Narwhal [Paperback]

Margaret Gill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2008

When Gray retrieves an engraved narwhal’s tusk from the sea disturbing changes begin to happen to both marine and bird life. The islanders suspect Gray’s unusual powers of being able to communicate with seals and other creatures as the cause of the unrest. They find the tusk he has hidden away and fear that an ancient prophecy threatening the island will come to pass since they have always considered the narwhal as an omen of disaster. Gray finds himself a victim of a confused and complex web of superstition as the islanders decide a ritual sacrifice must be made. How can he prove his innocence and escape their final condemnation of him?

Narwhal was shortlisted for the Cinnamon Press Awards.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Margaret Gill graduated in English Literature. Later she trained as a teacher of yoga and is currently teaching on a healing course. She has six grandchildren and apart from writing (Narwhal is her seventh book), she teaches several classes of yoga a week and helps to arrange events in her Northamptonshire village. She is seen here holding the Writers News trophy she won for her book Secret of the Scrolls at the Swanwick Conference, 2005.

www.margaretgill.co.uk

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (January 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595481779
• ISBN-13: 978-0595481774
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,274,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NARWHAL ....


... an eerie and mysterious tale of Gray Edmond on the claustrophobic island of St Hellicks, the pseudonym for St. Agnes, one of the more remote of the Scilly isles.

When Gray retrieves an engraved narwhal's tusk from the sea, disturbing changes begin to happen to both marine and bird life. The islanders suspect Gray's unusual powers of being able to communicate with seals and other creatures as the cause of the unrest. They find the tusk he has hidden away and fear that an ancient prophecy threatening the island will come to pass since they have always considered the narwhal as an omen of disaster. Gray finds himself the victim of a confused and complex web of superstition as the islanders decide a ritual sacrifice must be made. How can he prove his innocence and escape their final condemnation of him?


Narwhal was winner of the Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing and was shortlisted for the Cinnamon Press Awards.

Living with his father on an island where, despite their way of life being so misunderstood, Gray Edmond remains content with his lot. But when an ancient narwhal tusk is washed up at his feet, a sequence of seemingly inevitable events begins to unfold and Gray sees his life as he knows it crashing out of control. Will Gray realise the danger that he is in? Will the narrow minded and insular locals lash out in fear of the power of the narwhal legend? As the book pushes towards its frenetic conclusion, nothing is certain.



Narwhal is a compelling tale of the effect of a legend and a prophecy on a community and on the life of one boy in particular. Gray, a wholly likeable and clearly gifted young man with a special relationship with aquatic life, is a beacon of hope throughout the book. As Gill knits together this tale of fear, greed, friendship, misunderstanding and love, a wonderful story begins to unfold.




ABOUT MARGARET GILL


I was born in a small mining village in South Yorkshire. I was able, however, even as a small child, to escape to the countryside to be alone with my love of nature. I wrote poetry from an early age and my first novel at fourteen. But later the pressures of teaching full time and raising a family meant that writing was put on the back burner. When I started teaching part time I began to write seriously and have since written eight novels for children 11 to 13.


My books seem to be peopled with strong gutsy heroines who are prepared to go through hell, fire and damnation to reach their goals. Although Narwhal, which takes place on the Isles of Scilly, has a hero for a change, as he matures, and under the tutelage of a Carlos Castenada type shaman, he becomes the protagonist for my latest novel The Quetzal Skull, as he ventures into the rain forests of Costa Rica.


Many of my books centre around places that have intrigued me, like Costa Rica (which is also the setting for Return of the Quetzal), Syria, which is the arena for the dark mystery Secret of the Scrolls, and Tibet, which features strongly in Eye of the Mandala.

HH What provided your inspiration for the story?


