Weekly Reader: Offset Children of the Gulf Written by Delvin Howell Illustrated by Hans Steinbach; Despite Some Flaws, An Excellent Continuation to Bimshire's Legendary Heroes and Villains

 Weekly Reader: Offset Children of the Gulf Written by Delvin Howell Illustrated by Hans Steinbach; Despite Some Flaws, An Excellent Continuation to Bimshire's Legendary Heroes and Villains

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: When last we left the island of Barbados AKA Bimshire in Delvin Howell and Hans Steinbach's Offset: Mask of the Bimshire, Kyle Harding studied a form of martial arts that uses a sugar cane as a weapon.

With his new friend, Damien Collins and a group of friends and family members including his kid brother, Damien, Kyle had to face human gangs and various monsters from Bajan myths. Most frightening of this rogue's gallery is the Heart Man, a man transformed into a creature who removes hearts from his victims and Mrs. Pringle, a witch who transformed and controlled the Heart Man.

In the second volume, Children of the Gulf one year has gone by. Kyle and the others are trying to adjust to a normal life. But now some potentially supernatural events such as someone disappearing into thin air and Kyle being attacked by invisible enemies suggest that Bimshire's legendary monsters have returned to fight Kyle, "The Inheritor." Kyle has to fight both human and supernatural enemies while Collins and young Damien have their own encounters that set their own fates and destinies. Kyle also receives some unlikely help from Sniper, a former enemy to face the latest group of villains.

The Mask of Bimshire is a great volume. Children of the Gulf however is good but not great. It has some great terrifying moments and many of the characters, particularly the supporting ones, receive more depth and twists in their individual paths. However, it stumbles particularly with antagonists who are not as interesting or as memorable as those in the previous volume. Perhaps The Mask of Bimshire's excellence is a detriment to Children of the Gulf. The first volume left such a memorable impression that its successor either had to match it or falter. Unfortunately, in this case it pales in comparison.

In this volume, the supporting characters really shine through when their own paths are revealed. Collins discovers that his chance meeting and friendship with Kyle might not be coincidental after all when he is recruited by a secret organization known as the canecutters and is taught abilities that could help Kyle or cause him even more trouble. Their divergent paths may pit Kyle and Collins against each other.

Sniper, an antagonist from the first volume, shows some depth and vulnerability in this volume, saving Kyle a couple of times and questioning his life as a pelt-ing (a gang member that throws bottles at victims). He seems to emerge as an anti-hero and potential frienemy of Kyle's. Sniper could end up becoming a potential future sidekick if Kyle and Collins end up at odds. Sniper's trajectory is good, but Collins is a great character and his and Kyle's friendship is one of the highlights of the series. It's just a possibility hanging in the air.

Damien Harding however has a more potentially disturbing development. He is also being noticed by the dark spirits and they see potential in him. Damien is also going through a rebellious questioning phase against Damien and their guardian, Mr. Beckles. Damien begins meeting the spirits in secret and appears to be starting a darker nature. We could see the young boy develop as a potential villain selling his soul to the darkness around him. There is a potentially terrifying future for this young man.

Unfortunately, because the supporting characters are built up more in this volume, it emphasizes more how bland a lead Kyle is. There is one great moment when he reunites with a relative and instead of greeting them with a warm hug, he lets them have it for this destiny that Kyle ended up inheriting that he didn't ask for, wasn't consulted on until he was left alone to deal with it, and puts him and his friends in constant trouble.

However, except for this moment, Kyle does very little except fight villains. It was like once his hero story was revealed, there was little left for him to do, so instead the other characters got built up.

Kyle isn't the only character who is a distinct letdown. The villains are nowhere near as developed as The Heart Man and Mrs. Pringle in The Mask of Bimshire. For the most part these villains are practically interchangeable and their backstory isn't as compelling as The Heart Man's bargain with Mrs. Pringle in the previous volume. There are some pretty creepy moments when some sinister little spirits called the baku demand payment. But they aren't as memorable as the Heart Man's terrifying transformation from regular guy to heart stealing monster.

Also, this volume does a major misstep in failing to recognize a regular primary antagonist in Mrs. Pringle. She was a sinister delight pulling the strings behind the Heart Man's actions and viewed Kyle as an "Inheritor" and worthy opponent. Unfortunately, she is removed anticlimactically and her full potential is never realized. 

