4 out of 4 stars
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Heaven and Earth written by Arturo Riojas is a science fiction book and it is also a book of scientific facts. It totals up to 378 pages if you include the appendices, which you must because the book is incomplete without them. The book is utterly enjoyable and I came away having taken all its cautionary lessons to heart.
It is clear from the beginning that the book aims to highlight the adverse effects of Cadmium. This is not surprising since Arturo Riojas (Ph.D.) is an accomplished academician and an environmental-sciences expert/enthusiast. However, the nerd is overshadowed by the geek in him as the story unfolds revealing a universe of interstellar spaceships, advanced technologies, and intelligent alien civilizations.
The plot of the book follows a hulking wide-eyed alien called Nivla on a secret mission to Earth to retrieve the remains of his dead brother. However, all is not as it seems as his mission is layered in deceit and espionage. The plot also follows Olga Ramos (Ph.D) a NASA Aeronautical Engineer, a brilliant scientist whose curiosity will be rewarded with much more than she ever hoped to discover.
With Nivla we are introduced to the advanced civilization of Treretum, a planet approximately 8.6 light years away from Earth. We learn about the different clans on the Treretum and how they came to be. We also learn about their social dynamics and the resulting stresses in their society. Any ‘Star Trek’ or ‘Stargate’ fan such as myself will love how this story develops.
Olga’s plot-line introduces us to a fledgling Earth rife with corruption and a population now facing the possibility of extinction. Every child born to this world being poisoned by an invincible poison from a very early age. However, in this case also, all is not as it seems and the deeper into the book we get the more we learn about a big underlying government conspiracy.
Together, through these two plot-lines a universe of intrigue unfolds spanning the history of mankind, including the ancient Aztec civilization, Hindu deities, and even the Vietnam War. Add to that a Government-Cooperation partnership conspiracy and you have the perfect recipe for intrigue.
I noticed some subtle hints throughout the book that tell me that the author is a skilled writer. For example on page 113: “Their gaze seemed to draw them close to each other, Olga felt the pull of his dark eyes…” and from page 156: “They stood in front of the hood of the rental vehicle, headlights still burning, illuminating dust particles that traversed the beams of the light.” This type of writing creates depth in the story and it drew me in making me feel like a first-person observer.
The book may have a love story with the endearing relationship between Olga and her love interest but the overriding theme is the plight of mankind underlined by power, greed and ignorance. Power, greed and ignorance on Earth and on the planet of Tarentum has resulted in either civilization's plight and both find themselves in a seemingly impossible battle for survival.
Overall I liked the book, I was left feeling that Arturo Riojas should expand on this book with a sequel. I also think it was professionally edited, I only found three or four typos in the first chapter but only after reading it for a second time. This is one of those novels where the typos are not enough to distract from the story. I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars...
I felt in the end that the book accomplished its goal as an awareness campaign. The book set out to highlight the adverse effects of Cadmium and the extent of the problem. The well-researched facts that (Doctor) Arturo Riojas engineers into this book of science fiction left me questioning some of my life choices more specifically those related to my eating habits.
In summary, I found the book very entertaining as any normal geek would. I also found it very informative and I felt the need to join the Cadmium conversation. Lastly, the book is totally engaging. Soon after I had started the book I was totally immersed eager to discover how the book would unfold. Again these are the things I look for in a book and therefore, I give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
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Heaven and Earth
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