Review by sis_riehle -- Heaven and Earth by Arturo Riojas
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sis_riehle
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Review by sis_riehle -- Heaven and Earth by Arturo Riojas
[Following is a volunteer review of "Heaven and Earth" by Arturo Riojas.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Heaven and Earth is a sci-fi fantasy novel that aims to not only entertain but educate on important issues within our current societal norms. The focus is on two highly intelligent species and how they have interacted and influenced each other throughout the centuries. We find ourselves frequently changing perspectives between the human main characters: Olga, Gavilan, Sam, and Dr. Welch; and the Treretumian main characters: Egroeg of the Drutsab, Suturb of the Kcalb clan, and Nival of the Kcalb clan. Both species are fighting against major threats to their very existence, and so they find themselves coming together in an attempt to figure out a solution to both their problems while dealing with the lies and deceit of their own leaders meant to protect the masses. The Novel itself feels like one giant puzzle with many pieces where each piece holds great significance to the overall picture. It will have you thinking about how each piece could possibly fit together; challenging the reader to think outside the box, and slowly over time it weaves together intricately creating a masterpiece.
Arturo Riojas did an amazing job creating a credible sci-fi fantasy. The storyline flowed seamlessly between the multiple character perspectives. Each new perspective and scene felt important to the overarching story and never once felt boring, unnecessary, or overwhelming. The information given was just enough to educate, provoke some new ways of thinking about a subject, and draw you into the story. The Treretumian planet, missions, and lifestyle was well structured leaving an impression that this could really be an extraterrestrial race out in the universe. The characters developed beautifully and no one character felt dull or lackluster. My favorite part of the writing was how well the characters balanced each other out, and their interactions seemed effortless, especially the relationship between Olga and Gavilan. I also thoroughly enjoyed that the novel was educational in tone without being too forceful with the information being given. Riojas used elements of science as well as science fiction that just added to the intellectual tone of the storyline. It was intriguing how the Treretumians perceive and discuss the data collected from their missions to observe Earth’s growth over time. They appeared to be confused by what has become our societal norms creating an interesting twist, and I have to applaud Riojas for being able to write such a perspective while still keeping it as unbiased as possible. He did an outstanding job at making the Treretumians feel realistic. The whole novel was incredibly enjoyable to read and very well written with few mistakes.
The only thing I didn’t like about the novel was that towards the end there were a few chapters that felt a bit rushed. I would have liked to have seen a little more of those chapters, but it wasn’t missing any details that would have been detrimental to the storyline itself. The other thing I could see being a problem for some readers is the cadmium facts at the end of every chapter. Riojas himself states that these are not important to the story and can be skipped, which I found myself doing after the first few chapters, but I sort of wished those pages could have been used towards the few chapters that were a bit rushed. I found it odd that I was skipping through so many pages in the writing, but overall, I didn’t mind it too much.
Heaven and Earth is an enjoyable, thought-provoking, and educational sci-fi fantasy that I truly believe could be for any type of reader. The Sci-fi elements aren’t too far-reaching, and the characters alone are an enticing pull for this novel. Riojas does a fantastic job of weaving together an intricate tale that will have the reader wanting to share this with others or get into some deep discussions/debates. Although I will say that if you are the type of person who has a tendency to zone out during a lecture of some kind, then there may be some moments here and there that could cause the same effect/reaction. Overall, I feel this can be a good read for all types of readers and could be a great introduction to the Sci-Fi Fantasy genre.
As mentioned before, Riojas’ Heaven and Earth is very much like a beautiful puzzle. Each character, each scene, and each new bit of information is intricately woven together, slowly creating a unique masterpiece that will have you wrapped up and engaged until the very end. The characters are developed well and play off each other seamlessly, the Treretumian race is unique and plausible, and it is easy to see that the novel has a goal/purpose in mind which was met with grace, subtlety, and creativity. For these reasons, I rate Heaven and Earth as a 4 out of 4 stars. I hope everyone enjoys this novel as much as I did, and I look forward to reading more from Arturo Riojas.
