I received this book as a gift and was not real thrilled about it because I am not a big fan of most fiction writing, I prefer history and hard facts. It was with some apprehension that I started to read the Halibut Rodeo; at least the tile intrigued me and the author and I share the same last name,(no relation) The gift giver thought the matching last name was cute and motivated them to give it to me. All I can say is this book was a tremendous surprise, frankly I loved it. I absorbed every nuance and could not put it down. The stories were arranged in a logical and naturally flowing sequence much to my delight. Mark Lewandowski has the gift to engage the reader using sadness, conflict and fears that made his characters lives seem wonderful. His subtle sense of humor is a refreshing change from typical literature of this kind. The first story, "The Slime-Line Queen" is very engaging, how these slime-line workers confronted hardship was in part an insight into perhaps why fresh fish is so expensive. You can feel Mark Lewandowski think through his experiences. The way Mark Lewandowski uses colorful metaphors to describe the landscapes of Alaska were bright and imaginative without being overly romantic. The amount of compassion the story "In the Hands of Heaven" portrays is a wonderful testament to the heart and soul of the author. His characters are alive and full of pathos without being pretentious. Instead of detailing every story just buy or steal a copy of this book the writing is inspirational on many levels. This fiction seems to take truth and a gut wrenching life style to a larger level, and is not that what great fiction is supposed to do!