While there is some supernatural presence throughout this volume, it mostly remains in the shadows and isn't fully involved in the characters which means the dark and light magic in the previous book gives way to more physical action fights which are nowhere near as compelling or entertaining as they were before. That could be the point as the real villains may be saved for next time. But these antagonists are pretty lackluster.

Sometimes the second volume in a book series has greater characterization by developing the characters' journeys and widening the ensemble. Sometimes it has a weaker plot because it contains repetitive fights and little resolution to be saved for the next volume. In Children of the Gulf's case it has both: better development but a weaker plot and antagonists. That averages out to okay but could be much better. At the least the flaws aren't large enough to get in the way of good expectations for volume three.

Weekly Reader Offset: The Mask of Bimshire Written by Delvin Howell Illustrated by Hans Steinbach; Graphic and Mystical Trip Into The World of Caribbean Myth and Legends

 Weekly Reader Offset: The Mask of Bimshire Written by Delvin Howell Illustrated by Hans Steinbach; Graphic and Mystical Trip Into The World of Caribbean Myth and Legends 

By Julie Sara Porter

Spoilers: And we're back in the Caribbean though not looking at its history this time. This time we are focusing on modern day with a fantasy that centers around legendary characters native to the islands.

Caribbean Literature is a trend right now. One article, "The Rise of Caribbean Literature:Trends and Influences" by Sounds and Colors speculates that Readers and authors are looking for escapism as well as stories of survival, endurance, and exile. With the Caribbean islands' history of migration, slavery, and fights for independence as well as the colorful cultures of art, music, literature, myths, and legends, this is definitely an area worthy of exploration.

Offset: The Mask of Bimshire Written by Delvin Howell and Illustrated by Hans Steinbach is a mystical contemporary fantasy set in Barbados, also known as Bimshire, and involves a teenager's encounter with various creatures and characters from Barbadian or Bajan myths and legends.

Kyle Harding, has been orphaned and he and his younger brother, Damian are left in the care of their guardian, Mr. Beckles. Kyle has been studying a martial art that had been passed down through Bimshire since the days of colonialism when former slaves and local people practiced it to defend themselves from the colonists. It's a fighting style that implements a long sugarcane as a weapon. There are very few who practice it and Kyle is one of those few. However, he is helped by his new friend Damian Collins, a Rastafarian. Kyle uses his art in defending himself from bullies and thieves, like the Pel-tings, gangs who throw bottles as weapons. However, there are many worse things out there in the night that he has to defend himself, his friends, and family from. Things like a masked wraith that appears with the sound of a flute and dust not blood emerges from its body, an apparition that rips hearts from living people, and a seemingly sweet old woman with a lot of tremendous magical power and a sinister nature hidden behind her kindly facade.

Offset is clearly inspired by superhero comics and Japanese manga with the illustrations and the story of an ordinary boy with tremendous power who uses that power to fight evil. However, the Barbados setting and the use of characters and creatures specifically known to that island makes it a story of its own. 

The storyline is the basic one of the ordinary hero using his extraordinary powers and fighting evil forces that he thought were only fantasy stories. Kyle is somewhat bland as a lead character, but he has some impressive fights against his enemies. He is also protective of Damian and strives to defend him from the monsters that are all too real. In fact, many of his scenes with Damian show a surrogate parent-child relationship that evolved since the loss of their parents.

Kyle's friend Collins is a bit of a scene stealer. After he introduces himself to Kyle, he cements their friendship by…challenging him to a fight. (Bros forever right?) Then when he is convinced of Kyle's abilities, he acts as his sidekick and hypeman. Sometimes he and Kyle have to fight the dark spirits during what should be a fun night of clubbing with some attractive girls. Kyle emerges as a hero who knows that a regular life is denied him and Collins knows that it's his job to help his friend understand and use his powers. 

What makes this book stand out is the setting and the legendary characters that inhabit it. Howell really understands the country that he writes about from the history to the culture. Even the dialect is brilliantly evocative. ("Hey she mussy did want some of that King Sugar!") This writing makes Barbados as much a character as the people who live in it.

