Readable Novel

On New Guinea

Patrol Officers

Although another novel abou New Guinea patrol officers migh well fill one with justifiable fore boding, The Far Side of the Sky

by Maslyn Williams, turns oul

in fact, to be a distinctly read able story that stands on its owi merits.

The Williams prose-style, beinj naturally on the rich side, fits th novel form better than some of th factual stories that he has ahead; written, and his characterisation I generally very good.

Because it seems to be inescapabl in this day and age, there is a fai slice of soul-searching among th four white characters in the story or “examination of motives an justifications” as it is called; an there is a great deal of abstrac thought attributed to the primitiv villagers who form the metaphorical and sometimes actual, opposin forces—and this is sometimes fa from believable.

Nonetheless, on the whole, evei hard-bitten New Guinea old-hand will find only a minor amount t< cavil about in this novel.

Convincing characters

Of the four white men in the storj the most important is Marshall, ai Assistant District Officer, an ex perienced field officer who manage to combine convincingly a superiont; complex about his work, a send mental attachment to the countr and its people, a perpetual “cross 1 against those in authority but pleasun when they recognise his expertise an< reputation. He is married but wedde( to his job; his wife remains in Sydne] and as a husband he is rated wa] down the ladder.

The others are Korbin, a not-quite qualified European doctor who work as a European Medical Assistant Scully, a young patrol-officer of ex emplary toughness and enterprise wh( is occasionally troubled by the fac that while last on leave in Sydnel he slept with Marshall’s wife; and finally, Father Herschell, an America® linguist, who provides the reasons for much of the tension in the novel anc also its climax.

Marshall, Scully and Korbin are

paring to set out into unexplored □ntain country on a two-montlis’ rol to bring the last of the primi people into contact with goveru it when Marshall is instructed that / will be accompanied by a holic priest, an internationally •wn expert whose visit is spon ;d by UNESCO. larshall is annoyed. What idiocy, thinks, to let an inexperienced, nown new chum go piddling about uistically among savages who ild as soon stave in a head as c at you. An academician! Worse priest who would without doubt useless in all practical matters, •sentminded, wearing spectacles when not in the way, would al s be sneaking off secretly to f. n A the same time Marshall was tsed that he, Marshall, had been irded as suffiicently skilled to lead party into unknown territory and the same time protect such a ility. ather Herschell, for his part, turns much as expected. The walking ost kills him, he is terrified most he time, not only of the country of being terrified. He has little in mon with the other three. And nays, secretly and otherwise. For of the time, however, he can himself in his work—recording age words, of strange languages, is Father Herschell’s recordings put an end to the patrol and limself,—JT.

He Far Side Op The Sky.

hire. $3.25.)