MG: The inspiration comes from knowledge of the number of shipwrecks off the shores of the Isles of Scilly, particularly St. Agnes (St. Hellicks). The stories of the islanders which abound, tell of many strange objects being washed ashore. On St. Agnes one of the bays is named Beady Pool because even today, coloured beads, part of a cargo of a wrecked vessel, are still, after 200 years being washed up with the tide.
The idea of the narwhal's tusk came from my fascination with the idea that the narwhal was once called the 'unicorn of the sea' and that in the past the tusk was held to have special magical qualities. So I imagine it could have been carried aboard one of the many wrecked sailing ships in the past carrying valuable cargo. There are at least three famous ship wrecks off the coast of Agnes which were transporting loot from the Med. And recently a haul of gold coins valued at millions was discovered off the Scillonian shores. The Colossus, to name just one, was wrecked between St Agnes and Bryer in 1784 while carrying the entire wealth of Sir William Hamilton and only a fraction of that cargo has ever been retrieved.

HH Are you a lover of myths and legends?
MG: Unequivocally yes. I devoured all the Greek myths as a child and am fascinated by the myths of the Mayas and Incas. My third novel for young adults tells the story of a charismatic character who believes himself to be the reincarnated Quetzalcoatl, who also appears in my current novel, The Quetzal Skull.






HH Do you have any experience of a community similar to the one portrayed in the book?
MG: I have been visiting the beautiful windswept island of St. Agnes ( St. Hellicks) for well over 16 years and consequently have a detailed knowledge of its flora, fauna and terrain. On Agnes there are less than 60 inhabitants and it is of necessity a close community. Resources tend to be pooled and shared and it doesn't take a great leap of imagination to picture how an outsider might rock the boat. Indeed anyone from the mainland is still regarded as a foreigner and even those from the other 'off islands' are regarded as being 'different' Clearly I have exaggerated the tightness of the community and the insularity of the islanders to fit the story.

HH How important was Julie to your story?
MG: Julie was vital to the story since she provided the only friend and helper after the demise of Tom and Charlotte. She was also the spur to Gray's pursuit of the meaning and purpose of the tusk. Her link to the SIPP through the grandfather was also an important connection.

HH 'Narwhal' is pervaded by references to nature. Have you always taken such a keen interest in the natural world around us?
MG: Being close to nature is an integral part of the way of life of the island and I suspect only people who love isolation and the real beauty of such unspoilt places would ever bother to visit there. Having said that I live in a very quiet country village next to a farm and with miles of lovely surrounding country. I have always been a 'country girl' and walked and cycled miles as a child collecting wild flowers which I carefully pressed and researched. So yes, I have always been a nature lover.




HH Does the reaction to the tusk represent, in your opinion, a malaise in society towards those who are different and go against the grain?

MG: Yes you are right. The basic premise in the book is the need to respect the differences between peoples and while communities need to work together it does not support the rejection of individuals who think and behave in idiosyncratic ways. I think the way you express it as a wider malaise is something that occurs as a major theme in all my books particularly in the trilogy which begins with The Brain Changers.


HH Did you have to carry out any research to write the book?
MG I researched Runic inscriptions, the value of Narwhal tusks, Earth Mysteries on the Scillies, the Roman Tin islands, The Drowned landscape of the Scillies, Scillonian myths and legends, shipwrecks , specifically HMS Colossus, the work of Tesla, the effects of ultra sounds on humans and other natural species, Taos Hum, Tones of Planet Earth, the effects of 6-10HzELF on brain waves, Backwoods home magazine, living the 'natural life' Government use of 'Mind control methods' Cold war methods of Mind control. Bronze age monoliths, barrows, ancient inscriptions, the list is endless and much that was researched did not of course end up in the story to which I might add the many books of fiction and non fiction about piracy on the Scillies, Hell Bay, Zanzibar to name a few.


