Escape from Athabasca: A Collection of Short Stories and Poems deals with a wide range of themes taken from everyday life. The book describes life as a complex mix of the mundane and the extraordinary. Would it be a big surprise to hear about how someone who has never flown a plane before managing to fly one with great success? While some of the stories and poems in the book deal with domestic issues, others highlight the importance of friendship, risks and dangers in space travel, or even the impact of virtual game shows on young people. Just because we live secure lives far away from conflict zones, it doesnt mean we are shielded from the possibility of a nuclear war. The poems in this book provide a poetical rendition of a world that is sometimes offset by bereavement and, at other times, the comicality of a roadside barber trimming and shaving the hair of his clients, unperturbed by a disturbed world that rushes by.
About the author
Rodrick Rajive Lal is the author of ‘Dew Drops: A Collection of Poems’, ‘The Andromeda Connection’, ‘A Journey in Time’ (a collection of short stories), and the science fiction romance novel ‘The Other Side of Love: Beyond A Shadow of Doubt’. He is a vociferous reader and a keen observer who likes describing stories that draw inspiration from the myriad hues of life. Born in Addis Abeba, the capital city of Ethiopia, he now lives with his wife and two daughters in Gurgaon (Delhi NCR), India, and teaches English to high school students.