Sleeping Giants

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

The Themis Files is a deeply human story about a world-changing alien discovery.

17 years ago, a young girl named Rose fell through the ground in the Black Hills and found herself in an underground chamber filled with gleaming symbols, lying in the palm of a giant metal hand. Now a physicist, Rose leads a research team struggling to determine the hand's origins. When another giant limb is discovered, she quickly devises a method for unearthing the hidden pieces, convinced there is an entire body out there waiting to be found.

Halfway around the globe, Kara watches helplessly as her helicopter shuts down over a pistachio field in Turkey. That'll leave a mark, but she's about to crash her way into what might be the greatest endeavor in human history.

This is a hunt for truth, power, and giant body parts. Written as a series of interview transcripts, journal entries and mission logs, The Themis Files tells the tale of a handful of people whose lives are inexorably linked by the discovery of an alien device and the commotion that follows.

Review/Comment:

I bought this book in 2017, kept it in my bookshelf until I have all three of the Themis Files series. Last two weeks, I don't know what have gotten me, I just took this book out while I was cleaning my room and started reading it.

It is a quick read, I assure you. It doesn't have the lengthy narrative or descriptive I usually find. It is in the form of interviews and journal entries. There would be a mysterious interviewer that interrogates the protagonists throughout the book which makes me think he is something like Phil Coulson in the Agents of SHIELD.

I am not a fan of big robots, because I feel it is a children tale, but this, this has gotten me far into thinking how would we react if we encounter a robotic hand that is enormous. The story tells how the world responds to it and how sensitive it would be in geopolitical sense. I remembered Alastair Reynold's novel of Blue Remembered Earth that ponders on one thought: "Are we, the homo sapiens, ready to react and respond as one true species or factious as ever?"

There is a point in the story that made me winched in pain. I cannot be revealing too much here, but it has something to do with human anatomy. I don't understand why the subject is so much willing to go for it. The robot is like the Ring in Lord of the Rings, luring all characters to it. And the ending, phew, I don't get it. It is such a twist!

Is this a fun book to read? Yes! It is a quick read, like I have mentioned. You will finish it in no time!

The Stockholm Octavo

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Life is close to perfect for Emil Larsson, a self-satisfied bureaucrat in the Office of Customs and Excise in 1791 Stockholm. He is a true man of the Town -- a drinker, card player, and contented bachelor -- until one evening when Mrs. Sofia Sparrow, a fortune-teller and proprietor of an exclusive gaming parlor, shares with him a vision she has had: a golden path that will lead him to love and connection. She lays an Octavo for him, a spread of eight cards that augur the eight individuals who can help him realize this vision -- if he can find them.

Review/Comment:

I read this book twice. Not because I had the time. When I first read it, I lost interest in it when all the eight cards had been laid down. Then I mustered my strength to read it after three months and behold, in no time I have finished it!

It is interesting to see how cards played a subtle role in the whole story where love and connection is tied to how a monarch and its rule are affected. I love how each individual is connected in each other's Octavo, especially Sofia's Octavo.

I also love how the author describes the scenes in this Town and its society. I could feel the air of Stockholm and its corrupted stench that comes after it. I could see the ladies dressed up, eager to learn how to act like one. And I think it is not good to omit the fans. I remembered a line that goes something like this: "Men arm themselves with swords but ladies armed themselves with fans". I also recalled a character called the Uzanne spoke of "fanning the revolution". And the description of the fans made me look up in the Amazon looking for one similar fan - the Cassiopeia.

The only I thing I don't like about the story is that, Emil seemed to be lost in his own Octavo. He is supposed to find a wife, get married and secure his job. But this events carried over so many days and weeks trying to figure out his Octavo and finding his true love.

Is it really that important?

I hope I am part of your Octavo! Worth to read!

Ulap Nu Penglai Kampuk (Book)

A book not published officially, but only printed as part of a charity cause, this book documents many medicinal plants on a particular part of the tropical Malaysia.

