And worth reading

Being an eager and frequent visitor to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I was surprised to discover that by 2036, it has apparently lost its wilderness status and is being inhabited by suspect characters such as the unkempt and freakishly appendaged John Osborne.  As I ventured farther into The Northland Chronicles I overcame my initial surprise and fully enjoyed this fast-paced, light-hearted sci-fi/action thriller.  Osborne, a man with a mysterious military past and a newly attached bionic arm, is alone and destitute after losing his family in the 2027 devastation of Earth’s population.  He drifts from Maine to sparsely populated northern Minnesota where we first encounter him delivering frontier justice to some very deserving patrons in Franco’s Saloon.  Here, too, we first meet the enigmatic Aristotle – a strong-willed, philosophy-reading, pistol-toting young woman who is not afraid to stand up to Osborne.  As the Northland Chronicles unfolds, it serves up a full platter of adventure and intriguing characters, including the sinister and malevolent General, who knows more about Osborne’s past than Osborne himself.     In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess that I know Henry Olsen quite well.  We are from the same small town–Black Earth, WI.  For many years we lived on the same block.  In fact, we lived in the same house.  Well, okay, I’m actually Henry’s father.  But don’t let my admittedly favorable bias keep you from enjoying a fun and fanciful read – The Northland Chronicles.