One of favorite books of all time is a young adult novel titled “The Transall Saga” which was written by Gary Paulsen (1939-2021). If you’re unfamiliar of Paulsen, he was perhaps best known for writing “Hatchet”, which was adapted into a movie Roger Corman produced titled “A Cry in the Wild.” Two of Paulsen’s other works have also been adapted to the screen including the made-for-TV movie “Nightjohn” and the Disney movie “Snow Dogs” starring Cuba Gooding Jr. The survival genre and what it’s like living in the woods are common themes one can find in Paulsen’s works. But in the case of “The Transall Saga”, not only are these aforementioned themes addressed but it’s also a science fiction novel; in fact, I think it’s the only science fiction novel ever Paulsen wrote in his life. I won’t go into detail what the novel is about, but I will describe my favorite character by the name of Sarbo. He is more of a supporting character compared to the lead character named Mark and I liked Sarbo so much that I would compare him to Obi Wan Kenobi or Jim Malone from The Untouchables. I think this book is definitely underrated and if it has a cult following, I’m an honorary member of that cult.
