Genre: Memoir
Description:
“A soulful mix of geology, writing, rock and roll, and lost ancient
nations from the author of the award winning historical novel, Storykeeper. A thought-provoking account
of a ten-year search for mystical orbs, mysterious earthworks, and forgotten
history will inspire the storyteller in all of us to begin their own journey.”
Author:
“Daniel grew up in Arkansas. In his youth, he began working for his
father riding in a Studebaker pick-up truck around the state, servicing
refrigeration units in tourist courts and small country stores. Years later
after leaving the touring concert world as chief sound engineer for an eclectic
range of musical artists, he traveled those same Arkansas back roads designing
and installing permanent sound systems. For the first time, Daniel really began
to notice the surprising number of ancient earthworks that covered the state.
He realized that he like everyone else he knew had no idea who built
them, when, or why. What began as an observation grew to a driving curiosity to
research historical documents and the state's vast archeological findings. The
untold stories and lost history all around him inspired Daniel's debut novel, Storykeeper.”
Appraisal
More than once I’ve compared an author talking about how their book
came to be as like a tour of the sausage factory. At least in a venue aimed at
readers this is as likely to turn them off sausages as it is to entertain or
inspire. (In a venue aimed at fellow authors, writers, or those specifically
interested in the writing process, the reaction is obviously different.)
I don’t feel this way about Orb
Stones and Geoglyphs. When I tried to figure out why the conclusion I came
to is that while the story told here is a true story of how the author’s first
novel came to be, the novel wasn’t the point of the experience, but one of the
results. The writing isn’t the focus, instead the important parts are the archaeological curiosities the author observed and the history he learned about
due to digging deeper. More an adventure tale than a chronicle of schooling. Explaining
much more than this will spoil the story, so I’ll finish by saying that those
who like a good mystery and are interested in the history of North America
should enjoy this quick read.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 15-20,000 words
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