"This is a magically well-written ornithological binge in flight from civilization, by the author of , , and . New Zealand born Russell, too long caged on Manhattan, longs to visit some remote islands. He finds them off the coast of Newfoundland, almost solely inhabited by gulls, petrels and near-relatives of the great auk. Although he is physically stimulated by the outdoor life, he is also plunged into exhausting speculation about the meaning of life and death in the natural orders...Russell's wasteland scenery is climactic, effective, and this is natural history with philosophical overtones." -