Journey Great Barrier Reef
An Adventure Novel Set in Australia
By Rosemary Patterson, Ph.D.

      Journey Great Barrier Reef takes a look at racial tensions between Aborigines and the White people of Australia. Dr. Rebecca Nelson is an Aborigine marine biologist who heads up a circumnavigation of Australia. Along the way, the crew is hit by a bishop's severe seasickness and threats of cyanide poisoning. There is also an onboard romance for Rebecca.

      The characters of Rebecca and the other crewmembers are developed enough for the reader to enjoy them and not become lost. The plot seems realistic and does not the leave the reader confused about what is going on. The development of the huge fish kill due to cyanide and Rebecca's attempts to study it show the reader that politics can be involved everywhere.

     The politics do not overtake the enjoyment of the book but do have an important reason to be there. The descriptions of the environment could be a little bit more developed to show the reader exactly what Rebecca and her crew is seeing but the reader is aware of what the characters are seeing.