Review of Of the Earth
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Joy Abogu
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Review of Of the Earth
[Following is a volunteer review of "Of the Earth" by Kim Cousins.]
The book ‘Of the Earth’ by Kim Cousins is a very interesting and adventurous one. The book begins with the murder of an old man in the presence of his puppy by men who ironically identify as ‘Peace Keepers '. That singular incident was just the tip of the iceberg compared to subsequent events that unfolded in the course of the book. If anything, it introduced us to the order of things in the ‘New World’ under the rule of the ‘Sovereign Leader ' to whom you either pay allegiance - by acquiring a mark - or you face death, just like the old man.
As the book progresses, we meet Jim, an Army veteran who, while on a mission to find his Army buddies in the midst of the chaotic world, comes across the puppy and her newfound cat friend, Carl. Jim takes the animals along with him as he proceeds on his journey, amidst various hurdles and challenges. Later on, Jim and his newfound companions run into an old woman wearing a straw hat and men’s work boots with a gun in her pocket. What happens next? Does she shoot him? Will Jim eventually accomplish his mission? How does it play out? The only way to satisfy your curiosity is by reading this book.
Stories in the Holy Bible are referenced so many times in Of the Earth. In fact, Kim’s book is an attempt to depict what the Bible refers to as ‘the end times.' As it is with the Bible, there are a lot of uncommon and naturally-impossible events – often referred to as miracles - that happen in the book. What’s more? Kim includes footnotes of the scriptural locations of these events at every point. Again, just like in the Bible, the animals in Of the Earth talk, except that this time, it’s just to themselves and not with humans.
Positive aspects of this book include the fact that the plot is well-structured, with the storyline smoothly transitioning from one point to the other. The reader is never lost at any point, and the events unfold in sequential order. The writer effectively employs the use of flashbacks and recollections at appropriate times, without making it difficult to reconnect the present with the past. Also, another commendable thing is the writer’s creative use of suspense at various points in the book, which makes the reader more interested and eager to know, and even to try to predict what happens next. With Kim, you just never see what is coming until it comes.
As a negative, a reader may find some of the events to be overly exaggerated and practically impossible. Moreover, the book contains a lot of violence, murder, and even suicide. There are many instances of raids, robberies, and attacks, as well as physical assault and mistreatment. You definitely need a lot of ‘heart’ to read this book.
Despite the bad and saddening events that occur at different points in the book, we still get to learn valuable lessons on love, friendship, togetherness, and goodness. The book goes on to show that whilst the hearts of some men are predominantly evil, there are, however, other men whose hearts are inherently good, kind, and loving, and when these good men work together, they can go on to achieve a lot of things. In addition, Kim employs a very well-detailed description of things and events in such a way that the readers’ imaginations are ignited, such that they begin to picture the events as though they were real. Moreover, Of the Earth is a professionally-edited book. For these reasons, I rate this book four out of four stars.
I recommend this book to lovers of drama and action. Also, people who enjoy reading dystopian novels will particularly find this book interesting.
******
Of the Earth
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The book ‘Of the Earth’ by Kim Cousins is a very interesting and adventurous one. The book begins with the murder of an old man in the presence of his puppy by men who ironically identify as ‘Peace Keepers '. That singular incident was just the tip of the iceberg compared to subsequent events that unfolded in the course of the book. If anything, it introduced us to the order of things in the ‘New World’ under the rule of the ‘Sovereign Leader ' to whom you either pay allegiance - by acquiring a mark - or you face death, just like the old man.
As the book progresses, we meet Jim, an Army veteran who, while on a mission to find his Army buddies in the midst of the chaotic world, comes across the puppy and her newfound cat friend, Carl. Jim takes the animals along with him as he proceeds on his journey, amidst various hurdles and challenges. Later on, Jim and his newfound companions run into an old woman wearing a straw hat and men’s work boots with a gun in her pocket. What happens next? Does she shoot him? Will Jim eventually accomplish his mission? How does it play out? The only way to satisfy your curiosity is by reading this book.
Stories in the Holy Bible are referenced so many times in Of the Earth. In fact, Kim’s book is an attempt to depict what the Bible refers to as ‘the end times.' As it is with the Bible, there are a lot of uncommon and naturally-impossible events – often referred to as miracles - that happen in the book. What’s more? Kim includes footnotes of the scriptural locations of these events at every point. Again, just like in the Bible, the animals in Of the Earth talk, except that this time, it’s just to themselves and not with humans.
Positive aspects of this book include the fact that the plot is well-structured, with the storyline smoothly transitioning from one point to the other. The reader is never lost at any point, and the events unfold in sequential order. The writer effectively employs the use of flashbacks and recollections at appropriate times, without making it difficult to reconnect the present with the past. Also, another commendable thing is the writer’s creative use of suspense at various points in the book, which makes the reader more interested and eager to know, and even to try to predict what happens next. With Kim, you just never see what is coming until it comes.
As a negative, a reader may find some of the events to be overly exaggerated and practically impossible. Moreover, the book contains a lot of violence, murder, and even suicide. There are many instances of raids, robberies, and attacks, as well as physical assault and mistreatment. You definitely need a lot of ‘heart’ to read this book.
Despite the bad and saddening events that occur at different points in the book, we still get to learn valuable lessons on love, friendship, togetherness, and goodness. The book goes on to show that whilst the hearts of some men are predominantly evil, there are, however, other men whose hearts are inherently good, kind, and loving, and when these good men work together, they can go on to achieve a lot of things. In addition, Kim employs a very well-detailed description of things and events in such a way that the readers’ imaginations are ignited, such that they begin to picture the events as though they were real. Moreover, Of the Earth is a professionally-edited book. For these reasons, I rate this book four out of four stars.
I recommend this book to lovers of drama and action. Also, people who enjoy reading dystopian novels will particularly find this book interesting.
******
Of the Earth
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Man Mission by Eytan Uliel