Barbados' legendary characters are also impressive. There are appearances of the Shaggy Bears, sinister little creatures who dance to their own beat and fight whoever is near them and the Steel Donkey, a large donkey covered in chains that throws rock stones on rooftops and sets fires to cane grounds. Their humorous names hide their fearsome and troublemaking intentions.

By far the most interesting antagonists are also the scariest: The Heart Man and his practitioner. The Heart Man roams the streets at night grabbing unsuspecting victims and removing their hearts. He's a terrifying creature that comes from the lowest depths of one's nightmares. He's the childhood monster in the closet come to life and because he's made of childhood and ancestral fears, that makes him more powerful. 

In the middle of the book, the Heart Man's story is revealed. He was once a human being who was injured because of a rival workmate. His hatred and desire for revenge fueled him as he found himself bound to a bargain in which he is healed and given immense strength but must take lives. He is also given an insatiable need, pain, and hunger that fuel his desire to collect those hearts.

Of course the Heart Man didn't get that way on his own and herein lies the most sinister character of all: Ms. Pringle. Okay, despite the innocuous name and the fact that she looks like a sweet old lady, the type who wears long dresses, spends time in her garden, and gossips with her friends in the market, she is anything but. Ms. Pringle describes herself as a practitioner, one who practices the Dark Arcs (magic). She casts spells on others for a price. She basically owns those she blesses or curses, particularly The Heart Man who she takes a sadistic delight in controlling. 

She is similar to the houngan in Haitian folklore who raises zombies from the dead and controls them. Ms. Pringle restored the Heart Man's health and now he owes her.

While the Heart Man is physically scary and is meant to be, Ms. Pringle reveals another truth. Sometimes the darkest most frightening hearts are in the people that we know, the ones we pass by every day. She is so scary because she appears not to be. You don't know what to make of her until it's too late. She is the center of the dark things that are happening and she has her sights set on Kyle whom she dubs "The Inheritor." They are on opposing sides and use all of their strength and power to prepare for a fight.

Steinbach's illustrations help propel the book. With plenty of shading and stark black and white coloring, it's clear that Steinbach gave his work a timeless sense of dark action with characters that hide in and out of the shadows. The characters' appearances definitely show a strong Japanese manga influence which Offset in plot and theme is somewhat similar to. Perhaps the illustrations could have shown a more Caribbean artform but the mixed style in drawings reveal the universal themes of good vs. evil and holding onto and believing in the regional legends and stories.

Offset Mask of Bimshire is a great trip exploring Bajan myths and legends. If one is familiar with the legends, it's like catching up to some old friends, some might be frightening friends but friends nonetheless. For first timers, it will introduce them to a new cast of interesting creatures and the stories in which they inhabit.

New Book Alert: Ginger Star: A Prequel (Stuck in the Onesies Series Book Three) by Diane McDonough; Gender and Racial Conflicts Surround 18th Jamaica Historical Fiction

 New Book Alert: Ginger Star: A Prequel (Stuck in the Onesies Series Book Three) by Diane McDonough; Gender and Racial Conflicts Surround 18th Jamaica Historical Fiction 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: It's becoming common for me to review two or more books on the same subject. This year alone I have read books about ballet, books set in 2040 California, books in which characters have the ability of lucid dreaming, and fantasies involving magical creatures and beings from countries other than the United States and  those in Europe. It's still rare however when I read two or more historical fiction by different authors that are set at the exact same time frame and feature the exact same historical figures. In recent years, I remember Mistress Suffragette by Diana Forbes and Gilded Summer (Newport's Gilded Age Series Book One) by Donna Russo Morin being one set and Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan and Lady Be Good: The Life and Times of Dorothy Hale by Pamela Hamilton being another. Well now I have another: the early years of the 18th century Caribbean seen through the words of Katie Crabb's Constellation Trilogy and Diane McDonough's Ginger Star: A Prequel Stuck in the Onesies Book Three.

 Both feature sailors, pirates, the slave trade, and both involve characters questioning and rebelling against the standards of the day. They are so similar, that it really isn't fair to compare them. I am not accusing anyone of plagiarizing, just sometimes ideas strike more than one person at a time. 