******
Heaven and Earth
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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Heaven and Earth is a sci-fi fantasy novel that aims to not only entertain but educate on important issues within our current societal norms. The focus is on two highly intelligent species and how they have interacted and influenced each other throughout the centuries. We find ourselves frequently changing perspectives between the human main characters: Olga, Gavilan, Sam, and Dr. Welch; and the Treretumian main characters: Egroeg of the Drutsab, Suturb of the Kcalb clan, and Nival of the Kcalb clan. Both species are fighting against major threats to their very existence, and so they find themselves coming together in an attempt to figure out a solution to both their problems while dealing with the lies and deceit of their own leaders meant to protect the masses. The Novel itself feels like one giant puzzle with many pieces where each piece holds great significance to the overall picture. It will have you thinking about how each piece could possibly fit together; challenging the reader to think outside the box, and slowly over time it weaves together intricately creating a masterpiece.
Arturo Riojas did an amazing job creating a credible sci-fi fantasy. The storyline flowed seamlessly between the multiple character perspectives. Each new perspective and scene felt important to the overarching story and never once felt boring, unnecessary, or overwhelming. The information given was just enough to educate, provoke some new ways of thinking about a subject, and draw you into the story. The Treretumian planet, missions, and lifestyle was well structured leaving an impression that this could really be an extraterrestrial race out in the universe. The characters developed beautifully and no one character felt dull or lackluster. My favorite part of the writing was how well the characters balanced each other out, and their interactions seemed effortless, especially the relationship between Olga and Gavilan. I also thoroughly enjoyed that the novel was educational in tone without being too forceful with the information being given. Riojas used elements of science as well as science fiction that just added to the intellectual tone of the storyline. It was intriguing how the Treretumians perceive and discuss the data collected from their missions to observe Earth’s growth over time. They appeared to be confused by what has become our societal norms creating an interesting twist, and I have to applaud Riojas for being able to write such a perspective while still keeping it as unbiased as possible. He did an outstanding job at making the Treretumians feel realistic. The whole novel was incredibly enjoyable to read and very well written with few mistakes.
The only thing I didn’t like about the novel was that towards the end there were a few chapters that felt a bit rushed. I would have liked to have seen a little more of those chapters, but it wasn’t missing any details that would have been detrimental to the storyline itself. The other thing I could see being a problem for some readers is the cadmium facts at the end of every chapter. Riojas himself states that these are not important to the story and can be skipped, which I found myself doing after the first few chapters, but I sort of wished those pages could have been used towards the few chapters that were a bit rushed. I found it odd that I was skipping through so many pages in the writing, but overall, I didn’t mind it too much.
Heaven and Earth is an enjoyable, thought-provoking, and educational sci-fi fantasy that I truly believe could be for any type of reader. The Sci-fi elements aren’t too far-reaching, and the characters alone are an enticing pull for this novel. Riojas does a fantastic job of weaving together an intricate tale that will have the reader wanting to share this with others or get into some deep discussions/debates. Although I will say that if you are the type of person who has a tendency to zone out during a lecture of some kind, then there may be some moments here and there that could cause the same effect/reaction. Overall, I feel this can be a good read for all types of readers and could be a great introduction to the Sci-Fi Fantasy genre.
As mentioned before, Riojas’ Heaven and Earth is very much like a beautiful puzzle. Each character, each scene, and each new bit of information is intricately woven together, slowly creating a unique masterpiece that will have you wrapped up and engaged until the very end. The characters are developed well and play off each other seamlessly, the Treretumian race is unique and plausible, and it is easy to see that the novel has a goal/purpose in mind which was met with grace, subtlety, and creativity. For these reasons, I rate Heaven and Earth as a 4 out of 4 stars. I hope everyone enjoys this novel as much as I did, and I look forward to reading more from Arturo Riojas.
******
Heaven and Earth
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: Lemoncella Cocktail by Rene Natan
