This is a book of two halves, and many journeys. The first part sends us throughout the world and across history, finding the poetry in James Joyce's short-lived cinema, Dana Scully's oarless rowboat, the Cerasi Chapel, a Hindu temple, the Cardiff Mod scene and a Bowie-singing log delivery man - all painted with Lodge's trademark understated humour, striking imagery and careful observation. The second part is a lengthy sequence responding to Captain James Cook's first voyage aboard the Endeavour. Not a work of biography, or a history, this is an effort to capture the imaginative power of Cook's journey into the unknown through a squint view of his companions, the cultures he encountered and the events which unfolded. As a whole, Remarkable Occurrences is a deeply impressive literary achievement which will leave a lasting impression on all those who encounter it.