Thin but sturdy, this book continues to amaze the readers with its rough sketches of plants and its bilingual content. 

Paper Flowers

Bougainvillea, that's the name of the flower.
But in my country, they are called paper flowers because of the papery texture of the petals.
And I, believe they are the remnants of a phoenix, secretly guarding the gardens.

The Miniaturist

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam--a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion--a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant. 

"There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . ."

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office--leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

But Nella's world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist--an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

Johannes' gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand--and fear--the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?

Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.

Review/Comment:

I finished this book in two weeks. Honestly, I chose this book a while ago because it reminds me of a crime in CSI about the miniaturist. I couldn't get hold the full picture when I read the synopsis and so I took it for a dive.

Goodreads give a total of 3.59 star and I think I know why. The whole idea of the mysterious miniaturist seems to wane when you go deeper into the plot. It instead revolves around the characters: Nella, Marin, Cornelia, Johannes and Otto and that miniaturist just seems to refuse to see any one of us at all, including the readers. This is frustrating!

In the end, the plot turns sloppy in explaining the miniaturist and then that's it. No more reference, just how the family deal with a series of unfortunate tragedies although I might be surprise and sad at Marin as she turns from a sharp-tongued lady to a soft one due to so many issues steaming out around her.

The story does little to the miniaturist and more on the characters on how they live their lives in Amsterdam. I don't like how Nella behaves. I don't think that's how ladies in that era behaves. I don't know. Correct me if I'm wrong. And up till the last few pages, I think it is more on the relationship between Nella and Marin.

Quick read, but not that enjoyable actually.

Of Flowers and Book

Legendary book must be savoured, not read. 

📖

New review coming soon.

New Sun upon the Sea

Jewel of the skies

Burning white 

Blue is the sea 

Gone are the days

You walked away 

And smiled at me 

Where my tears flow

Into a thousand streams

Into the ocean 

Below the new sun. 

Island of Eagles

A view from the top of one of the peaks

🗻

It is amazing and breathtaking! 

Sisyphean

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Even after the world and humanity itself have been rendered nearly unrecognizable by genetic engineering, a day in the office can feel… Sisyphean.

The company stands atop a tiny deck supported by huge iron columns a hundred meters high. The boss there is its president—a large creature of unstable, shifting form once called “human.” The world of his dedicated worker contains only the deck and the sea of mud surrounding it, and and the worker’s daily routine is anything but peaceful. A mosaic novel of extreme science and high weirdness, Sisyphean will change the way you see existence itself.

A strange journey into the far future of genetic engineering, and working life. After centuries of tinkering, many human bodies only have a casual similarity to what we now know, but both work and school continue apace. Will the enigmatic sad sack known only as “the worker” survive the day? Will the young student Hanishibe get his questions about the biological future of humanity answered, or will he have to transfer to the department of theology? Will Umari and her master ever comprehend the secrets of nanodust?

Review/Comment:

Weird fiction, I would say. Its cover and short descriptions lured me to buy it, not knowing that it was one of the weirdest books I've ever read. I needed to read twice just to scratch the epidermis of the book.

Sisyphean is a bio-horror, far-fetched future sci-fi that has the story of strong culture and some elements of Kafkaesque. It is not a novel actually, but a 'conglomeration' of 4 major stories that interweave to form a universe.

Illustrations by the author himself. The Canvasser

And it's not an easy book to read. You might find some made-up words or some portmanteau of a sort in it. Some foreign words are used, like ebisu and momonji, which you might not need to look up a foreign dictionary to find its meaning because their meaning are... meaningless. The descriptions are vivid enough for you to visualise it. OK, to show you how weird and challenging it is, this is the prologue (mind you, it's only THE prologue!):

In stable orbit above a congealed accretion disc in the depths of galactic space, there swarmed untold millions of corporatians, who together formed the immense, nimbotranslucent corpuspheres of which an archipelagolopolis was composed. In the midst of their jostlings were two consolidated corporatians - <Gyo the Intercessor> and <Ja the Vigilant> - who together formed a stately, gourdlike shape over ten thousand shares in diameter. Seeking to engulf one another, these two had made mutual acquisition bids, and after a passage of a great length of time, in the midst of the unnatural equilibrium maintained within their incorporeated system, subordinapes dictated from life-forms sampled on countless worlds toiled each according to the standards of corporatians to whom he belonged. They formed a vast, multifaceted ecosystem, wherein cycles of death and rebirth are repeated endlessly.

