pearson left his native Canada to go trekking in Tibet, he could not have imagined the fate that awaited him. After a
chance meeting with fugitive Sherab, John soon finds himself on
the wrong side of the Chinese police and forced to flee for his
life.
John speaks neither Chinese nor Tibetan, Sherab speaks no
English, but despite the language barrier, the two must learn to
work together.
Sherab has dark secrets and knows things that the Chinese
government will do anything to keep out of the public eye.
John, with only his instinctive trust for his unlikely companion,
dedicates himself to helping the young woman make her escape.
This book is a real page-turner, with dramatic chases through a
wild and hostile landscape, strong characters and a lot of plot;
it really is impossible to put down. Written with a keen eye for
detail and what seemed to me to be a fair amount of realism, this
is an exciting tale that will keep any reader hooked.
Bryn Colvin, reviewing for
ebook-reviews.net
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For those readers who enjoy 'Armchair Travel' over visiting foreign lands by plane, train or ship, Mental Distortions will provide intrigue, danger, romance and suspense that will have you holding your breath even after the denouement... and all from the comfort of your recliner.
John Pearson is a successful Canadian stockbroker who has reached burnout in his job, and decides to take an extended vacation to tour a foreign land and distance himself from the western world.
He chooses to backpack through Tibet, a country as foreign to Canada as he could locate, and after provisioning himself for the unexpected, he begins his trek toward the Himalayas.
Shortly after he begins his journey, it's unexpectedly interrupted by a young Tibetan female who does not speak English, but manages to convey to John the torture and horrors she has endured in a Chinese prison, until she escaped just a few days before arriving in John's camp.
With great difficulty, because of the language barrier, she manages to tell John her name is Sherab and convey the story of how she has been beaten, abused, starved and held prisoner in a Chinese jail for years - and only because she is Tibetan by birth.
John does his best to reassure her that he will aid her in any way possible, and invites her to share his food and sleep in his camp, at least for the night. When he awakens the next morning, his first thought is how he can find an interpreter who could assist him in communicating with Sherab. He needs to get all of the specifics of her ordeal before he can determine the best way to help her - or even if she really needs any help.
As he rises from his sleeping bag he suddenly realizes he doesn't need an interpreter for what he sees - Sherab stealing much of the food and other items and jamming everything into John's backpack.
There are multiple sub-plots and action and suspense-filled episodes as John and Sherab attempt to find enough food and water to keep them alive, while heading toward the Himalayas and freedom, for Sherab, in India.
They are in a constant state of attempting to outrun the Chinese military who are chasing Sherab, battling rain, flooding, heavy snow and ice and scrounging for food, water, warm clothing and basic survival.
The novel is filled with action, adventure, illness, death and love which move the plot along at a fast pace. It is 314 pages in length, most of which are a quick read. The author does an excellent job of sustaining interest but I have to admit to getting a little weary of the protagonists-in-jeopardy technique, which was used from the first chapter through the last.
The author's detailed descriptions provided the reader with verbal photographs of the countries, culture, and customs - in just the right amount.
The book was an interesting, educational page-turner, and one which I enjoyed reading except for two ongoing techniques: the one mentioned above about placing the lead characters in jeopardy every few pages
and the inability of the two main characters to speak with one another. Sherab knew only the Tibetan language and John knew only English. They managed to communicate their love for one another and each picked up a few words of the other's language, but it frustrated me to read through all of the adventures and near-death misses of the main characters, and at the end of 314 pages, they still could not speak 2 sentences to one another.
Sonya Rolls
srollss+netscape.net
(Change + to @)
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Terrific first novel by a new author!
---ActionTales.com
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