***So this is my 20th Post! I'll have next part of the deconstruction coming up tomorrow, but since this is a (modest) milestone for me, I figured this was a good time to post a slightly more philosophical essay.*** ***Also, like I said in a previous post here, I wrote the first draft of this … Continue reading Why Am I Losing My Shit Over a Stupid Book?
11-Sheeple say “Baaaaah!”
"It was late in the afternoon when Will joined a small group of tourists on a trip to the great generating facility, to view, in the inviting words of Hydro-Quebec commerical, “the splendid nothern vistas and colossal hydro-electric structures” that, together with the mechanics of the generating system, are the heart of the La Grande … Continue reading 11-Sheeple say “Baaaaah!”
10-The Important thing is to establish dominance…
We return to Will Boucanier’s mysterious mission by temporarily hopping into the shoes of one of his future subordinates, a local Cree from the Rangers by the name of Joe Neetha. Since he’s got an obviously native last name, we know he’s not one of the super cool native protagonists that we’re supposed to go … Continue reading 10-The Important thing is to establish dominance…
9-Pocket Revision
****Please Note that I am drawing heavily on Carol Off’s excellent history “The Ghosts of Medak Pocket” for this next section of the deconstruction. While a great deal has been written about the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, Carol’s book is one of the only ones to focus exclusively on this little known battle and … Continue reading 9-Pocket Revision
8-Bill the Pirate…._sigh_
True to his style thus far, Douglas Bland begins this next chapter with a run-on sentence which manages to be both clumsy and offensive: Will Boucanier looked out the small window as the Air Creebec Dash 8 made its long, slow approach into Chisasibi, an unattractive Cree Village of some 3,000 souls on the La … Continue reading 8-Bill the Pirate…._sigh_
7-al-Queda Style!
Okay enough talk about offices and ID cards. It’s time for the big meeting! "The room was arranged as usual for morning prayers. Name cards ranked in a never-changing order sat with parade-ground precision down each side of the long, dark, rectangular table. This odd habit always amused Ian-these people know each other, he thought. … Continue reading 7-al-Queda Style!
6-We’re having the adventure _where_?
In the novel’s first chapter, Alex Gabriel’s raid on Petawawa is broken up by several other scenes. One of these is the raid on CFB Halifax where Fred McTavish is tragically killed, but several other cuts take us to NDHQ where a CF staff officer gradually becomes aware of the growing crisis. In the interest … Continue reading 6-We’re having the adventure _where_?
