Montreal: Westmount Examiner Review of The Survivor

The Survivor is a fast-paced historical adventure

The ambitious and very personal literary quest recently embarked upon by former Westmounter Paul Almond is now in full swing, with the second instalment of the Alford saga currently stocked in bookstores across the country.

Topics : The Deserter , British Navy , Gaspé , Alfords

The Survivor, which follows last year's inaugural volume, The Deserter, continues the story of Thomas Manning, the British Navy deserter with a price on his head who changes his name to Alford and starts anew in the Gaspé - creating a new life and identity while attempting to carve out a new home in the harsh wilderness.

From bone-chilling cold to backbreaking labour to severe famine, Alford struggles to overcome a daunting array of natural obstacles - then finds he has to contend with equally forbidding social barriers.      

Written in the breezy and spare anecdotal style Almond established in The Deserter, this fast-paced sequel sets the Alford family roots firmly in the New World, creating a solid foundation upon which Almond's next books will build.

The plan, as the author himself explained during his introductory address at last year's launch of The Deserter in Victoria Hall, is to release each instalment of the Alford saga incrementally, tracing the story of the Alfords - the literary alter egos of Almond's own family - from the early 19th century to the modern era, inspired by actual events ranging from the desertion of Almond's great grandfather through Almond's own adventures as a well-known TV and film director.

With The Survivor now on the shelves, the Alford saga is well on its way to completion, and may well go on to become one of our more important literary oeuvres. This is not much of a stretch, considering both the epic and historical nature of the subject matter, as well as the easily accessible prose style employed by its nationally prominent author. After all, everyone loves a good rags-to-riches adventure tale, and setting it against the birth and coming of age of a nation certainly doesn't hurt.