Book Reviews

Book Blurb

The year is 1618, and Allakau is different from the other members of the Alaskan Yupik tribe. His people survive by hunting, but Allakau is unable to kill or eat flesh. As another season reaches its end and winter approaches, Allakau encounters a narwhal with silver eyes similar to his own. He saves the creature’s life but incurs his father’s wrath, and Allakau is given one last chance to prove himself a productive part of the tribe or be left behind to die. As he spends time alone in the woods, clues about his past and destiny begin to fall into place with the aid of another silver-eyed creature. His hunt might finally lead him to the truth about what sets him apart and where he belongs—if he can survive it.

 

 

First edition published by Dreamspinner Press, June 2016.

 

Book Review

‘Shifting Silver’ is a story based on Inuit legends and mythology, set in Alaska in the early seventeenth century, and had my interest from the moment I read the blurb. Allakau is fundamentally different from the tribespeople he lives with, and that difference is too big to bridge once he grows up. Diversity is not something they value, and the consequences for Allakau are serious. I was curious to find out his secret, and following the slow unraveling of the truth was a joy. This story reads much like a fairy tale, and contains not just a fascinating personal history for Allakau, but also some wonderfully mysterious and magical creatures.
 
Allakau is one of five children of an Inuit couple making a life in the wilds of Alaska. They depend on fishing and hunting for survival, and with Allakau unable to take an animal’s life or eat flesh in a society that depends on hunting for survival, he becomes a burden. He is not contributing to his family’s survival, and no matter how much pressure his father exerts, Allakau cannot do it. His mother understands him, and believes there is more to him than meets the eye, but her voice is one of many and not enough to stop Allakau’s father from issuing an ultimatum: come back with a kill within three days or be exiled. And even though that means certain death in the harsh winter, Allakau does not relent.

As hopeless as his situation seems, spending time alone in the forest allows him to think about his ability to attract animals. One thing leads to another, and Allakau encounters another creature with the silver eyes that set him apart from the humans he used to live with, and this is the beginning of a wondrous journey of discovery that leads to a very unexpected and magical outcome.
 
If you like legends and mystical creatures who live and breathe magic, if you want to see a lonely man find his destiny in an unexpected way, and if you’re looking for a read that will transport you to a different world, then you will probably like this novella as much as I do. Simply magical!

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 67 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	03-November-2020
Price	$0.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Silver-Myth-short-story-ebook/dp/B086RS4HSZ