The Blood Latitudes [Hardcover]

William Harrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2000

By the time his son, Buck, arrives in London, Will Hobbs has settled into the quiet and solitary routines of retirement with the grace and self-sufficiency he carried through his years as a reporter in Africa. A reflective man, he senses an emptiness at the edges of his heart and mind-though he scarcely acknowledges it. But Buck brings along with his beautiful wife, Key, and the news that he's now covering Will's old territory-the incendiary part of Africa that once was the core of his father's life. Soon word comes back from Africa that Buck is missing and Will sets out to find him. In a journey through rings of violence and fear, of passion and glimmering hope, Will watches the Africa he knew disintegrate, believing that at its center he might find the pulse of his own life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A retired journalist travels back to the Africa he once knew in search of his missing son, also a journalist, in novelist and screenwriter (Rollerball and Mountains of the Moon) Harrison's atmospheric and provocative drama. Widower Will Hobbs, an American living in London, has begun to feel lost in retirement. When his competitive son, Buck, arrives with his wife, Key, and son to announce that he is taking over Will's old beatAthe African bureauAthe elder Hobbs is troubled both by his resentment of his offspring and his attraction to his daughter-in-law. Shortly after the eager and stubborn Buck leaves for assignment in dangerous, war-torn Rwanda, Will nearly gives in to his dangerous passion for the invitingly sensuous Key. But Buck's disappearance, a bloodstained passport, camera case and numerous false leads propel Will toward Kibungu, in eastern Rwanda, where Buck is believed to be. Present-day Africa is hostile, radically different from the continent Will remembers: "the old romance had given way to horror." In Hemingwayesque style, Will heads alone out of the city and into dangerous countryside. He begins traveling with a small Hutu militia, led by the seemingly friendly and philosophical Papa Ngiza. But Papa's rebels turn out to be a pack of monstrous child killers and Will their pseudo-prisoner. Seeking deliverance, Will must struggle against his temptation to become a killer himself. The closer he gets to solving Buck's disappearance, the more distant and elusive his escape from Africa and return to Key and his grandson appear. Half travel narrative, half thriller, Harrison's suspenseful tale provides a compelling picture of a continent in turbulence and a journalist rediscovering his voice and his identity. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

When retired reporter Will Hobbs learns his son Buck is being sent on assignment to Africa, he is concerned. Will spent his career covering the volatile territory Buck is headed into and the kinds of danger he is likely to encounter. And Buck leaves a family behind, just as Will did years ago; and Will has feelings that go beyond fatherly affection for Buck's attractive young wife. When news comes of Buck's disappearance, Will is compelled to risk his own life to find him or to find out what has happened to him. Once inside the border of civil war^-ravaged Rwanda, Will is kidnapped by some very whacked-out "militia" and is forced to witness incredible violence, torture, and gleeful killing in the name of vengeance. As he struggles to survive and to keep his wits about him, Will has an opportunity to take a look at his life and to determine what he wants for his future. Harrison is the author of several novels, short stories, and screenplays. Grace Fill

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: MacMurray & Beck (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878448978
• ISBN-13: 978-1878448972
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,854,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good Read, July 28, 2005

By 

Gary S. Larkin (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Blood Latitudes (Hardcover)

I picked up this book just looking for something with Africa in it, never having heard of William Harrison. I was very surprised to find excellent writing and a very good story. Other reviewers have covered the story, so I won't go into that here. They also stated that they liked the Papa Ngiza character -- I found him to be the only partial flaw in the book. His complex rants sometimes seemed contrived, and not always essential to the story. A bit too over the top, even taking into account the fact that the character is supposed to be over the top. Other than that unimportant personal opinion Harrison has an excellent voice, creates vivid, interesting characters, and has written what I consider a much better read than what most "best selling" authors can stitch together these days. A surprising gem. I have since ordered several other Harrison novels. Anyone who can put together something like this has a voice that I'd like to hear more of. Can't find much information on him on-line, which is surprising given the talent he displays here. A quick, worthwhile read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good meaty tale of foreign horrors., June 13, 2002

By 

Far Lefkas (Balto.-WDC metro area) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Blood Latitudes (Hardcover)

I picked up Blood Latitudes to look for some ideas for my own novella of exotic places & enjoyed it immensely.

Harrison seems to've taken a cue from Conrad & Bowles: white folks stuck in foreign cultures are an endangered species, especially when folks in foreign cultures have learned just enough stray facts from the white folks to be dangerous. Here, pop goes in search of son who's disappeared on assignment. Will Hobbs knows what to expect: the detritus of colonization.

Everything Will sees is a burlesque of Western intent: weird combinations of Marxism & voodoo, teenage armies, perverse respect for philosophy, & utter disregard for human life. The intensity increases with each turn of the page.

Harrison is best known by his terseness of phrasing & his surprise, occasionally ironic, twists in short stories. That he can sustained his Spartan use of language & our attention for a novel is a credit to his talent.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex, intense, thoroughly literate novel., June 6, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blood Latitudes (Hardcover)

By the time his son, Buck, arrives in London, Will Hobbs has settled into the quiet and solitary routines of retirement with the grace and self-sufficiency William Harrison's The Blood Latitudes he carried through his years as a reporter in Africa. Buck brings along his beautiful wife Key, and the news that he's now covering Will's old territory -- the incendiary part of Africa that once was the core of his father's life. Then Buck disappears on assignment and Will sets out to find him in an Africa that is swept up and over with violence, fear, passion, and indomitable hopes. William Harrison is a writer of great and imaginative accomplishment who, as showcased by The Blood Latitudes, is clearly a master of the complex, intense, unexpected, and thoroughly literate novel. Also highly recommended are Harrison's early novels: Three Hunters; Burton And Speke; Savannah Blue; Africana; Lessons In Paradise; Into A Wild Sanctuary; and The Theologian.