There are some interesting aspects that each author focuses on. Both focus on the dehumanization of slavery but they also take different approaches on how others are treated. Crabb also writes about the struggles affecting gay men and lesbians in the 18th century and how they often had to conform to societal standards, exile themselves (in this series' case to the seas), or face imprisonment or death.

She takes some looks at gender roles and the status of women in this time period but it definitely is sidelined for the LGBT perspective.

McDonough however puts her emphasis on race and gender roles. Many slaves and free blacks made communities of their own despite threats from the approaching white slavers and colonials. The book also looks at the roles of women in this Caribbean society and how they also fight for their rights and independence.

The book begins with Amari, a young Ghanaian man in a friendly hunting competition. Unfortunately, he and his friend, Kwasi are kidnapped, taken to a slave ship, and then separated. Amari  is injured and cared for by Ronnie Shepherd, the cabin boy and an indentured servant. The two become friends and Amari learns that Ronnie has been keeping a secret. Ronnie is actually a woman disguised as a boy to escape a troubled abusive home life. When the two reach Jamaican shores, Amari rescues Ronnie from being raped and the two make their escape. They reach an estate where a wealthy woman, Adria, helps them hide and covers for them. Adria invites them to stay on her family's estate, Ginger Star. Unfortunately, she has a secret of her own. She's unmarried and pregnant. 

Since The Constellation Trilogy spends a lot of time at sea, the Reader doesn't really get to explore the beauty of the Jamaican island. McDonough more than makes up for that. Adria’s first description of Jamaica is beyond lovely. McDonough wrote, “Small white caps broke over the reef that was outside the cove. The sea went from royal blue to crystal-clear aqua as it closed in on the shoreline. (Adria’s) gaze landed across the cove on a waterfall that spilled into the sea with fresh water from one of the eight rivers in and near Ocho Rios.” The book also explores the local flora and fauna and the local names for them such as ginger star for heliconia and doctor bird for hummingbird. 

McDounough captures the contradictions of an island of immense beauty and the ugly times which occur there: the buying and selling of human beings, the theft of land and resources by outsiders unwilling to share them with the people who were there first, and the fact that those in authority are so willfully corrupt and ignorant to what’s happening around them that the only way to uphold true justice and liberty is to break the law and become a pirate.

McDonough creates some memorable characters who live on the different sides of the socioeconomic and racial scale that inhabit her settings and makes them real. They are more than just microcosms of their society but individuals that live within it. 

The four strongest and best characters in this book are Amari, Ronnie, Adria, and another character whom I will mention later. After he escapes. Amari joins the Maroon community of escaped slaves and indigenous Tainos. They fight against colonists and rebel against the white government that had been forced upon the island. Amari later marries, adopts a son, and becomes a leader of his community. Because he befriended Ronnie and Adria, he is able to be a bridge between the white and indigenous and black communities of the island and to achieve diplomacy in the Maroons’ desire for recognition and independence. Amari still fights against the slavers and colonists when he has to, but he is also willing to work with and talk to his white friends to encourage cooperation. Also, during this time, the Maroon community grows with more slaves leaving plantations to live lives of freedom in which they can declare their own agencies. 

Adria is on the side of those white colonists and she shows kindness and charity towards those around her, white, black, and indigenous. She is mostly sheltered and kept in a very restricted upper class home where she is expected to marry, have children, and lead the servants and household. Adria  is in a more vulnerable position than Ronnie or Amari and is unable to physically fight, but her strength is in her gentleness and generous spirit. One of her greatest moments occurs long after she gives birth and she is separated from her child. When she learns the whereabouts of her child, the Reader expects her to strike out angrily and accuse those around her of kidnapping them, even kidnapping the child herself. Instead she sees the little one is happy and well cared for. Even though she admits that she gave birth, the little one’s real parents are the ones who raised them. 

Ronnie is another one in a peculiar position that puts her between worlds. Even though she is a woman, she spent time working on ships so can see the pirate’s perspective. She reverts back to her female identity, works in a store and sees other women taking charge of their own destiny. As a former indentured servant, she saw first hand the abhorrent treatment that black slaves suffered and speaks against it even after she enters a romance with a white plantation owner. She retains her friendship with Amari and Adria and helps stand against the institution of slavery. She has survived on her own for a long time, so is very strong willed and knows her own mind.

