Snake Point 3D Book Stack

Snake Point

Young Adult Adventure Novel by James N. Bade

Published by World Castle Publishing, Florida

Writers Plot Best Seller, September 2021

Set in the Marlborough Sounds and Wellington, New Zealand;

Brandenburg and Berlin, Germany; Oklahoma and New York, USA

Three university students—Tom from New Zealand, Jake from Oklahoma, and Luise from Berlin—have discovered a crucial message from the German novelist Theodor Fontane on the future of humankind, deposited in the Glass Mountains of Oklahoma.

The three meet at a lake near Berlin associated with Fontane, Lake Stechlin, to discuss their U.N.-supported research with TV news reporters, who suggest they turn their findings into a manifesto. The students then explore the lake and witness some extraordinary phenomena. On their way back they are blocked by two strangers who say they are determined to stop their manifesto getting out to the public. The students then realise that the lake was warning them to seek refuge on the other side of the world.

They travel to a remote part of New Zealand—Snake Point—to write the manifesto. However, soon they become aware that the two strangers they met at Lake Stechlin have found them. The two men then make a series of attempts to ambush and eliminate them. With the help of supportive neighbours and wildlife, will the students manage to outwit their opponents and emerge with a successful manifesto?

The author, James N. Bade, at Snake Point in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.

James N. Bade, Professor Emeritus of German at the University of Auckland, lives in Wellington, New Zealand. When he’s not busy reading and writing about novels by his favourite German authors or researching Germans in the Pacific, he enjoys supporting his wife and sons in their various pursuits, helping people as Justice of the Peace, running his own music radio station, driving his restored 1916 Dodge Roadster, and exploring landscapes.

World Castle Publishing Website

James N. Bade Webpage

Reader Feedback on

Snake Point

An exciting novel spanning three corners of the world. The use of nature and landscapes is expertly crafted into the storyline. I particularly like Chapter 14 – you can really feel like you are there amongst nature, but what is it that the wildlife is warning him about?

– David, Lynfield, NZ

What a fantastic book! It gives us not only a spirited adventure undertaken by three intrepid and idealistic young people, but also tells us about philosophy, wildlife, and the finer points of wrestling and yoga. A refreshing read!

– Juliet, Karori, NZ

I liked the way the momentum picked up in the middle and towards the end of the novel. It was fun also imagining the places that one is familiar with in Berlin and in the Sounds. I was a bit worried as to how nasty the “baddie” who crept up on them under cover of darkness would turn out to be but that episode was not so gruelling in the end. The references to the wildlife around the Sounds was a pleasant counter-balance to the more ominous side of the story.

– Robyn, Greytown, NZ

Snake Point is a compelling story which focuses on themes of special relevance to our modern world and its survival. It unfolds through the actions of its three truly inspirational young protagonists who, motivated by a message in Theodor Fontane’s Der Stechlin, move between Brandenburg, the Marlborough Sounds and the Glass Mountains of Oklahoma as they prepare their manifesto. The descriptions of the rugged, unspoilt landscape and bush of the Marlborough Sounds, which form an indispensable backdrop to the New Zealand section of the action, almost like an additional character, are particularly evocative and textured and provide readers with an excellent insight into the wild, and so far untouched beauty of this area of the South Island.

– Margaret, Kelburn, NZ

Snake Point is an enjoyable read. Behind a gripping plot, it paints vivid images of places I’ve not yet visited and evokes memories of childhood holidays.

– Karen, Auckland, NZ

An entertaining action-packed story taking the reader on a world adventure. Some interesting characters and plot turns.

– Mike, Trentham, NZ

It is very difficult to engage teenagers (particularly boys) to read any form of literature. However my students and I have thoroughly enjoyed this riveting and exciting sequel to James N. Bade’s The Secret of the Glass Mountains. Our hope is that Jake, Tom and Luise will continue to travel the world accidentally uncovering plots that intend to create chaos in our world and illustrate through historical evidence how mankind’s greed, intolerance and desire for revenge result in the stupidity of war.

– Lynda, Stokes Valley, NZ

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