Thursday, Apr 2, 2009

Book Review: KEEPER of LIGHT and DUST

Author:       Natasha Mostert

Publisher:    Dutton/Penguin

ISBN:          978-0-525-95100-1

Website:      www.natashamostert.com

Type:         Fiction:Fantasy

Pages:        310 Hardback

Purchase:    $17.13 @ Amazon.com (HERE)

The Story

“What is the greatest desire of all?

In the death choked corridors of Palermo’s famous catacombs, a young man asks this question of himself as he stands surrounded by eight thousand mummified corpses. The answer he gives will set the course of his life and take him on a journey into the heart of darkness.

Adrian Ashton is a brilliant man: a quantum physicist and chronobiologist who has devoted his life to the study of chi – the vital energy that runs through our bodies. A gifted scientist, he is also a skilled martial artist – and a hunter. Calling himself Dragonfly, he preys on fighters and martial artists who are blessed with a strong life force, draining them of their chi and making it his own. To assist him in his quest, he draws on the knowledge contained in an enigmatic Chinese text written by a legendary Chinese physician in the thirteenth century.

But the hunter becomes the hunted when a mysterious woman enters his life. A martial artist herself, she belongs to a long line of Keepers: women who are warriors, healers and protectors. When Dragonfly targets the man she loves, she sets out to defeat him. It becomes a fight to the death in which love is both the greatest weakness and the biggest prize.

A fast-paced, highly original thriller, Keeper of Light and Dust blends mysticism with science and explores themes as old as time: the imperative of violence, the redemptive power of love and the greatest desire of all — to live forever.”

(Above excerpt is from www.natashamostert.com )

The Review

Last year, a friend gave me a copy of Season of the Witch. It was one of the very first books that I read and reviewed on A Novel Menagerie. Naturally, I was excited to read Natasha Mostert’s next novel, the KEEPER of LIGHT and DUST.  As today is its official release day, I’m pleased to be able to provide my review on this book.

I enjoyed Keeper’s mythical flavor and dangerous plot. I would best compare this type of book to The Gargoyle or the DarkFever series. This story is set in South England and tells the story of our heroine, Mia a “Keeper” of the martial artists she surrounds herself within the dojo. Mia is a “Keeper” like her mother and grandmother before her as well as a tattoo artist and a martial artist. Of the fighters she is tied to, the one closest to her heart is Nick, a fighter that she has known since she was a girl.  They maintain a close bond of friendship, but it becomes clear to the reader that Nick and Mia should take their relationship to the next level.  Mysteriously, two of Mia’s fighters under her “Keep” die days after their fights in the ring. Yet, there is no link between their death and any injuries sustained during the fights.

As the story unfolds, the reader is introduced to Adrian “Ash” Ashton, a martial artist with a past as intriguing as his present. Ash befriends Nick and becomes his sparring partner. Through Nick, Mia is introduced to Ash. Although Mia is not one to mix romantic feelings with the fighters, she is inexplicably drawn to Ash. He hires her to tattoo his body with a series of Chinese symbols on his body symbolizing his spirit and his chi. Despite being drawn to him, Mia recognizes that there is something there to be feared, as well.

As a Keeper, Mia prepares for each of her fighter’s fights by conducting an conducting a protection exercise during an ”out of body” experience in her sleep. It is in one of these travels that she encounters a force that is after the chi of her fighters. This force is willing to fight her for their lives.  This force also materializes in the real world and communicates danger to Mia while her fighter is in the ring.  Suspicion arises about who is involved in this Mia and Nick eventually forge together to discover what and who this life-sucking force is and ensure the safety of the fighters within Mia’s keep.

The KEEPER of LIGHT and DUST definitely had a different “feel” from Season of the Witch. This book did take me a bit longer to understand the characters, their relationships, and the dynamics associated with the martial arts aspect of this story. But, Mostert has a polished and unique way of drawing the reader to the heart of her characters and I was most assuredly connected by mid-book.

Mostert also has a great website with great details on Chi, Out of Body Experiences, and the Zero Point Field which really add to the understanding of the story. There’s also a fun game on her website where you can win A KINDLE, gift certificates to Barnes & Noble, boxing gloves, and signed copies of the book. She has also prepared book club questions for you book club enthusiasts.

A side note: Mostert is a martial artist herself and I enjoyed these fun photos of herself in the dojo with her friends (lucky gal!):

She has taped a video summarizing the book, discussing her martial arts buds, and talking about The Keeper Game.

Other Reviews

There are several other great reviews of the KEEPER of LIGHT and DUST that shall be posted during the month of April:

Literary Escapism – April 7th

The Literate Housewife Review – April 10^th

Wrighty’s Reads – April 14^th

Peeking Between The Pages – April 17^th

Saavy Verse & Wit – April 21^st

Jo-Jo Loves to Read – April 28^th

A few of these blogs are also hosting book give-a-ways.

Book Giveaway at A Novel Menagerie:

You can win your copy of The KEEPER of LIGHT and DUST!  Contest starts today and will run through April 9th… after that… it’s up to you trying to win on the other review websites!  All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment below.  If you are a subscriber to my blog or my tweeter, please indicate such so that you can obtain a double entry.  If you blog about the giveaway, you get a 3rd entry!  Good Luck.  (Open to US and Canada residents only.)

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

One of my favorite passages from the book is:

“Weeks later, when the nights had become cold and the daylight weak, she would look back at those months and realize she had become lost in beauty and tricked by it. Beauty can slip under your guard and leave you vulnerable. A bright sun made for deep shadows.”

This book has both light and dark and gives you some concepts to consider. It’s a fantasy book that allowed me to insert myself into Mia’s role and desire to be that strong Keeper for those I love. For the genre Fiction:Fantasy, I award this book an 8 out of 10.

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