IN PURSUIT OF THE GIANT SABLE ANTELOPE
In Pursuit of the Giant Sable Antelope (Atmosphere Press) is a coming-of-age tale featuring a 17-year-old Walker Scoville. In the summer of 1975, Walker is offered the rare privilege accompanying British Wildlife photographer Cecil Covington and four other boys on a Filmmaking expedition to southern Africa.
As he travels South Africa, Southwest Africa (Namibia), and then-Rhodesia, Walker revels in the dramatic scenery and abundant wildlife, but is shocked to encounter these countries’ harsh separatist racial policies. Black nationalists have begun organizing against these white ruled governments, and parts of these countries have been deemed unsafe for travel.
Midway through the trip, Cecil learns of the sighting of a rare and beautiful giant sable antelope on the militarized border between Southwest Africa and Angola. Despite the obvious dangers, Cecil diverts his group into this borderland in hopes of finding and photographing this near mythic beast. The ensuing drama tests Walker’s loyalties and forces him to deal with challenges he’s never imagined.
*Honorable Mention from The Independent Book Review for Best Books Read in 2024.
About John Manuel
John S. Manuel is a professional writer based in Durham, NC. He is the author of four novels–Hope Valley, The Lower Canyons, Solitario, and In Pursuit of the Giant Sable Antelope–each known for its dramatic setting, powerful dialogue, and memorable characters. John has also published a memoir, The Canoeist , and a guidebook, The Natural Traveler Along North Carolina’s Coast. Descriptions of each, including ordering information, can be found in the following pages.
John is an accomplished photographer, known especially for his landscape and wildlife photography. His photos have appeared in Audubon, Duke Alumni Magazine, Wildlife in North Carolina, and Canoe and Kayak, among others.
John is an avid teacher. He taught memoir writing at the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies, and environmental writing at the Duke University Young Writer’s Camp. John currently teaches second graders in the Durham Public Schools water safety skills as part of the North Carolina-based Swim for Charlie program.
With the publication of Pursuit of the Giant Sable Antelope (Atmosphere Press), John Manuel establishes his reputation as a novelist for creating a distinctive sense of place, strong dialogue, and memorable characters. In this novel, a group of American boys travels to southern Africa to photograph its famous wildlife, only to be drawn into a tangled web of personal obsession, political upheaval, and the harsher realities of nature.
John’s first novel, Hope Valley, set in the North Carolina Piedmont in the 1980s, tells the story of a retired factory worker struggling to accept his young, lesbian neighbors and all they represent about a fast changing South. His second novel, The Lower Canyons, introduces readers to the character of Robbie Ducharme, a river guide who specializes in leading canoeing expeditions down the remote canyons of the Rio Grande River as it flows out of the Big Bend National Park. Solitario continues Ducharme’s saga, venturing into the arroyos of the Chihuahuan Desert, presenting his clients a new set of discoveries and challenges.
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John Manuel welcomes messages from readers, book clubs, educators, media, and event organizers. Use the form to send a message, and you’ll receive a response as soon as possible.
All inquiries, including purchase of copies of The Canoeist and The Natural Traveler Along North Carolina’s Coast, should be emailed to John at [email protected].
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