Caverns of the Cross

Caverns of the Cross is an intriguing rollercoaster of a novel that moves from the naked jungles of Brazil to the sacred halls of the Vatican.

In the midst of the Brazilian rainforest, a Canadian scientist has been working on the development of a natural contraceptive, distilled from South American flora. The formula is finally complete, and Naturcept is poised to revolutionize the way society perceives contraception and pregnancy.

But the individual, company, or group that controls Naturcept will be in a position to determine the course of society. Pharmaceutical companies recognize that there is money to be made. Sects within the Catholic church, realizing that societal attitudes have changed, are fighting among themselves to determine whether Naturcept should even be released into the hands of the faithful. Whose hands the formula falls into depends on a complex web of murder and conspiracy - those involved will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Pitting altruism against avarice under the powerful gaze of the Vatican, Caverns of the Cross is a gripping and raucous entertainment.

Burlesque comedian, collector, "authority" on contraceptive technology, 76-year-old Hal Sisson has been around. Born in Moose Jaw, Hal stayed there until 1942, when he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as an armourer, and spent the next four years in Alaska, Ireland, and Wales. Shortly after graduating from the University of Saskatchewan in 1951 with a Law degree, Hal moved to Edmonton to article, and was married the next year. In 1953 Hal and the family moved to Peace River, Alberta, where he practised law for the next thirty years until his retirement in 1984. During his time in Peace River Hal founded the "Peace Players" local theatre troupe, and produced Sorry 'Bout That, the longest running annual burlesque revue in Western Canada.

But that's not all. For the last ten years Hal has also been a Director of Croquet Canada and their Western Regional Representative. He is a ranking Canadian player, has played in the Canadian Open in Toronto three times, and organizes the West Coast Croquet Classic in Victoria each year.

And, even at 76, Hal's marbles are all intact. He's got an extensive collection of old, hand- and machine-made playing marbles.

He's been a politician (running against the Alberta Social Credit party in the late fifties and early sixties), a director on the Alberta Heritage Sites Board, and a member of a Government of Alberta board that dealt with "salacious literature" for sale on newstands (Hal successfully had Sunbathing Magazine returned to the shelves).

Hal is also the co-author, with Dwayne W. Rowe, of Coots, Codgers, and Curmudgeons, reminiscences of life in Western Canada, (Orca).

Hal shoots marbles, plays croquet, tells jokes, and writes in Victoria.