A. W. Hill's third Stephan Raszer Investigation, Nowhere-Land, finds this scholar / shaman
private investigator in a funk because he was unable to locate a missing teenager, named Scotty
Darrell, who had somehow gotten inside a new role-playing game which had left him stranded somewhere
in the real world. Feeling the monetary effects of a lawsuit by the boy's parents and the spiritual ennui
after a job not well done, in his opinion, Raszer accepts a new assignment, the rescue of a
missing young woman, a Jehovah's Witness, who had been lured from the flock by her wayward sister
Ruthie and Ruthie's new friends. This quest takes Raszer halfway across the world in a showdown with
an ancient evil who puts his own soul's redemption at risk.
The Stephan Raszer novels are always complex with ultimately two levels of readership and
understanding, and Nowhere-Land is an exemplar of that style. This book is part thriller with
foreign locales, international intrigue, narrow escapes, and exotic sexuality. It also is a deeply
scholarly examination of many different religious paths, including Native American/Christian
penitentes, the roots of Islam, and pagan religions in the Middle East. It also looks at the psychology
of role-playing gamers, religious zealots of all stripes, and End Times cults. Needless to say, all
of this makes for thoughtful and careful reading.
I have always enjoyed A.W. Hill's Stephan Raszer novels, mainly because of the esoteric education
that I received as I read an otherwise heart-pounding thriller. But some readers may find all of the
scholarly details laborious and in the way of a good page-turner. Because Hill's plots are quite
involved, the reader does need a road map and that happens to come in the form of the research
Stephan Raszer does into arcane knowledge. That esoteric insight is what motivates Hill's characters
and not just Stephan Raszer. I took my time reading Nowhere-Land, savoring Hill's exquisite
vocabulary and intricate details, and I would recommend readers to do just that.
Nowhere-Land is a book I know I'll return to again, delving deeper into the roots of evil
and human motivation. Nowhere-Land is an outstanding work.