Jerre Tanner

Boy with Goldfish Jerre Tanner

BOY WITH GOLDFISH - a heroic fantasy for young adults based on ancient Hawaiian mythology Imagine an all-ocean world where there are no continents, only occasional and widely-spaced single islands. Imagine demigods creating these places from the mucky seabed, destined to then aimlessly float in the oceanic void where experimental scenarios unfold for their amusement. And think of a small child, naked and asleep, abandoned in a misty upland tropical forest, dreaming of a hero's quest but caught in the deities' caprice. Such is the fate of our hero, the Boy of the title. Of course, he is awakened and finds himself among friend and foe, the golden fish, dreaded dragons, hosts of mythical creatures on an island perhaps like modern-day Hawai'i. And what is our hero's fate? Well, one must take the journey with him to find out. Back in the early 1970s author/composer Tanner joined an artist and Hawaiian singing duo to create Boy with Goldfish, a unique collaboration of visual art and symphonic music taken from Hawaiian and other world mythologies. The premiere was part of the Honolulu Symphony's 1976 National Bicentennial observance. Three years later the music was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. Among the first digital recordings, its wide dynamic range and epic bass drum bashes attracted audiophiles, establishing it as a sonic benchmark. Jump forward forty years to now and author Tanner, working in the wee hours of the night, suddenly brings forth this novel.