4 out of 4 stars
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The plotline for Heaven and Earth was gripping from the start to the finish and left me wishing for a series!
Trying not to give too much away regarding storyline spoilers (it’s such an amazing story that I wouldn’t want to ruin the suspense!): The story intertwines Olga and Gavilán with Nivla (a Treretum) who has been orbiting Earth as part of a mission to gain information on the progress of Earthlings. However, as well as the mission for the Treretum’s Nivla has an ulterior motive for returning to Earth, as his brother’s body was never recovered from when it crashed into Earth (Area 51). At an unusual invite-only government conference, Olga meets Dr Welch and Sam, who believe there is a conspiracy theory behind the conference, and enlist the help of both Olga and Gavilán to investigate their theory, as they have all realised that they have been followed since the conference. There are hilarious effects when Nivla approaches the Earthlings for assistance, as they come to terms with the reality of aliens and the thought of them having been chosen for contact. The group make an unusual team as they all approach the conspiracy theory with different motives, all joining as one mind to combat their fears. This is a suspense- filled, gripping story where you are taken on a rollercoaster adventure with the characters, watching their progress, discoveries, near-death experiences, confrontations and discover the real-life effects of Cadmium on life.
The story expertly combines current Cadmium research with myths, ancient history, archeology and conspiracy theories, so there is something for everyone. The reader ultimately is gripped by the content and feels compelled to research further into the scientific and historical background of the novel. I’ve spent a while after reading, conducting my own reading into Cadmium and viewing the current research into this topic! Which is something I have not had an interest in before! I loved the way that the novel combined a mix of scientific research with an extra-terrestrial sci-fi outlook, without making it unrealistic or unbelievable. I was completely immersed in the characters, both human and alien, as they were so relatable and expertly written.
As it was very scientifically written, many people may worry that it would be too scientifically detailed to read easily, however this is not the case. The science is written in a way that is accessible to all, whether they have a scientific background or not. I especially liked the Fact File at the end of each chapter which details Cadmium poisoning and gave the reader essential background information into the research being described by the characters, or the actions taken by the characters. As someone who knew nothing about this topic before I started reading, I felt as if the writer had taken this into account and had provided the information in manageable chunks so as to not be overwhelmed by the new information. The appendices at the end of the story provided me with welcome additional information on Cadmium poisoning, the potential causes, effects, extent of the issue and cures. I found this exceedingly interesting, especially the question and answer section, where it answered common questions from previous readers.
The novel is written with amazing depth into all the characters, both human and alien. All the characters were described in detail so that the reader could picture them without question, which is impressive when describing alien forms unlike our own! I was very impressed with the excellent use of a secondary language in the novel (with translations) to give the reader an inside view into the characters’ personalities and duel-language relationships with the other characters. This is the best use of a second language I’ve ever seen in a novel, as many attempt and fail, where this one was written in such a way that you did not need to know the second language at all to understand and be included in the inside Spanish jokes between Olga and Gavilán, which the other characters didn’t understand. This made me feel closer to the main characters.
There was very few grammatical errors, so looked professionally edited.
Overall, I would give Heaven and Earth a solid 4 out of 4 stars. The quality of the writing gripped me from start to finish, with interesting and intriguing characters that created empathy with the reader and allowed the reader to feel a part of the story. Despite the two main characters developing the start of a relationship, this was not considered or written as a main plot-point, which I found exceedingly refreshing, especially as the main character is female. Having a female main character, in science and research, who was described as the top of her field, made me excited about the prospect of more women in science. I would strongly recommend this for both adults and young adults (teenagers) as the writing is superb and is completely suitable for young people, as there is no strong language, sexual content or excessive violence. The main character is a strong female role model, involved in scientific research in NASA, able to investigate the conspiracy theory alone, however choosing the other characters to join her in her endeavours. There should definitely be more novels like this to educate people, myself included (about scientific research that would not otherwise be read by the majority of people), and to introduce more strong female role models to inspire and enthuse young people about science. Definitely recommend to everyone! Amazing read!
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Heaven and Earth
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