Book Review - Those Who Are Gone by Lawrence F. Lihosit

 

It is nineteen-sixty-four, and Jack Colter recently moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, with his parents and older brother Dan. Soon after moving, Jack is on his bike exploring the area when he comes across a group of Mexican boys jumping ramps on their bikes. Jack asks if he can have a go, and the boys explore further afield as summer progresses. They swap the lunches they have taken with them, and Jack learns about the exciting flavors in Mexican food. 

The first Spanish Jack learns from his Mexican friends starts with swear words, then he buys a book and tape to teach himself, and soon, Jack can have conversations with his friend's families. The boys often get cuts and scrapes, and Jack learns about the healing properties of Aloe Vera from the grandmother of one of his friends. How is a young boy struck by lightning saved from death by an ancient Aymaran shaman? What is flag football? Moreover, what pamphlet was Jack given at school that his dad referred to as "hate garbage"? Read the novella Those Who Are Gone by Lawrence F. Lihosit to discover the answers to these questions and more.

I enjoyed learning about Mexican American Indians and their history while reading Those Who Are Gone. The book has a great title, which is appropriate for many of the subjects within it. Especially when Jack's class goes on a field trip to an archaeological dig, they learn a lot about the Hohokam, who built the great city about fifteen hundred years earlier. The author seems very knowledgeable about the history and archaeology of the area he is writing about. 

The boys in the story are keen on sports, and the author shows excellent knowledge of flag football and basketball. However, there were pages and pages of descriptions of basketball training and matches, which I did not enjoy. I felt that the author was using basketball to fill out his book. I was also not keen on the conversation at the top of page sixty-six, which was all in Spanish. I would have liked a footnote explaining what was said. Unfortunately, there were quite a few grammatical errors, and I feel Those Who Are Gone by Lawrence F. Lihosit would benefit from more proofreading. 

I would recommend Those Who Are Gone to anyone who enjoys factually correct fiction, where they can learn some of the histories of indigenous Mexican Indians in America. This is a novella of one hundred and eighteen pages which lovers of short novellas would also enjoy. As there are no swearing or sexual references, the book can be read by all, and in my opinion, anyone from young teenagers to older adults would find a lot to appreciate.

I want to give Those Who Are Gone 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed this novella, but I have reduced the rating by one star because grammatical errors spoilt the story's flow. Moreover, I did not enjoy that so much of the book has descriptions and stories of basketball. However, I am looking forward to reading more books by Lawrence F. Lihosit.

I want to thank Lawrence F. Lihosit for a copy of Those Who Are Gone in exchange for my honest and impartial review. 

You can see more of my reviews here http://onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tara-d-morgan.html

Review of Ubiquita by Gary Winstone

 

Ubiquita by Gary Winstone begins with Daniel fighting his way through a forest. He is exhausted, has various injuries, and is wet through. We do not know why he is there or where he is going, but it will soon be sunset, and he is not safe! Daniel builds a fire to ward off animals and keep him warm; he removes an unusual golden necklace with a triangular medallion from around his neck, which he inherited from his grandad. Daniel is taken back to when he was eight and his grandad was dying. His grandad gives him a journal in which he has written down all his adventures, and he makes Daniel promise to continually explore and try new things. Daniel became a palaeontologist fascinated by nature and travelled the world. He is so wrapped up in his own life that he loses touch with his father until a telegram arrives saying his father has had a severe decline in health and he needs to come back to England. Daniel's dad is dying, and while he sleeps by his bed, Daniel is woken by a strange light as the medallion glows and moves and gives life to three golden, winged creatures. What is this magic? Why did Daniel's father hide the medallion and journal from Daniel and pretend it was missing? What will Daniel find when he explores what happened in Peru a hundred years before? Furthermore, who or what is Ubiquita?
 

Ubiquita is Gary Winstone's first foray into writing science fiction. I was fascinated by the adventures in this well-written and well-thought-out novella. I loved how Gary Winstone describes death and how eight-year-old Daniel understands it. This is beautifully descriptive and pulls at the heartstrings. Winstone is very poetic when he waxes lyrical about the medallion, for example, location ninety-six "Before long a rippling sphere filled the centre of the medallion, gently rotating, swirling, casting warm light across the room." I particularly like this sentence which I think should be a mantra for everybody, location six hundred and ninety-three "The more you know, the more you know you don't know." Gary Winstone shows an excellent knowledge of physics and astronomy. This book has a slow build-up to an exciting ending which I did not expect.

The cover is the one thing I dislike about Ubiquita by Gary Winstone. It looks like someone has drowned, and it does not give the reader an insight into this brilliant science fiction story which takes the reader on a mysterious adventure.

I recommend this to adults who enjoy science fiction, adventure and mysteries. There is some swearing in the book, which is inappropriate for a younger audience.

I absolutely love Ubiquita by Gary Winstone. There are several grammar and spelling errors, but these do not detract from the story, and I rate it a resounding 5 out of 5 stars! The book is brilliantly written and beautifully captivating right from the start, and Ubiquita is a novella I will remember long after reading it. I look forward to reading more books by Gary Winstone!