Beside a Burning Sea - by John Shors (Paperback)

About the Book

From a master storyteller (Amy Tan) and author of "Beneath a Marble Sky" comes a new novel that follows a man and a woman from separate worlds, as the barbarity of war looms in the distance.

Book Synopsis

From the author of Beneath a Marble Sky comes an inspiring new novel of a man and a woman from different worlds whose love is put to the ultimate test as they struggle to survive an extraordinary set of circumstances.

View our feature on John Shors' Beside a Burning Sea.

One moment, the World War II hospital ship Benevolence is patrolling the South Pacific on a mission of mercy--to save wounded American soldiers. The next, Benevolence is split in two by a torpedo, killing almost everyone on board. A small band of survivors, including an injured Japanese soldier and a young American nurse whom he saves from drowning, makes it to the deserted shore of a nearby island.

Akira has suffered five years of bloodshed and horror fighting for the Japanese empire. Now, surrounded by enemies he is supposed to hate, he instead finds solace in their company--and rediscovers his love of poetry. While sharing the mystery and beauty of this passion with Annie, the captivating but tormented woman he rescued, Akira grapples with the pain of his past while helping Annie uncover the promise of her future. Meanwhile, the remaining castaways endure a world not of their making--a world as barbaric as it is beautiful, as hateful as it is loving.

With the blend of epic storytelling and emotional intensity that distinguishes him as a unique talent, John Shors reveals a powerful story of redemption focusing on unlikely lovers, heroes and villains, and war-torn countries--all, in their own ways, fighting to survive.

Review Quotes

?From page one of "Beside A Burning Sea," you know you are in the hands of a master storyteller. This novel has the aura of the mythic, the magical, and that which is grounded in history. Shors weaves psychological intrigue by looking at his characters? competing desires: love, revenge, and meaning. Both lyrical and deeply imaginative.?
?Amy Tan, Author of "The Joy Luck Club"
?Shors? sophomore effort (following "Beneath a Marble Sky"), set on an island in the South Pacific during three weeks in 1942, features achingly lyrical prose, even in depicting the horrors of war. After a U.S. hospital ship is torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese, a handful of survivors struggle for survival on a remote island. They include the captain and an officer; a Japanese prisoner, Akira, and two ship's nurses he saved (one of them the captain's wife); and the ship's engineer, who saves a Fijian stowaway, Rat u. Akira, a college professor pressed into service, is haunted by what he saw, did, andi

aFrom page one of "Beside A Burning Sea," you know you are in the hands of a master storyteller. This novel has the aura of the mythic, the magical, and that which is grounded in history. Shors weaves psychological intrigue by looking at his charactersa competing desires: love, revenge, and meaning. Both lyrical and deeply imaginative.a
aAmy Tan, Author of "The Joy Luck Club"
aShorsa sophomore effort (following "Beneath a Marble Sky"), set on an island in the South Pacific during three weeks in 1942, features achingly lyrical prose, even in depicting the horrors of war. After a U.S. hospital ship is torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese, a handful of survivors struggle for survival on a remote island. They include the captain and an officer; a Japanese prisoner, Akira, and two shipas nurses he saved (one of them the captainas wife); and the shipas engineer, who saves a Fijian stowaway, Rat u. Akira, a college professor pressed into service, is haunted by what he saw, did, and didnat do at Nanking. Jake, the engineer, is a black farmer who sees in Ratu the son he never had. Ratu adds a colorful combination of winsome bravado, humor and childish fear; each main character is similarly well-rounded, excepting the single-minded traitor among them, unsuspected by his fellow castaways. Shors pays satisfying attention to class and race dynamics, as well as the tension between wartime enemies. The survivorsa dignity, quiet strength and fellowship make this a magical read.a
a "Publishers Weekly"
Praise for Shorsa debut "BENEATH A MARBLE SKY":
aJahanara is a beguiling heroine whom readers will come to love; none of todayas chick-lit heroines can match her dignity, fortitude andcunning...Elegant, often lyrical, writing distinguishes this literary fiction from the genre known as historical romance. It is truly a work of art, rare in a debut novel.a
"The Des Moines Register"
aAn exceptional work of fiction...A gripping account.a
a"India Post"
aAgreeably colorful...[with] lively period detail and a surfeit of villains.a
a"Kirkus Reviews"
aHighly recommended...A thrilling tale [that] will appeal to a wide audience.a
a"Library Journal"
aAn absorbing novel about the extremes of passionawith much relevance for our own time.a
a"Rocky Mountain News"
aAs luminous a jewel as any that adorn the Taj Mahalas walls.a
a "ForeWord"

a[A] spirited debut novel...With infectious enthusiasm and just enough careful attention to detail, Shors gives a real sense of the times, bringing the world of imperial Hindustan and its royal inhabitants to vivid life.a
a"Publishers Weekly"
aJahanara is a beguiling heroine whom readers will come to love; none of todayas chick-lit heroines can match her dignity, fortitude and cunning...Elegant, often lyrical, writing distinguishes this literary fiction from the genre known as historical romance. It is truly a work of art, rare in a debut novel.a
"The Des Moines Register"
aAn exceptional work of fiction...A gripping account.a
a"India Post"
aAgreeably colorful...[with] lively period detail and a surfeit of villains.a
a"Kirkus Reviews"
aHighly recommended...A thrilling tale [that] will appeal to a wide audience.a
a"Library Journal"
aAn absorbing novel about the extremes of passionawith much relevance for our own time.a
a"Rocky Mountain News"
aAs luminous a jewel as any that adorn the Taj Mahalas walls.a
a "ForeWord"

About the Author

John Shors traveled extensively throughout Asia after graduating from Colorado College in 1991, living for several years in Japan, where he taught English, and then trekking across the continent, visiting ten countries and climbing the Himalayas. More recently, Mr. Shors worked as a newspaper reporter in his hometown, Des Moines, Iowa, before entering public relations and moving to Boulder, Colorado. Beneath a Marble Sky is his first novel.