As I mentioned this book is set during almost the exact same time span as The Constellation Trilogy and many of the historical real life figures appear in both, one in particular. While she is glimpsed very briefly in Sailing by Carina’s Star, she is an important figure in Ginger Star and takes part in the plot in a huge way. She is Anne Bonney, one of the few female pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy. In Ginger Star, she is a former friend of Ronnie’s who  encouraged the younger woman to follow her own path of donning men’s clothing and taking to the seas. 

One of the most interesting things about Bonney’s appearance in Ginger Star is that this book offers a few theories as to why she disappeared from history. In reality, her husband Calico Jack Rackham was executed and she was scheduled to be executed as well, but she claimed pregnancy so she was released. That was the last known record of her, no one knows where she went upon her escape, if she escaped, or when and where she died. Ginger Star cleverly fills those gaps by giving Bonney a more decisive end to her story while still being true to her crafty, adventurous, fighting spirit.

Ginger Star is a very different book from The Constellation Trilogy even though it covers the same time period. It captures great beauty in setting, ugliness in inhumanity, and courage and spirit in the various individuals that dwelled in that time and place. 

New Book Alert: Saint X by Alexis Schiatkin; Cause Celebre Crime Comes to Life in Fictional Caribbean Setting

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New Book Alert: Saint X by Alexis Schiatkin; Cause Celebre Crime Comes to Life in Fictional Caribbean Setting

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: There are certain true crime stories that we remember because of the intense media coverage. Names like Jaycee Duggard, Natalee Holloway, Elizabeth Smart, and Jonbenet Ramsey still get stuck in our minds. Terms like "Women in Jeopardy" or "Missing White Woman Syndrome" are used to describe these cases.

But what happens once the media circus is gone? The documentaries and movies have been filmed. The story gets trotted out once in awhile as a cautionary tale on the anniversary or a "where are they now" piece. What happens then?

These are the questions that are faced by the characters in Alexis Schiatkin's novel, Saint X. The murder of a young college student haunts family, friends, and the people who lived on the island where the murder happened. The characters have to fight through the public scrutiny and piece together their involvement in the murder and how their lives changed not only from the death but the suffocating publicity that came afterwards.


In the 1990's, Alison Thomas is visiting the fictitious Caribbean island of Saint X with her parents and younger sister, Claire. She and her family hang out at the beach, swim, play volleyball, and all of the other things that privileged white families do when they vacation on expensive islands filled with tourists and locals.

Alison sneaks out of the hotel to get high, dance, and have fun with the locals, all perfectly harmless until the last day of their vacation when Alison sneaks out and doesn't return. She is listed as a missing person and her disappearance receives a great deal of coverage. However, Alison's body turns up a few days later. Two Saint Xians, Edwin Hastie and Clive Richardson, who were the last to see Alison alive, are questioned and released. The case goes cold and remains unsolved as years go by.

Claire grows older, moves to New York City, and tries to put her past behind her. Her sister and the unanswered questions to her death continue to haunt Claire interfering with her attempts to get some hold onto her own life. Unfortunately, Claire has an encounter that forces her past forward. She catches a cab and is stunned to find that the driver is Clive Richardson, one of the Saint Xians who was the last to see Alison alive and was questioned about her death.


The book brims with sharp characterization and setting. It would be tempting to make this a fictionalized version of the Natalee Holloway story about the woman who went missing in Aruba. One way that Schiatkin does this is by creating a completely original setting so the novel is not pigeonholed by comparison with real life crimes. Saint X is solely created for the purpose of this novel.

That can be a slippery slope. The Saint Xians use pronuons "they," "he," "she," "I", or "we" in every instance instead of "him", "her," "them" etc. (For example, characters say "I gave it to he" instead of "I gave it to him.") In an era when a book like American Dirt exists and is the target of controversy, this can be somewhat jarring and could lead to uncomfortable accusations of stereotyping.

However, Schiatkin does a great job of describing the island itself with the flora, fauna, and topography. She makes the island come alive with description that activates the senses.

