Review by NuelUkah -- Heaven and Earth by Arturo Riojas

NuelUkah · Post by **NuelUkah** » 23 Aug 2018, 11:02

[Following is a volunteer review of "Heaven and Earth" by Arturo Riojas.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Heaven and Earth by Arturo Riojas is an intriguing science-fiction book that explores the very sources of pain and suffering and the freedom of two races from oppression and exploitation by their leaders. It is a tale of aliens (Treretumians) who visited planet earth several millennia ago and compromised our world by planting some seeds that spread vastly across planet earth, and they have now returned to assess the seeds they had planted. Dr. Riojas who holds four degrees in chemical engineering and civil engineering did a great job exposing cadmium poisoning threats we face daily and how the government cover up the truth in order to exploit the ignorant masses. The story is quite entertaining and keeps the reader's eyes glued to the enlightening pages.

Egral Egroeg, the son of a powerful lord of the ruling Drutsab Clan and Head Officer of Total Security and High Intelligence of Treretum, is a designated future leader of Treretum. Egroeg leads a team of Treretumians on a mission to Earth to gather information on the seeds. He is assisted by Sucram Suturb of the Kcalb Clan who becomes a major and unseen threat to him. Treretum is gradually invaded and threatened to extinction by the Muimdac Transforms. Egroeg and elite leaders of Treretum betray Treretum to the Muimdac invaders, unknown to the mass Treretumians.

Nivla, a patriotic Treretumian is on a personal mission, assisted by his two drones, Cinz and Reppoc, to recover the corpse of his older brother and two other Treretumians who died in the 1947 spacecraft crash near Roswell and now under observation in Area 51, Hangar 18; and also to free his people from the Tyranny of the ruling Drutsab Clan and Muimdac invaders. To succeed, Nivla needs to make contact with Earthlings.

Nivla finds a potential Earthling ally, Olga Ramos, one of the principal Interstellar Surveillance—Search for Life researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Los Angeles. She adds some unique humor to the story with her funny character and weird responses. With the help of her friend, Cuauhtémuc Gavilán, they ease the tension of the story. Nivla later meets Dr. Welch and Sam on his quest to resolve his Treretumian problem. But in the process, they acknowledge that they actually need Nivla's help more than he needs theirs’ as Nivla exposes hidden conspiracy of the government to his Earthling friends. They finally discover that Earthlings are more of a threat to themselves than the Treretumians or even cadmium poisoning. How would these two races resolve the threats to the existence of their respective races?

The plot is perfect and the suspense is okay, though I could predict what next sometimes. I love the way Dr. Riojas blends his research on cadmium poisoning with the story, perfectly illustrated with the rate of cancer in the Shoshone tribe due to high consumption and accumulation of cadmium. Suturb explains to Egroeg the two poisons contained in most of the foods of the Earthlings -- ‘cadmium’ and ‘lead’.

According to Dr. Riojas, cadmium (chemical symbol Cd) is a carcinogenic heavy metal and a contaminant in phosphate fertilizers that are spread on the fields where crops that we eat are grown — it is in the food chain. Cadmium is all around us — in the foods we eat, water we drink, and air we breathe. “The pancreas is one of the organs in the human body where cadmium is concentrated. This is no coincidence... Cadmium is indicated in a host of diseases ranging from cancers of the prostate, the liver, the kidneys, the lungs, the bone, and the breast, to osteoporosis, disease of the thyroid, hardening of the arteries and stroke, high triglycerides and imbalance in the high-density and low-density cholesterols in the bloodstream, and indirectly to Alzheimer’s disease”. The author explained the subject matter in good detail, chapter-by-chapter, and in an entertaining way.

However, I noticed some words had a missing letter or an extra letter, thereby giving the sentence a twisted meaning e.g, “Initially, I though (thought) that...”, “Oleub’s (Oleub) was a strong personality...”. Punctuation marks were missing in some sentences e.g, “The light colors also contrasted against her skin, which was several shades lighter than her husband’s(.)”. Nevertheless, this book is not just one of those story books, but a very knowledge-packed book, educating the reader in an entertaining way.

I rate Heaven and Earth 4 out of 4 stars. The profound knowledge it contains and the way Dr. Riojas blends the story with his research on cadmium poisoning is worth the rating. Science students and practitioners would love this book as well as non-science, curious-minded, intellectual individuals like me. I strongly recommend this book to all though. Be sure to have a pen and jotter on your journey through Heaven and Earth.

