How do we recognize our destiny? How do we know when to act and with whom we should form our alliances? Is it a feeling? An Event?

Sometimes, as with James Markham, the hero of James Allan Matte's ambitious autobiographical trilogy, The Caul, it's with the help of a Caul, a rare and protective membrane he was born with. Legend has it that those born with a Caul are marked for greatness or are gifted with the second sight - the ability to see into the future and perhaps change it for common good.

Because the past is almost always a prologue to future greatness, Book One introduces us to the young James and takes us along on his journey as he makes friends and experiences a number of adventures, all of which strengthen his character and his keen sense of faith and morality. From Montreal of the 1940's to Manhattan, Markham faces his own personal challenges, attending boarding school and discovering the joys of baseball on the simmering streets of New York City. But clearly his greatest challenge is about to begin as he grows up and enters the Air Force.

Based on the life experiences of the author, this deftly-paced novel takes you on an insightful journey, brilliantly detailing all the incredible events and exotic locales that help forge Markham's indomitable strength and courage. A deeply stirring novel about faith and Christianity, this is also the sensitively rendered tale of a boy growing into manhood, whose great destiny is still just a glimmer - cleverly presented so that we are propelled into anxiously awaiting Book Two of what promises to be a riveting trilogy.