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GATHERING WISE (TRIP) by MK BAKER
At the dawn of time, young Perl awakes at the base of the ancient Bodhi tree, the only source of the last remaining life-giving fruits of wisdom. She’s met by a mysterious deity named Ohm, who eases her reawakening before hastily setting her on a path into the unknown, tasked with choosing twelve primitive beings to receive the blessing of self-awareness, so they can join Perl in her newfound godhood and help lay the foundations of civilization.
One creation has passed, and a new one is emerging, and so a legend is born with the birth of the Wise. Gathering Wise fits firmly in the genre of young adult fantasy, myths and legends and magical realism. MK Baker’s beautiful imagination has created a stunning new world filled with dazzling, adorable creatures.
First off I have to say that I absolutely adored the awesome illustrations at the start of each chapter. Being able to see what all these wonderful new creatures looked like was a complete joy, and added much to the story. I looked to see who the artist was; but as there is no acknowledgment in the book I can only assume MK Baker did them herself, rising her even higher in my estimation as a true artist of both the written word and drawing. My favorite one being the picture on the chapter called The First Assembly, beautiful!
The world has spun full circle and with the passing of one existence gives birth to a new time line. The deity (called Unfinit) has only one remaining entity, her name is Ohm. Before fading into history Ohm creates a girl called Perl, and gives her twelve pieces of fruit. The fruit holds all knowledge and Perl is tasked with finding creatures to share the fruit with. One-by-one twelve other beings are found and offered the fruit. These thirteen having eaten the Bodhi (fruit) are filled with knowledge, gifts and understanding. Within the thirteen are a demon, a dragon and a fairy to name just a few. Each character is beautifully crafted and adds a new dimension to the group. I think it would be fun to have 13 short stories after this book, each showing the growth of one of the characters. An interesting element to this new Utopian world is the fact that melancholy and depression are still present. Life is also still about choices. How will the thirteen choose to live? Will they find their Haven, and if they do will they stay there?
MK Baker pours her clever, inventive (yet innocent) imagination into the dawn of a new age. This story was like putting on a warm, comfy jumper on a fresh cold day. The pace isn’t fast moving, but it’s absorbing and rich with meaning, and inspiring teaching on self-awareness. Gathering Wise is a charming, heart-warming story full of beautiful characters. It is an engrossing and memorable read that comes highly recommended by Artisan Book Reviews. Book review written by T N Traynor for Artisan Book Reviews.
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