BOOKMONGER
Adventure for middle grade readers
O’Neill delivers heroism with
a lesson in decision making
It is only coincidence that “Ghosts of the
Hindu Kush,” the latest installment in Joe
O’Neill’s “Red Hand Adventures,” a series
for middle grade readers, begins in the very
part of the world that many are now focused
on.
The series follows three young adventur-
ers, Tariq, Fez and Aseem. Since meeting in
Tangier , Morocco, in 1912, the three have
dealt with pirates, rogues and despots over the
course of four books. “Rebels of the Kasbah”
was the fi rst volume, followed by “Wrath of
the Caid,” “Legends of the Rif,” and “Thieves
of the Black Sea.”
Now “Ghosts of the Hindu Kush” picks up
the tale, as the three friends arrive from sailing
the Black Sea to the port of Rostov-on-Don, a
Russian trading post, where the three are met
by a dangerous group of characters. Previous
adventures have given these friends plenty
of practice in handling these sorts of threats,
This week’s book
‘Ghosts of the Hindu Kush’ by Joe O’Neill
Black Ship Publishing — 276 pp — $24.95
but still more peril lies ahead. According
to the prophecy of the Red Hand, the trio is
entrusted with delivering an ancient diary to
India, and the changing markings of a myste-
rious map point them on a route through the
Hindu Kush region, notorious for both chal-
lenging terrain and treacherous inhabitants.
And the three friends’ journey is not the
only adventure in this tale. Other story strands
involve additional characters introduced in
the previous books. Margaret, a British girl
once held captive in Morocco with the three
friends, has since been liberated and now fl ies
undercover missions in World War I with her
British offi cer dad.
Inez, a French girl, now serves as a nurse
on the front lines. To her shock, she fi nds that
one of the prisoners of war she attends to is
Reinhold, a German boy who once provided
her with shelter years earlier . Also, master-
minding many of the diffi culties these young
people confront, antagonist Razikov yearns
for global anarchy, and will stop at little to
achieve his goal.
O’Neill, the book’s author and a Hood
River businessman, goes beyond heroic
adventure to deliver readers lessons in
cross-cultural history, literature and ethics.
Ensuring that his idealistic young charac-
ters confront moral dilemmas as well as phys-
ical danger, the author conveys to his readers
the complicated motivations of decision mak-
ing, as well as the potential long-term conse-
quences of actions taken . The optimum way
to dive into O’Neill’s terrifi c series is to start
with the fi rst book and read through each
sequentially, ending with this most recent
addition.
The Bookmonger is Barbara Lloyd McMi-
chael, who writes this weekly column focus-
ing on books, authors and publishers of
the Pacifi c Northwest. Contact her at bar-
baralmcm@gmail.com.
‘Ghosts of the Hindu Kush’ is by Joe O’Neill.
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