
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 15, 1990                   TAG: 9004150318
SECTION: HORIZON                    PAGE: F-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Reviewed by LARRY SHIELD
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BOOKS IN BRIEF

On the flyleaf of "Stone Junction," Jim Dodge writes, "This book is a work of fiction. FICTION. Believe otherwise at your own peril." This novel is so seductive that the disclaimer is almost required. The characters and incidents, imaginative and fantastic as they are, beg the reader to accept the incredible reality described.

Reminiscent of Robert Heinlein's classic fantasy "Stranger in a Strange Land," "Stone Junction" relates the story of Daniel Pierce from his conception in 1966 Iowa to his disappearance in a Nevada desert 22 years later. Daniel's education is supervised by the Alliance of Magicians and Outlaws, an underground organization dedicated to battling greed and keeping alive the ancient truths of magic and alchemy.

When Daniel's mother is killed during an attempt to steal plutonium needed for alchemical investigations, Daniel is taken underground by the AMO and given experiences ranging from growing high-grade marijuana to playing high-stakes Lo-Ball poker. All his life experiences are channeled by the AMO toward the theft of a mysterious spherical diamond purported to have unlimited spiritual powers. Daniel, however, plans on using his powers to find the person responsible for the death of his mother. Using his hard-learned skill of material vanishing, he liberates the diamond. In a cross-country trek, Daniel learns the power of the diamond and through it, the metaphysical reason for his existence.

The book is well written and the characters are believable. The plot moves swiftly without sacrificing character exposition. After finishing "Stone Junction," I really wished the AMO existed. The world envisioned by Jim Dodge is a better place for its fictional presence.

Counterattack By W.E.B. Griffin. Putnam's. $16.95.

While reading "Counterattack," the reader is forced to make comparisons to the battle narratives in Herman Wouk's "War and Remembrance." Both novels begin with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Both move the reader into strategy conferences through the use of a fictional participant who happens to be present when all important military decisions are made. Both show the human frailties of military heroes portrayed larger than life in more flattering biographies.

Griffin's fiction surpasses Wouk's when his characters become involved in the mud, bullets, smell and fear of war. The realism of Griffin's prose exalts the pageantry of war while never forgetting the tremendous human cost paid by its participants.

This is the third novel in a series called The Corps - a view of the Marine Corps and its relationship with the other uniformed services. This one ends with the successful amphibious invasion of Guadalcanal. If "Counterattack" is representative of Griffin's storytelling, the first two novels, and the next one,must be read.

Cousteau: The Captain and his World By Richard Munson. Morrow. $19.95.

In this well-documented biography, Richard Munson introduces the reader to Capt. Jacques Cousteau - not the red-capped master of oceans and public relations, but the secretive director of a scientific multinational conglomerate who has shaped environmental thought for more than 30 years.

Since the release of his Academy Award-winning film "The Silent World" in 1955, Cousteau has used motion picture and TV documentaries to keep his name and world vision before the public. He has parlayed his name and personal charisma into an empire of 16 corporations spanning two continents, seven nations and five oceans.

What is most fascinating about this book is the contrast between the thoughts and actions of the private Cousteau. Publicly, Cousteau decries pollution of the oceans. Privately, he accepts commissions from oil companies to search for petroleum reserves worldwide. Publicly, Cousteau extols the intelligence of whales. Privately, he harpoons and captures them in order to stage interesting film scenes. Publicly, Cousteau praises the innate intelligence of the dolphin. Privately, he captures and harasses one to death trying to teach it activities useful for his film.

The public Cousteau is the omnibenevolent grandfather of all the world. The private Cousteau is a man driven toward a perfection only visible to himself. Fortunately for the environmental movement, Cousteau's flaws reflect only on himself.

by CNB