Review: Koa Kai: The Story of Zachary Bower and the Conquest of the Hawaiian Islands by D.R. Pollock

Adventures and misadventures on land and sea are at the heart of Koa Kai: The Story of Zachary Bower and the Conquest of the Hawaiian Islands, a fascinating work of historical fiction by D.R. Pollock.

Zachary “Zach” Bower is the youngest of three sons born to Martha and Matthew Bower. Despite his intelligence and affinity for learning, Zach’s future working on the family farm seems a foregone conclusion until fate intervenes, resulting in the untimely death of Zach’s beloved mother. His grieving father decides to honor his dead wife’s last wish to ensure that their youngest son continues his education and sends him to live with Jessica, his dead wife’s sister and her family in Connecticut. Jessica’s husband, Israel, is a sea captain, who happily teaches Zach to sail, finding in his nephew a more than apt pupil.

In addition to his newfound love for sailing, Zach soon develops another love, this time for Lizzie, the new minister’s daughter. The two go off on an unchaperoned picnic together and return to a brewing scandal as a result of their brash actions. In an effort to protect his nephew from the backlash, Israel enlists Zach as a member of his ship’s crew as he prepares to embark on a two-year trading voyage. He eagerly agrees and as Zach waves goodbye to his aunt and cousin from the ship a short time later, little does he realize that the adventures awaiting him will keep him from returning to his adopted home for the next six years…

There are several aspects to Koa Kai that make Zachary Bowen’s tale immensely interesting. The historical aspect naturally has a huge role in the story. However, it’s the series of unexpected events that take Pollock’s main protagonist from a young boy on a backwoods farm to becoming a koa kai, or sea warrior, who willingly fights in Kamehameha’s army, that really give the story weight. From his mother’s untimely death, to Zach being bailed out of the brig by the captain of another ship, to him being taken captive by the Hawaiians – each of these unexpected events flow organically and make for riveting reading as Zach leaves New England an innocent fifteen-year-old boy and returns six years later, a seasoned young man of twenty-one.

While there are aspects to Pollock’s story that are compelling, there are times when the flow of the story is impeded by far too much detail for a work of historical fiction, especially regarding sailing and all it entails. Improperly executed dialogue, typos and grammatical faux pas create their fair share of challenges as well, as do the shifting points of view. Photos in historical works are often used as visual aids, but the placement of photos in fiction, especially those that are the courtesy of a historical society, takes something away from the imaginative process of reading fiction, giving the book the feel of a textbook more than a story, and could have been included at the end.

That said, the story at the core of Koa Kai is captivating, and the factual details are certainly interesting throughout. A bit of cutting would make the book excel as a work of historical fiction, but as it stands now the novel is sure to satisfy those seeking an exciting historical adventure.