Book Review
Title:
The
Swing of Death
Author:
Elijah
Mwashayenyi
Book
Format: eBook
Publisher:
WSIC
EBooks Ltd, Canada
Pages:
81
Genre:
Fiction
Year
of publication: 2012
Reviewed by Berry Shaba
…………………………………………………
The first time I came across Elijah Mwashayenyi’s
writing was way back in the late 90s at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair
during my days as a high school English Language teacher. Even to this day I
vividly recall that day when I picked out his novel Over My Dead Body published by College Press under their Spellbinders
series. After reading the blurb and the first chapter, I decided to include it
in the school library’s list.
I made a good choice for the novel turned out to be
a favourite of many students. As fate would have it, I met the man in Botswana
in 2008. I was not surprised. He was exactly what I thought he would be -
bubbly humorous, observant and an incisive judge of character.
These are the traits he brings to his writing. This
year (2012), Elijah published another racy tale in eBook format – The Swing of Death. The following epigram
(p.75) written in true Elijah Mwashayenyi style:
“I’m not falling for that one just yet. First let’s
talk about you.”
“What is there to talk about? I was bitten by a
Black Mamba, went into a coma, snapped out of it six weeks later and fell in
love.”
Like a bona fide story teller, Elijah has a penchant
for a turn of phrase. The man is a typical wordsmith. He also has a way with
the metaphor which is simply delightful. The
Swing Of Death – which is also an apt title, is a tale about a catastrophic
encounter with arguably the most dangerous snake in the African bhundu – the
black mamba. The author sums his story, “John knew that the African bush took
no prisoners. It was by pure accident that he got caught by the swing of a
Black Mamba. It was through sheer coincidence that a twelve-year old
bushwhacker happened to be in the neighbourhood. It was due to fate that
Priscilla found herself tangled in the nightmare of a total stranger. By the
time the destinies of these three people became apparent, a lot of other things
were beginning to unfold.”
The encounter with the mamba is told is a
spine-chilling graphic way that only a storyteller of Elijah’s calibre can. The
finality of John (the protagonist) situation moves the reader to curse fate
which has brought John that day to that neck of woods and especially to that
particular rock where he met his fate.
“So
man and reptile stood there on either side of the rock, the latter daring the
former to make a move. Blood, mixed with some poison started to drip from the
two fang marks on his arm. John did not even look at this. Although he knew
that his life-line was draining away he dared not take his eyes off the vicious
snake. He did not have fancy ideas about his fate. He knew that his bushwhacker
days had come to an end.”
The
novel The Swing of Death is divided
into eight appropriately titled chapters - Chapter One: A Deadly Encounter,
Chapter Two: The Bushwhackers, Chapter Three: The Praying Mantis, Chapter Four:
The Shadow of Death, Chapter Five: The Swing of Death, Chapter Six: The Man Who
Came Back from the Cold, Chapter Seven: Love is in the Air and lastly Chapter
Eight: The Final Twist.
The Swing of Death
is a fascinating story written by a good story teller who just loves telling a
jolly good tale.
This
is Elijah Mwashayenyi’s third novel. He has written – Over My Dead Body, Tears of the San (eBook). In addition, he has
published horticulture articles. Elijah holds a MSc. Tropical & Subtropical
Horticulture and Crop Science (University of London), BSc. Agriculture (University
of Zimbabwe) and a Certificate in Vegetable Production (Tsukuba, Japan). He is
currently working for an NGO in Botswana.