No, there aren't any typos. This is the opening passage for the four stories that followed: Sisyphean (Or Perfect Attendants), Cavumville, Castellum Natatorius (Or, Castle in the Mudsea) and Peregrinating Anima (Or, Momonji Caravan) and each stories have a short fragments between them, not to omit those magnificent drawings by the author himself Dempow Torishima.

The first story is about an unnamed worker who worked tirelessly to create (I think) a human and there a tool called the magatama is introduced.

The second story is about a periodic fall of fleshes and meats and organisms from a sky and some elements of divinity.

The third story is about a life mollusc (I think) city where insect-like inhabitants are staying in there of constant fear of sinking or exploding due to increased level of potassium nitrate.

The fourth story is about momonji and a group of travellers and this tells a better picture of the Sisyphean universe. 

Also, in line with what other readers understand, I think in the far future, humans are devastated by the nanomachines and many of them offered to be translated into computers where their information are stored in devices called the magatama and then by spinning out codes, the computers created avatars for humans in the real world in various forms of flesh and mutations.

Kudos to the translator Daniel Huddleston for such remarkable texts! It's not easy to translate this type of fiction!

Want to read? Think twice and read twice. It's enjoyable and it takes your time! Worth it!

Paddy Field

Green was our food and the sky blesses it.

Excession

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Two and a half millennia ago, the artifact appeared in a remote corner of space, beside a trillion-year-old dying sun from a different universe. It was a perfect black-body sphere, and it did nothing. Then it disappeared.

Now it is back.

Review/Comment:

I admit. I only read this book seriously after the author has passed away by reading the blog of my favourite author. I know it sounds bad but I really did try to read this book once and I put down the book because of the futuristic tone he has set. It is quite taxing to read (for me) and soon it becomes very enjoyable.

I have mentioned BDO before and this is no exception - a trillion-year-old dying sun. We all know our universe started off around 13 to 14 billion years ago, so this sun is definitely not from our universe. So it kicked start a series of event that eventually climaxed into a full-scale military face off because of treason, greed and suspicion. I remembered the part where a drone was being torn apart by the ancient sun and the way it interacted with things it couldn't comprehend.

Did I say it is quite challenging to read? I cannot connect my own self to the way how machines talk. I feel detach. All those lexicons is severely delaying my understanding and halfway through, I quickly understand (quite a paradoxical statement) that you have to read first, as the understanding part will come later - or much later in some context - and you have gotten yourself an answer.

O, I did enjoy the part how the author named the ships. Quite humorous. For example you have Serious Callers Only, Honest Mistake, Not Invented Here and a legendary ship with double meaning - Sleeper Service! I recalled a ship called Grey Area and it actually suits its purpose as it messes with people's mind! And a little reveal: its nickname is none other than the 'Meatfucker'. Holy! And wait till you see how ships having conversation, arguments and excommunications with each other. I just grinned like an idiot reading those parts!

Well, when most of the parts are dealing with ships tackling the issue of the sun, there are indeed quite some life in the book, humans, for example, but to an extreme where they can change gender and got each other pregnant (hermaphrodite?).

The ending is quite a twist though and I wouldn't reveal it here. But I would prefer the climax to be more dramatic, more thick, more intense and more... enjoyable? Well, in case you are a carbon-based lifeform, I would suggest you to read this book slowly. Devour each word and don't spit it out until you really have digested it.

Enjoy!

