Read the opening chapters to Alan’s latest novel, The Island. (He is currently seeking an agent and publisher for this new and original work.)
You are welcome to leave comments and questions at the bottom of this page.
Who doesn’t dream of a better world? But what would one be willing to sacrifice to realize it?
Adam Gardner is on a mercy mission for the Seattle Police Department, returning a young, dying streetwalker to her home, a remote island off British Columbia. There he discovers a modern utopian community.
Founded in the early 20th century, the community’s members seem to possess a higher consciousness—an identity beyond the ego—and live their lives in harmony with themselves, with each other, and with their environment. One of their leaders, the serenely beautiful Julia, becomes Adam’s guide to this society, which makes his own appear dystopian in comparison. He becomes fascinated by these people, though unnerved at first by some of their customs, especially their casual nudity and sexual candor.
They seem to have no secrets but one, a strange looking building called the Portal, which Adam is prohibited from entering. He also learns of an old Haida prophecy hanging over the community, telling how their world will one day end. As he comes to understand and admire this society, Adam realizes that he himself is carrying the deepest secret and possibly the seeds to their destruction.
SW Washington artist Mark Dykstra created two images from scenes in the novel as possible artwork for the book’s cover.
