Royce, Royce,
the People's Choice

The cover states, Royce Rowland is a 17-year-old sexual and social reprobate who has been sent to sea with a tough skipper in an effort to straighten him out. But as with everything, Royce goes on board with his own interests at heart: he wants to trawl (line actually) for the fabled giant squid. He does catch something unexpected, but it isn't squid, and in its wake comes a conning prostitute who is determined to make off with it. And so Royce embarks on a Odyssean journey pursuing his catch through New Zealand waters and on to Japan. En route, he is to discover true love - for fish...

The author grew up in Westport, one of New Zealand's more rugged fishing communities. He's and insider and has lived the life, worked at sea and tracked the journey of his protagonist. Westport was one of the ports and bluefin one of the species we fished during the relatively brief time I worked as a deckie in the early 80s. I was an outsider and a novice but the story rings true.

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