Sheils’ pivotal character, Adam Carlyle, is a plagued man. His wife has left him for his (female) business partner. He has been diagnosed with cancer, and as that is the "final straw," he has decided to escape the last of his old life by buying a boat he does not know how to sail, to head for a future he cannot envision. He predictably ends up on the rocks of a native island. Somewhere. Written with tongue firmly in cheek, with a satirical mien, this book transcends placement in any typical genre. A bit fantasy, a bit mystery, a lot of erotic love making and voila, you have Gift of the Seas.

Sheils weaves a tale of a man who gains a new mission in life after finding a native maiden and through her, a cache of native relics and artifacts. As the plot unfolds, the full personality and motives of the characters slowly evolve, but never far from their roots in the sexuality of the novel.

As the book progresses, Adam ends up, at least for a while, with four native wives, only the first, La’iki, his real love. With her at his side, along with a stash of Traci Lord porn movies, he sails away in search of the creators of the artifacts, which have disappeared. Sheils brings some interesting bits and pieces into the plot, including The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner, and an imaginative personalization of Adam’s growing cancer. Finding the lost "menehunes" (a race of mythical dwarves), he is granted not only healing from his cancer, but revenge upon his faithless wife and her lover, who have followed him, and a new opportunity at life.

There are ingenious plot twists in this novel, yet it takes too long for the reader to come to the significant part of the story, and feel comfortable with Adam’s journey. The language is definitely R-rated, and some of the sex and violence gratuitous, but the sardonic approach and the weaving of the familiar in with the fantasy and mystery will make this book an interesting read for fans of the late Terry Sheils.