First, let me quote my own recommendation-- I pared it down to say exactly what I wanted to: "McIntyre’s tale may have predecessors, but it is unique. I strain for literary comparisons and think: Kipling, the classical Chinese poets, early Patrick O’Brian, Hopkins. I search for a definition of its animating presence: the predator, the Buddhist sage, the hunter. All fall short. I stand before The Snow Leopard’s Tale in awe and with a little envy. It is a gem, an uncanny evocation of the cold ancient dusty highlands of Central Asia, and could only have come from Tom McIntyre. It is his best.”
The story germinated after McIntyre hunted on the Tibetan plateau over a decade ago, as did an anthology of contemporary Asian sport which never saw publication. It was good the first time he wrote it, and I supposed he would soon sell it to a popular publisher. I even suggested a few; then waited in first impatience, then annoyance as they all returned it, too nervous to buy a book they all assured him was excellent but was neither a hunting book nor "realistic" nor slanted toward a particular audience- of course, that it WAS in some ways a hunting book (ever see a vegetarian snow leopard?), and evokes the environs of Central Asia like no "realist" book, and appealed to any age, and was a weird tale with supernatural elements and a knowledge of natural and human history and cultures were to some of us FEATURES, not bugs...
I then watched with apprehension as he rewrote it more than anyone I ever knew rewrote anything, fearing he would lose the magic as he refined and "densified" the language-- see Hopkins ref above. At one time I think I had three versions in my computer! And against all odds it kept getting better.
Finally he sent it to editor Allen Jones at Bangtail, a small quality press in Montana-- and...Allen GOT it! He not only loved it and edited with a light hand-- he connected Tom with the perfect artist, Wyoming- based Joel Ostlund, whose daughter had actually studied the beast in Asia.
What else can I say-- run, don't walk, buy it, and buy more for friends. Click or right click image below to see it big- it is worth it.
Can't wait to read this one, thank you Steve! Your description of the writing gives me shivers. The art is lovely, but you make the writing sound sublime. Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a book right up my alley(or perhaps I should say well within my mountains....)--BUT, dang, it's kinda pricey, ain't it? Peasant-that-I-am, I'll try and wait awhile, and hopefully pick up a bit cheaper used copy one of these days......L.B.
ReplyDeleteSmaller publishers often publish the best, most heartfelt work. But they are small, so prices are higher than perhaps they might be if published by Norton or such. Think of it as supporting both a brilliant writer AND a small-town business and it's a win-win. This one is only $16.95, about the cost of four lattes at the local coffee house. Or get it on a digital device for only $9.95.
ReplyDeleteGirl, you iz talkin' to summbody that ain't never, ever, HAD a "late'"! An whut tha heck iz uh "digital device"??? I DO agree with the whole idea of support for small publishers/good writers, but still haveta "save-up" for a book that expensive!! Another descision that has to be made by "finacially challenged" individuals like me is--do I get this ONE novel for what is going to cost OVER $20 bux(with that shipping and all)--OR do I get SEVERAL other books I've been wanting longer for the same price? Regardless, I bet I DO get this one eventually--a book from a snow leopard's perspective is NOT something I want to miss!....L.B.
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