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Heaven and Earth
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Espie · Post by **Espie** » 25 Aug 2018, 21:34

Thank you for your detailed as well as insightful review. It's funny because, like you, I often find myself initially thinking quirky meanings in the errors I've found in the books I've reviewed. Yet, of course, I just always opt to dismiss them as random coincidence with acceptable scientific explanations for how the mind works in mind. How much of this fictional piece is true would also be a good measure of its relevance that go beyond its literary significance.

ross_offscript · Post by **ross_offscript** » 27 Aug 2018, 15:47

I admire Arturo Riojas's ability to successfully capture the interests of scientists and laypersons towards his cadmium research. Due to his creativity, the author was able to transform a potentially boring research topic into a relatable novel. Thanks for the review, NuelUkah!

NuelUkah · Post by **NuelUkah** » 29 Aug 2018, 18:25

Thanks, dear.

Espie wrote: ↑25 Aug 2018, 21:34 Thank you for your detailed as well as insightful review. It's funny because, like you, I often find myself initially thinking quirky meanings in the errors I've found in the books I've reviewed. Yet, of course, I just always opt to dismiss them as random coincidence with acceptable scientific explanations for how the mind works in mind. How much of this fictional piece is true would also be a good measure of its relevance that go beyond its literary significance.

NuelUkah · Post by **NuelUkah** » 29 Aug 2018, 18:28

Yeah. So true. He captured the minds of both professionals and laypersons. It would've have been a boring read, if not for his creativity. Thanks for stopping by.
[quote=RT_offscript post_id=994178 time=1535402827 user_id=956339]
I admire Arturo Riojas's ability to successfully capture the interests of scientists and laypersons towards his cadmium research. Due to his creativity, the author was able to transform a potentially boring research topic into a relatable novel. Thanks for the review, NuelUkah!
[/quote]

NuelUkah · Post by **NuelUkah** » 29 Aug 2018, 18:41

Yeah. So true. He captured the minds of both professionals and laypersons. It would've have been a boring read, if not for his creativity. Thanks for stopping by.

RT_offscript wrote: ↑27 Aug 2018, 15:47 I admire Arturo Riojas's ability to successfully capture the interests of scientists and laypersons towards his cadmium research. Due to his creativity, the author was able to transform a potentially boring research topic into a relatable novel. Thanks for the review, NuelUkah!

Post by **Vickie Noel** » 02 Sep 2018, 00:25

Nice review! I enjoyed the plot and the suspense created. It's not easy to keep track of such strange names in books and it's clear you had a strong grip on them. Well done!

NuelUkah · Post by **NuelUkah** » 05 Sep 2018, 14:24

Thank you so much, dear. Happy you enjoyed it.

Vickie Noel wrote: ↑02 Sep 2018, 00:25 Nice review! I enjoyed the plot and the suspense created. It's not easy to keep track of such strange names in books and it's clear you had a strong grip on them. Well done!

Post by **Alice Heritage** » 10 Sep 2018, 14:55

How interesting that the author partly builds this story on the Roswell incident. The cadmium sounds very toxic and it sounds as if this book both informs and entertains.

Connie Otwani · Post by **Connie Otwani** » 10 Sep 2018, 15:25

Cadmium is all around us — in the foods we eat, water we drink, and air we breathe.

Very scary! Thanks for the thorough review.

NuelUkah · Post by **NuelUkah** » 11 Sep 2018, 15:06

ButterscotchCherrie wrote: ↑10 Sep 2018, 14:55 How interesting that the author partly builds this story on the Roswell incident. The cadmium sounds very toxic and it sounds as if this book both informs and entertains.

Yes, dear. The author deserves some accolades. He's good.

NuelUkah · Post by **NuelUkah** » 11 Sep 2018, 15:07

Cotwani wrote: ↑10 Sep 2018, 15:25
Cadmium is all around us — in the foods we eat, water we drink, and air we breathe.

Very scary! Thanks for the thorough review.

Yeah. Indeed. Thank you for stopping by.

Sarah G · Post by **Sarah G** » 28 Sep 2018, 07:06

It looks like an interesting read. I love it when books don't dumb down the science and just instead use the book as a platform for learning. Great review

NuelUkah · Post by **NuelUkah** » 28 Sep 2018, 15:24

Thank you, Sarah.

LV2R · Post by **LV2R** » 28 Sep 2018, 23:41

This science-fiction story has an interesting blend of science and fantasy. It includes Cadmium and the effects on Earth's food sources and the supposed UFO crash of 1947 in Roswell, as well as, aliens visiting Earth. Learning about some scientific facts through a fictional story may very well be the preferred way for many readers.