Sky Dance

Driven by devotion to friends and the promise of vindication for feeling helpless as his father succumbed to cancer years before, Carlos Serrano, a tour guide and bird expert in the Amazon rain forest, vows to safeguard the lives of four birders under his charge as a case of “wrong place, wrong time” goes horribly awry. Sky Dance details the rousing adventure of this unwitting group of tourists and their determined leader, who are left fighting for their lives. Having witnessed a key event relevant to a high-stakes pending lawsuit, the innocent bystanders are suddenly thrust into the thick of things.

Attention to detail and crisp writing propel the story ever forward. It is easy to imagine people, places, and events as they unfold. From the impressive descriptions of thoughts and actions of the characters, to the careful use of just the right words and phrases to capture the essence of a scene, to the use of vague, yet ominous, language to subtly foretell future events, Sky Dance delivers. Additionally, the obvious knowledge base from which the author draws in the areas of science, birding, and nature in general lend a profound authenticity to the story.

Time, an important factor in the telling of the story, is easy to track, as each chapter is time-stamped for ease of understanding. As helpful as this feature is, though, the weekly divisions in the book create the impression of timeline gaps when there aren’t any. One day flows to the next otherwise, but these divisions place odd stops and starts in the middle of continuous action. This is Sky Dance’s only flaw. Otherwise, Sky Dance offers a riveting adventure with unexpected plot twists and outcomes uncertain that anyone could appreciate.