Not only the setting but Schiatkin considers such structures as the sociopolitical area, economic disparity, and race relations. This is particularly shown within the divide between the wealthy mostly white tourists and the impoverished black locals. Locals like Clive and Edwin have to live with abject poverty and a low employment outlook that causes many to leave the island. They barely tolerate the visitors who come expecting to be entertained and catch "the local experience" but depend on them for economic survival. So they bite their tongues and get to work with their wide and "Have a nice days" and "What can I get yous" while hiding exasperated eye rolls and sarcastic remarks. The young men like Edwin and Clive, can flirt with and romance the young visiting ladies as they do with Alison almost as a break from the hopelessness that they feel about their situation.

Alison is also looking to break her own tedium and feels ashamed at her privileged lifestyle. She bonds with Clive and Edwin out of boredom and to get away from the handsome Ivy Leaguers/College boys/MBA's at the hotel. She wants to experience real life outside of her comfort zone even if it's just as a tourist.


The crime aspect is top notch because Schiatkin focuses more on the aftermath rather than the crime itself. We get brilliant insights into what happens when a crime becomes a media frenzy. Claire despairs about the constant interview coverage and how the publicity was so intense that her family moved across the country.

Some humor is provided when Claire critiques a Lifetime Movie of the Week about her sister's murder. She mocks the loose party girl portrayal who was so different from the introspective woman that she knew. She also laughs at the obviouly evil hammy villain (called "Apollo") in the film. Despite the humor in the film, it is still a reminder of who her family lost. It's hard for Claire to move on when she is surrounded by constant reminders.


Schiatkin also writes how a crime affects many people involved, not just the victim, murderer, and their families. Throughout the book, multiple first person narratives are used from different characters who were at the hotel or were involved with either Alison, Clive, Edwin, or the investigation. We read this from people like the main investigator, Clive's girlfriend and her mother, and various witnesses such as a famous unnamed actor whose personal life made a steep downward descent since Alison's murder. Every person has their own separate story to tell, their own memories of the Thomas family, and their close proximity to what became a very newsworthy event. The characters's individualities come through in these chapters.





By far the strongest characters are Claire and Clive. Claire is someone who has physically grown older, but mentally and emotionally her development has arrested since those days at the beach. Her cell phone ring tone plays "Day O (The Banana Boat Song)", one of the songs that she heard during that fateful trip.

Claire works as an Assistant Editor for a publishing company that mostly specializes in True Crime books. While she claims that Alison's death has nothing to do with her current career choice, reading and editing books with similar stories to her sister's causes a lot of damage to her psyche especially when she reopens her own investigation into Alison's death. Claire has very few friends and no romantic ties. All she lives for are answers.

She even retains habits that she had as a child, particularly spelling words into the air with her finger. She tries to control that habit, but it is almost involuntary like she considers it communicating with her deceased sister. (In one eerie scene, another character recognizes her just from that habit.)

After Claire meets Clive, she ingratiates into his life by lying about her identity and faking a friendship with him just so she can finally get some final answers towards Alison's murder and whether Clive killed her. She has little regard for his feelings and whether she will hurt him. She doesn't even entertain the possibility that he might be innocent. She wants a confession from him and will sacrifice anything even her personal happiness and life to get it. Claire needs to receive closure towards her sister's death before she can move on.




Clive is also a fully realized character. His life was also shaped by Alison's disappearance and death. However, it doesn't define him as much as it does Claire. He is also driven by his economic situation and desires for a better life. He grew up in an impoverished village in Saint X. He had a childhood marked by unemployment, parental abandonment, and few opportunities. He is swept up by the schemes from his best friend, Edwin including drug dealing and romancing the wealthy female tourists.

Clive is also a father. His encounters with his young son and the boy's mother are some of the more moving passages in the entire book. He moves to New York, so he can make a life for himself and provide for the boy even if he doesn't get along with the boy's mother and maternal grandmother.

That's what makes Clive different from Claire. He has goals, ambitions, friends and family: things that Claire lacks because of her unwillingness to move on from Alison's death. As she stalks Clive, the Reader's sympathies change from the girl who misses her murdered sister to the man who befriends a potentially unstable stalker. We see that Claire and Clive are both damaged people and they both carry emotional scars from that day.




Saint X is a moving novel that asks to peer inside the media circus and see the individuals from within. Crime marked them, but it's the scrutiny, the loss, guilt, and questions that remain with them.