The Shadow of the Wind

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

Review/Comment:

Seldom have I come across a book like this. The author, a Spanish, clearly, is able to evoke the scenes in Barcelona, Spain in such vivid that I can feel the artistry of the buildings and cobblestone paths as I walked down the road of words in this book. Although I don't really read translated books, but this - translated by Lucia Graves - is exceptionally well done. Love it!

The story starts by a mysterious visit to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. I love the idea that each book houses the soul of the author, its secrecy in accessing to this place and the rule it imposes. This opening chapter is like a thick fairy storybook being opened up in the beginning scenes of a film. It draws me into the cities of Spain. What follows is that a book taken by Daniel, the main protagonist, by Julian Carax has such mystery that someone is burning/destroying all of Carax's works.

This story is like a Romeo-and-Juliet tale, but with such rich characters that stands out on each page, you cannot stop reading to get down to the real story why Carax's works are being destroyed by a strange man. Oh, and by the way, there are lots of leitmotivs in the story that you find some sense of Deja vu in it and you shudder at the foreshadowing parts.

The story ends in an epic tone, I feel. It justifies a lot of actions and doesn't leave any hanging. Correct me if I'm wrong. But I kind of tear up at the end when the protagonist child is given a name that resonates throughout the pages of the book.

One drawback of this book, I think, is the lengthy descriptions and some parts move slower than other, maybe the author expects us to give ourselves a break so that we won't be submerged into the sea of words concocted by him and the plot that doesn't stop until the end. And another thing is, the author somehow describes women in a uncomfortable way, like the male characters keep noticing "young calves" of the ladies, "bosoms" and other parts of the bodies. But hey, I read the plot not the descriptions of respectable women!

And one more thing, the author 'conveniently', by using letters send from a character, explains the last/remaining and quite significant chunk of plots just to get the mystery solved! I don't know, but I feel this is wrong in a way. I prefer it to be done by how the Daniel unravels by himself rather than by just reading the letter.

So,

Do I recommend this? Yes! I even made a PowerPoint game out of it!

Aurora of the Morningstar

7.00am. The morningstar peeks from the mountains only to be shrouded behind a thin veil of slumbering nimbus.

I once told my teacher I didn't like mornings because the Sun burns the lands as it goes. But now I know even in the tropics we have auroras.

Yes, the morningstar gives us aurora, Nebula and spectacular cloud show of light and shadows.

At this age, I no longer marvel at majestic skyscrapers or architecture. Nature now takes over. Love it, appreciate it or we will lose it completely forever.

Watermelon Cake

That's right.😋😍

Watermelon cake🍰, topped with glazed strawberries🍓, grapes🍇 and rose petals🌹. What makes the layers? See the red stripe? That's a whole chunk of juicy sweet watermelon "steak"🍉, cheese🧀 and crunchy cookie base🍪.

I got this during a time off at one of a magnificent island nearby. Here's a similar but not equivalent video on how to make it. Enjoy your coming summer with this!

Shadow Captain

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

The gripping sequel to the Locus award winning science fiction adventure, Revenger, tells a story of obsession and betrayal as two sisters hunt for the greatest treasure in the universe.

Adrana and Fura Ness have finally been reunited, but both have changed beyond recognition. Once desperate for adventure, now Adrana is haunted by her enslavement on the feared pirate Bosa Sennen's ship. And rumors of Bosa Sennen's hidden cache of treasure have ensnared her sister, Fura, into single-minded obsession.

Neither is safe; because the galaxy wants Bosa Sennen dead and they don't care if she's already been killed. They'll happily take whoever is flying her ship.

Shadow Captain is a desperate story of cursed ships, vengeful corporations, and alien artifacts, of daring escapes and wealth beyond imagining ... and of betrayal.

Okay, I admit, I am a fierce reader of Alastair Reynolds' works, most probably because my first novel-length book was his and ever since that, I am the predator of his works, often stalking and skulking for his later works. This book is not an exception.