MARGARET'S SELECTED DINNER GUESTS

I would love to be in the company of people who have influenced my life and my writing and there seems to be a common thread which runs through my choice. Carlos Castaneda whose writing I have devoured since reading his book "The Teachings of Don Juan" and whose philosophy about being a spiritual warrior, assuming responsibility for being here, shutting off incessant internal dialogue, being able to 'see' the flow of energy in the universe would match with Paul Solomon's, who was my first spiritual teacher and who lectured on Atlantis, the Great Crystal and the mystical Hall of Records. To augment their contributions I would choose Jiddu Krishmanurti whose philosophy was "Truth is a pathless way" and who declared allegiance to no nationality, caste, or religion, Madame Blavatsky the Russian mystic and Annie Besant who was a Theosophist and tried unsuccessfully to get Krishnamurti involved. That would cause sparks to fly. So that I might not be accused of being too narrow in my choice I would include Phillip Pullman whose "Dark Materials" inspired me with his debunking of religious ideologies and my life long love, DH Lawrence with his passionate intensity for nature, his philosophy of universal energy and his visionary imagination . I would have to have another writer to confer with Lawrence and since he always said he was Hardy's inheritor and I've loved him too since a youngster the choice is clear. I would invite Mikao Usui so that I could literally experience his ability to transfer energy and finally I would have to have a composer, Claude Debussy, for me, the most lyrical and romantic of musicians.





Margaret's Website www.margaretgill.co.uk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SHAMROCKED!, October 22, 2008

By 

Donna Coomer "Between the Lines Reviews" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Narwhal (Paperback)

Storytelling is an art that at it's best holds its audience spellbound. Using ancient Icelandic legends, keen, yet subtle descriptions and the captivating lure of a hero finding his place in the world, Margaret Gill weaves her spell until we are totally shamrocked.

Shamrocked, you say, sounds delightful, and so it is. With today's overwhelming penchant for blasting us out of reality and then shocking us with violence and irreverence, Gill takes an entirely different approach. She eases us into the life of Gray, in just a few short paragraphs, but there we are concussed with the revelation that while major and mysterious loss has befallen him something magical has been bestowed upon him and his island world.

Dialogue that ranges between Gray's modern voice and that of his elder St Hellick island mates adds immensely to bring us also to this small island that could once have been....oh no you don't, for that you must read.

While we fall for our developing hero we too must try to solve the mystery that has engulfed the island after his by-chance discovery while visiting his sanctuary. Runic inscriptions and `Guise dancing amidst the incredible rocks and mystical waters surrounding St Hellicks will keep you reading as though held in a trance.

Books like this are special. They can be read again and again, each time alerting you to something almost subliminal that you missed the first time around. And then of course there's that feeling of being shamrocked!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Margaret Gill's Narwhal is Absolutely Amazing!, October 16, 2008

By 

Felicia Martin (Salisbury, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Narwhal (Paperback)

Having no knowledge what so ever about the narwhal or their tusks,
still I was intrigued from the very first page.
I couldn't put it down; it became a part of me, every free moment I had
turn into a chance to pick up this book again.

It made me want to know more about the Narwhal, and in my research
discovered that, the narwhal, is a whale with a long, twisted tooth, and
swims in Arctic waters. Narwhals can grow to be about 16 feet (4.5 m)
long (not counting the tooth), and weigh about 1.8 tons. Good to know
while reading this book, it helped to envision the tusk Gray came in contact with.

The difference in their speech and the spelling of their words added
a little mystery, pulling you in instantly, coupled with Ms. Gill's excellent style
of storytelling, and tales of myths and legends.
The rollercoaster of emotions in the story ranged from
sadness, curiosity, hopefulness, and relieve.
I found myself holding my breath as I awaited Gray's fate, and taking
sighs of relieve when I discovered he was safe.
This book was captivitating to say the least.

I recommended this book for reading at our local middle school,
after I passed my copy on to my granddaughter.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting tale, March 23, 2009

By 

Valerie Froelich (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Narwhal (Paperback)

This is an interesting tale. I liked the way Margaret mixed modern science with ancient runic symbols. Gray is a loney boy with a knack for communicating with the sea life and getting into trouble. He is bullied by the local island boys and his life is turned upside down when his father and brother disappear on a fishing trip. Through all this Gray finds solace in a young girl - the touch of teenage love. And in the end he finds peace within himself and everything turns out alright at the end.
Highly recommend - good book!