Little River Bend in winter Snow Falcon -
Some information about this bird.http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Snow_falcon
Snow falcon
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
The snow falcon was an avian native to Rhinnal. These creatures became extinct prior to the rule of the New Republic.
Following the extinction of the snow falcon, these avians could be seen only in the Holographic Zoo of Extinct Animals in New Republic City on Coruscant. The snow falcon holo-diorama proved to be one of the more popular attractions in the Zoo. Not much was known about these extinct animals, but researchers hoped to reconstruct these animals by fossil DNA. Scientists theorized it could be done by transferring DNA from the fossil into the embryos of a similar species.
Snow falcon
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
The snow falcon was an avian native to Rhinnal. These creatures became extinct prior to the rule of the New Republic.
Following the extinction of the snow falcon, these avians could be seen only in the Holographic Zoo of Extinct Animals in New Republic City on Coruscant. The snow falcon holo-diorama proved to be one of the more popular attractions in the Zoo. Not much was known about these extinct animals, but researchers hoped to reconstruct these animals by fossil DNA. Scientists theorized it could be done by transferring DNA from the fossil into the embryos of a similar species.
Jack London wrote interesting stories of the wild - snow, foxes, wolves, huskies and men, all finding a place in his canvas. Each character breathed life, so much so that one ended up loving and understanding his animals as never before. Harrison's 'Snow Falcon' reminds me of Jack London's stories in its raw beauty and how man is so much a central part of the conservation and destruction of natural life. I did not know the snow falcons were an extinct species till I researched the images to upload here. In this context, the story becomes more alive and more touching for me.
Cull, one of the last few snow falcons surviving, majestic in its free rule of the skies rides the air currents and ends up over the skies of Little River Bend home to small towners. Cull sees and thinks, however, only from its perspective as a bird, not realising that it will change the lives of its hunter and saviours forever.
Cull is wounded by a gunshot by an errant and greedy hunter in search of quick money and he sees in ACull, an opportunity to regain lost pride; it is a moment for him to exercise his bruute power and show the world and his wife, who is mightier.
Cull is, however, rescued by Michael, a man in search of his freedom from the lies and secrets that haunt him from the past. Cull is nursed slowly back to health with infinite patience and understanding by Michael to allow him to fly again, at the same time ensuring that none of Cull's natural instincts are lost. In this process, he learns some precious truths about himself and his past and a return to sanity.
There's also Jamie, a child struggling to come to terms with his father's death who also sees in Cull some small, vulnerable part of himself. Susan, his mother, is fighting against loneliness and sees in Cull, a bird that offers her hope of love and laughter.
In the lives of these four people, Cull is the unifying factor. Cull changes their lives forever.
It is a moving tale of each one finding truth and happiness and freedon from the trauma of their past through their subjective and emotional bonding with the mission of releasing the bird to its world of freedom and survival. The descriptions of the small town of Little River Bend are stunning in the eye for detail. The stark snow covered landscape comes alive in the hands of Harrison.
There was so much in this tale to linger on that there were several moments when I paused to take it all in. This is not your fast, page turning thriller. This is something that one takes in small, thoughtful bites to allow the taste to reach and satiate the senses. Beautiful.