Going to the genre (I'm not sure it can be counted as a genre) of space pirates, Alastair managed to pull off some traditional essence of piracy with a mix and twist of futuristic tech, for example: sail cloth, lookglass, zombies, booby traps and treasures.

I have read many of his (I think all) of his books since 2007 and I think this Revenger series is a whole new facet of his works. He develops characters more than plots now and his usual BDO inclined work still captivates me like "come on, what the hell is this? You better tell me now" and yet left it hanging. For those who don't know what BDOs are, well, they are actually meant by the words "Big Dumb Object". It is a thing that exist in plots that shows up as huge mysterious objects that somehow has none or little use in the storyline. I give you some examples in his work:

Pushing Ice - the functionality of Janus and Spica structure

Century Rain - the multiple copies of Earth

Revelation Space - the computer matrix of a neutron star

Terminal World - the Godscraper

Poseidon's Children - Watchkeeper

and so much more.

This book, Shadow Captain, manages to deal with the rise and fall of a civilisation across the mindboggling years of humanity and *spoiler alert* there exists a BDO that somehow coincides with this rise and fall of civilisations.

Well against this big plot background are the two sisters, Adrana and Fura Ness. These two are quite... remarkable, judging from the fact of their growth from the previous book. You can see both have switched their personality and they make us think - what changes us? Brainwashing and indoctrination, or just trying not to be the one will actually make you be the one?

Read this book. It's fun and delightful, like a multilayer mille crepe. You definitely don't want to miss this siblings 'rivalry' + pirates + high-tech setting + mystery + espionage multifaceted story. Don't worry, it's an easy read.

Highly recommended!

Phoenix in the Sky

Taken near my work place in the morning

Always believe there is a flame in the clouds

where river flows, red blooms.

The sun is fire

but the phoenix is a flame

When it awakens from the new Earth

I hope it rekindle my soul

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

From breathtaking stop-action animation to bittersweet modern fairy tales, filmmaker Tim Burton has become known for his unique visual brilliance – witty and macabre at once. Now he gives birth to a cast of gruesomely sympathetic children – misunderstood outcasts who struggle to find love and belonging in their cruel, cruel worlds. His lovingly lurid illustrations evoke both the sweetness and the tragedy of these dark yet simple beings – hopeful, hapless heroes who appeal to the ugly outsider in all of us, and let us laugh at a world we have long left behind (mostly anyway).

Review/Comment:

Tim Burton, I love his character portrayal, often dark and humorous. It gives a feeling that 'aww, that's sadly delightful'. This book is somewhat expensive in my country, and I've bought it because it's Tim, not because of the price. And I didn't regret it.

The illustrations in the book are captivating. I can feel the sorrow and loneliness of the characters and yet the poems are just as fun to read. It makes us laugh and at the same time pity the characters as they try to find a place in the modern world.

It's a quick read if you don't mind, but anyway the characters want me to want them so bad that I wish I can have a puppet that looks like them. The titular character 'Oyster Boy' is one piece of work that makes me wonder whether this mirrors a society we live in where moral killing is socially agreeable or how one would sacrifice the most precious just to get a luxury one.

Worth to read?

Sea of Clouds

Taken as yet today at 1015am. 

It is quite a mirror to everything:
The sky is the sea for the heavens
The birds are the sky people
And we are the angels for them
Just like the birds are angels to us.

The clouds are ripples of the skies
Reflecting how we move between trees
We do have one Earth
But we have infinite skies
Beyond infinite heavens
Of innumerable stars

Love the skies for being our reflection
Our reflection on our souls
Of purity
Of love
And miracle

Sky is our seas of heaven.

The Boy Who Belonged to the Sea

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A moving story of friendship and the power of imagination, from the award-winning author of The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman.

Set on the rugged north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, The Boy Who Belonged to the Sea tells the touching story of an extraordinary friendship between two young boys who have both suffered the loss of a parent. Although they have little else in common, the boys come together in their grief and take refuge in a world of their own creation, a magical undersea realm inhabited by fantastical beings. Their imaginations take them on a wild adventure, but as the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur, their search for belonging takes them on a perilous journey that threatens to end in tragedy.

