The unexpected loss of a parent can shatter a young life. Suddenly a child can find itself thrust into the role of an adult. A whole new world is opened up, one that is full of surprises and grief.

One such victim of this cruel twist of fate was Wiley O'Mara. He was the twelve year old son of Vail O'Mara, who fished for a living when he was not drinking. Wiley could not understand why God chose to take his mother from him, as she was still young.

The family lived a hard life in a little fishing village on the coast of an island. Disaster had come to the island in the form of a virulent fever. It spared no one with the loss of life in the village being great.

A father with a vile temper fed by alcohol is of little use in a crisis. Wiley tended to his mother's needs during her last days on earth. His father did nothing for the woman he professed to love.

Wiley needed to see that his mother was buried in the proper manner as the village custom required. As the village priest also died from the fever, he needed to go to the next village to get one. This would trigger off a strange chain of events in worlds thousands of years apart.

It would take him to places and see creatures that only appear in other children's dreams. His purpose was to bring knowledge to the island about its past and to reconcile his parents in the afterworld. It was indeed a challenge that would tax all of his mental and physical resources.

The author has created a novel for young readers that has an interesting twist. It is a puzzle woven into the storyline. The symbolic nature of the answer will test the power of young enquiring minds.

A technique not seen often in a young reader's novel is the use of double spaced lines. This gives the presentation of the text an open uncluttered look. This is bound to appeal to the audience it is aimed at.

The story is full of action and mythical creatures. It flows quite well and always entertains. ""The Fisherman's Son"" is a book well worth reading.