AGAINST HEAVEN'S HAND

A plane crashes in the wilds of the Northwest; there are seven survivors- all blind""- this disaster prone situation once given is pursued at defiant odds. Mark Larsen assumes leadership of the group whose original destination was a Braille convention; he mobilizes them into action- slow progress along a river bed, but they are further handicapped by a Mrs. Kovak who is not only pregnant but imminent. Then there are temperamental trouble zones: Alex Swain is dangerous, Max Rhode lecherous, and there is the lovely Debby with whom Larsen falls in love. They make slow headway and there are many incidents: food is stolen; one member gets lost; they must deliver Mrs. Kovak's baby; they come up against rattlesnakes, buzzards, a wolf and a bear; and finally there is a deadfall to be crossed. It is however Larsen's faith and courage which save them but not the day. Mr. Bishop has imposed on an area which is more vulnerable than his readers are likely to prove. They will see right through this- a melodrama of agony tinted with evangelical ecstasy. His style, as such, is emphatic.