Infused with his characteristic charm, Denis Thériault’s debut novel is a powerful story of grief and friendship that has touched readers’ hearts all over the world.

Review/Comment

I don't know why I've started reading out books like this one. But one thing is for sure, I have a thing about water. I believe I am its elemental devotee. I love being at the sea and at that moment I feel my mind wander off in the cosmic ocean.

This book is about a boy who believed himself coming from the sea. His life with his abusive father hurts me. I know the protagonist heart. I know why he took in the boy as his friend, his brother and family. Goodness, I thank his family for taking that boy in.

The relationship between them is beautiful, much like the story "Bridge to Terabithia", where two friends embark on a journey of fantasy and courage, this book also has its similarities, where two boys suffered from loss of family members, they join an adventure unknown to adults but hit straight into the hearts of many.

The author managed to make me believe some mythical creatures do exist in the sea and that makes me want to cry in the end, pray for forgiveness and even hope for a miracle.

How much do you need to read this? Start believing in the sea and its voices, and this book will take you off a journey of self-discovery and love.

The Silent Companions

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But with her husband dead just weeks after their marriage, her new servants resentful, and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her husband's awkward cousin for company. Or so she things. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure -- a silent companion -- that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of The Bridge are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug off as simple superstition -- that is, until she notices the figure's eyes following her.

A Victorian ghost story that evokes a most unsettling kind of fear, this is a tale that creeps its way through consciousness in ways you least expect -- much like the silent companions themselves.

Review/Comment

Victorian horror, it claims. I don't like modern horror. I find the plots somehow cliche. Correct me if I'm wrong, or perhaps recommend some for me. Laura Purcell is capable of frighten me with this book. L

A wooden board, the silent companion, watches your every move

You see, even the first chapter caught my attention. The protagonist was admitted to an asylum and it makes me wonder what had happened. The synopsis itself already reveal something sinister regarding the "silent companion", which their eyes will follow where you go, and even drag themselves to you. Elsie, the protagonist, was terrified about them, especially when one of them bore a striking resemblance to her even though it was known that the companions were made some hundreds of years ago.

Pax

Synopsis from Goodreads.com

Pax was only a kit when his family was killed, and “his boy” Peter rescued him from abandonment and certain death. Now the war front approaches, and when Peter’s father enlists, Peter has to move in with his grandpa. Far worse than being forced to leave home is the fact that Pax can’t go. Peter listens to his stern father—as he usually does—and throws Pax’s favorite toy soldier into the woods. When the fox runs to retrieve it, Peter and his dad get back in the car and leave him there—alone. But before Peter makes it through even one night under his grandfather’s roof, regret and duty spur him to action; he packs for a trek to get his best friend back and sneaks into the night. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their independent struggles to return to one another against all odds. Told from the alternating viewpoints of Peter and Pax

Review/Comment

I hate this book.

Pax is a fox, somewhat domesticated because his owner Peter picked up him when he was just a kit. But because of war, he has to abandon Pax. In just the opening, I feel sad for Pax because I've already fallen in love with Pax. The moment Pax left to fetch his owner's toy just to find the owner has gone really rips my soul.

Needless to say, the following chapters are breezed through at such fury that I really wanted to know when Pax will be meeting Peter again. Each chapter makes my heart burn. It burns because of the anger, the bravery and the honesty of the characters. Such naivety is mixed with complex responsibilities and conflicting emotions.

If you are able to read this book to your children, be sure to hug them every time a chapter closes. I have never been so emotionally attached to a book like this. The author has pointed out the beauty of nature and human hearts, especially a child's. Although at some point the story turns slow, I believe it is a time for our tiny human hearts to rest and sigh.

Nature and children are always our future.

We live on borrowed time.

It's time to return it.

Farewell.