The Sun is God
Following a horrific massacre of African civilians, military policeman William Prior has had quite enough of the world. He contrives to get himself kicked out of the British Army and in 1906 retires early to remote German New Guinea. When a man from a colony of nudist sun-worshipers dies under mysterious circumstances, the authorities press Prior into service to investigate. At first, the nudists are as open and friendly as one would imagine naked people to be. They eat only coconuts, drink large quantities of opiate, and lay out in the sun for hours. But as Prior and his German partner continue their investigation, it becomes apparent that the nudists will do almost anything to protect their strange community from outside interference.
McKinty captures the other-worldliness of the “cocovore” colony with tight, sharp strokes. If only these poor free souls had chosen a more hospitable spot, or varied their diet; according to the author’s notes the real-life colony died out after a few years due to malaria and malnutrition. Through Prior’s opium-addled eyes we descend into the “heart of darkness” and return, not entirely unscathed. I particularly enjoyed the relationships between the former English officer and his companions: strait-laced Captain Klaus Kessler, who struts around the jungle capably, if improbably in cavalry boots, and a Miss Pullen-Burry who goes quite, quite native yet saves the day in the end. Recommended.
