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The Marlin

Joseph Riden

Five Star Review on Goodreads.com

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"The Marlin" is a memoir story of about 3,800 words set in the mid-1980's. Some names were changed but all the rest is completely factual. It's about a couple in their thirties who loved to fish and cruise in the Pacific Ocean on their Grand Banks 32, a classic, trawler-style, wooden yacht. They lived in Southern California, where surrounding waters of the blue Pacific offered them great satisfaction in their leisure interests. They would fish year-round and enjoy cruising to surrounding, offshore islands. As the summer months unfurled each year, Evan and Jess spent most of their time on their boat Tin Hau, fishing and cruising the coastal region near San Diego when they weren't working their jobs or maintaining the boat. On the particular day of this story, they encountered an astonishing surprise; one that challenged them to the limit but would prove quite rewarding if they could prevail with Fate's summons. Odds were against them all the way. This is the story of how that day unfurled as they took the challenge, stood up to the difficulties and dangers, and fought to win with all the strength and wit they could muster. It was high adventure on the sea.

This story was originally published solo but then rewritten as the first chapter in Sea Goddess. Read the original story now to find out how it went and how it turned out, given all the problems they faced. Available on Amazon.com as a Kindle ebook HERE.

The Marlin was reviewed by Author J.R. Alcyone, on Goodreads.com:

“This is a creative non-fiction piece written as a short story about a couple on a wooden trawler boat, Tin Hau, in the Pacific Ocean. In terms of style, pace, and format, the piece is written as a classic short story.

Any story about ocean fishing and marlins will invariably invite parallels and comparisons to Hemingway's classic, "The Old Man and the Sea." This story compares very favorably to Hemingway's novel. The prose is crisp and sharp, making for a deceptively quick read, and the dialogue and characters are well-crafted, particularly for a short story. The prose is descriptive without ever turning purple; the characters stay true in their introspection and thoughts about what occurs during the story.

Recommended to fans of excellent creative non-fiction; those who enjoyed "The Old Man and the Sea;" anyone looking to spend time with an excellent short story which features crisp prose, solid characters, and good dialogue.”