The Book Band

Publisher: Seraphim Editions
Genre: fiction; novel; mystery; sports
Format: trade paperback; 245 pages
Price: $18.95

Finalist in the 2007 ReLit Awards for Novel.

An inventive Canadian combination of mystery and fantasy, Orphans of Winter encompasses themes of hockey, religion and native spirituality. An unlikely hero embarks on a quest to uncover secrets of the past leading him from Toronto to Vancouver Island to Newfoundland.

Review: "Rob Ritchie is a skilled writer with an ear for the rhythms of the language."
                                                                 - Andrew Armitage, Owen Sound Sun Times

Review: "Richie is a deft storyteller, delivering a barnburner tale ..." - Chris Young, The Toronto Star

Review: "Ritchie's literary style lures one in by its carefully crafted and sometimes trance-like prose, capturing the innermost feelings of the characters. The author's musical background manifests itself in the lyrical quality of his writing, even while working with an utterly tough and traditionally masculine subject. This I appreciate, for even those of us who aren't sports minded are quickly hooked by the sheer power of his prose... It's a book to read ... when you don't have to get up early, because you won't be able to put it down easily."       - Patricia Adams Farmer, Novel Theology Forum