3 out of 4 stars
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Searching for Shetani by J.D. Chaney is an action-packed thrilling story that presents the lives of Maasai warriors as they hunt down a killer lion.
In the village of Nandu, in the Kenyan grasslands, a lion lurks and watches its prey closely. Shetani is a male lion whose eyes are on the domesticated animals of the Maasai sometimes becoming a man-eater if the opportunity arises. The “Morans” (Maasai warriors) strategize on how to overcome the beast. Emeke is selected to go after the man-eater and prove himself as a warrior of the tribe. The journey proves to be perilous with the pounding rain, little food and water and the unforgiving terrain but Emeke heart is set on the mission and nothing will stop him. When he comes face to face with the beast he realizes that nothing would have prepared him enough for this jolting event.
Searching for Shetani is full of suspenseful moments. There is no climax in the book as every page brings along an unexpected trail of events. The lion is dismaying and the warriors are relentless. It becomes a difficult task to imagine the outcome. The terror that the lion cause even in the surrounding villages makes the story even more captivating as the end of this man-eater is eagerly anticipated. Emeke, Naaku and Jamala are great main characters as they heighten the action in the story. Their ability to overcome the obstacles placed in front of them for the sake of their community is admirable. The author also paints the lion as the formidable creature it actually is.
I also liked that the book gives a glimpse into the culture of the Maasai from their dressing to their cuisine and traditions. This gives the story a unique flavor that makes it more interesting. The author describes the Maasai’s lifestyle and uses some past traditions to create the story which shows that they carefully researched the community’s traditions before writing the book. The terrain in which the story is set also depicts the traditional, in some cases, current dwelling locations of the community.
The book contains a number of grammatical errors that were a bit distracting. Some names spellings are changed as the story moves along. Some sentence construction issues are also noticeable. Still, Searching for Shetani by J.D. Chaney is a captivating book that readers interested in the Maasai’s way of life will appreciate. I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.
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Searching For Shetani
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