Hammerstone: A Biography of Hornby Island

Non-Fiction

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about this book

Hammerstone follows Hornby Island from its molten birth in the South Pacific to the present. In a cleverly-woven narrative, Fletcher tells the tale of an island in the Gulf of Georgia on the West Coast of Canada. The story begins nearly 350 million years ago.

Hammerstone takes us on a journey through time—geological, mythical, and cyclical. In geological time, the journey begins underwater, heading north on the back of a moving Pacific Ocean plate. Millions of years later, we emerge on an island where dinosaurs feed on gingko and cycad trees, and carniverous snails search the sea floor for food. Following earthquakes, four ice ages, and four interglacials, we attend a Coast Salish festival where we dance and feast on whale meat.