Review by Enigma99 -- Heaven and Earth by Arturo Riojas
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Review by Enigma99 -- Heaven and Earth by Arturo Riojas

4 out of 4 stars
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This is more than just a book. This is an eye opener and a wake up call, beautifully put together by the author. This science fiction shows some imagination beyond our expectations and yet very informative. We first get introduced to two main group of characters, depicted as earthlings and as aliens. However, this book unveils to us parallel worlds which are both being influenced by the main character: the Cadmium, a heavy metal which has slowly penetrated our food cycle and eventually got impregnated in the life cycle. We are also offered a telescopic overview of everything from an alien point of view, and the word Cadmium is transformed into Muimdac (the mirror image of Cadmium).
In Chapter 9, we come across facts and is the chapter that caught my full attention. The life habits of earthlings are examined under the miscroscope and as a reader, the reality came down hard. Cadmium has been responsible for many diseases (diabetes, cancer…) among earthlings and in an alien's eyes, earthlings are cynically responsible for all of this. There has been a constant abuse of resources and Cadmium has only been a tool in the process to increase the phosphate quantity in fertilisers, for instance.
On the other hand, earthlings keep indulging themselves with these poison-rich sources of food, such as the chocolate. Ironically, this poison is also generously and innocently distributed among other earthlings.
Inherently, earthlings made themselves prisoners of their own planet, laced in Cd. However, throughout the book, the main character, an engineer, who was very aware of the invisible poison, slowly tried to persuade her kins about the danger. She was most determined to bring to surface the enemy, Cd, which has to be dealt with sooner or later. In so doing, she gets involved in unwanted encounters with the government.
The main character is thus an epitome as she was aware all along that Cd is a threat and she sticks to eating what is safe, while cutting soft drinks and all other junk food from her diet. This was her march forward. Unfortunately, she is supported by the minority and then again a minority is usually ignored. This entails sadly to the sweeping of such a big problem, under the carpet. This draws our attention to the fact that the very same events might be happening to us, here, right now. While we are so busy hiding behind our comfort foods, to hide our insecurities, Cadmium, an alien is slowly taking over…
I rate this book 4 out of 4. The suspense is here, as well as being very informative. Scientists, researchers or those who have a fancy for science fictions will love this one.
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Heaven and Earth
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