Ring of Fire by Tanyo Ravicz begins when Prince Tariq from Islamic Rahman wants to go hunt brown bears in Alaska. The Prince arrives in the United States with his entourage and two US Secret Service agents to Hank Waters’ lodge. Waters is a former US Navy pilot who makes his living with his resort and as a hunting guide to wealthy people that have the desire to hunt bear in the Alaskan frontier. From the very beginning the unruly entourage showed complete disregard for any laws and total disrespect for the wild animals, as well as Waters’ crew. This sets the tone for the days to come.
Ravicz presents the reader with a unique novella, and in the middle of the wilderness the protagonist will struggle with the principles of right and wrong as he faces unscrupulous men who are much accustomed to using and abusing their power. He does a great job taking the reader through Waters’ moral dilemma as he tries to accommodate the guests until the completion of the hunting expedition. Ravicz is most certainly a master with his descriptions of settings, as well as action, taking the reader far away, and depositing them deep into the Alaskan wilderness landscape for a fascinating hunting adventure.
I found the characters to feel very real, provoking intense dislike for some, which made me identify even more with Hank Waters and his crew. I enjoyed the hunting scenes so much so that I would have liked more of them, or that at least they would have lasted longer. I appreciated the plot and the message that Ravicz was sharing through the story as well, but still would have loved to stay longer in the actual hunt.
In general, I found Ring of Fire by Tanyo Ravicz to be a well written moral conflict story that will move the reader to evaluate themselves through Waters’ experience. This book is for those who enjoy thought provoking fiction that tests the human moral code, and compares cultural differences.