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Child Goddess by Louise Marley check out website: www.penguin.com
The ExtraSolar Corporation aren't concerned with idyllic locales or shadowed histories. Their main concern is using the immense water source to produce hydro-power. All of a sudden, events unfold that lead to one of their Forcemen being killed - in an altercation with colonists, child colonists. The result of which is that one child is left injured, another dead like the Forceman who found them.
ESC call in the aid of a priest of the Order of Mary Magdelene, Mother
Isabel Burke, who is a skilled and highly professional anthropologist. It is her
job to assess the girl, named Oa, and make the first steps to communication a
reality and eventually fulfilling the position of the girl's guardian. Isabel
Burke actually exceeds ESC's expectations, going beyond her brief to uncover the
truth behind the descendants of a three-hundred year old colonisation of Virimund.
In time, discovering why the child Oa is so desperate not to talk about the island
of her banishment. Louise Marley is primarily a classical singer, operatic
stages are familiar territory for this lady, not unlike the deck of a space-cargo
carrier. However, her writing career has taken off to a fabulous start and she
has a wealth of books published to prove it. 'The Child Goddess', her seventh
book to date, has an edginess about it that couldn't be further from the world
of stage and sound. It holds a deep resonating message as the story
unfolds. Glimpsing past memories through the eyes of the child, Oa, and present
trials beguiling Isabel Burke and her faith. This isn't a throw-away tale of long-haul
journeys through space and an eventual alien nasty at the end. No. In fact, the
plot becomes far more profound than that. Marley conceives characters
that are picture-perfect, their idiosyncrasies and the tangible link to reality
that the story requires. Isabel Burke affects a strident but challenged woman
to whom loss and sacrifice have always been a life choice until now. Her counterpoint
being the girl-child, Oa. A marred soul in search of the light of hope wherever
she can glean it. Her life dealing with ostracism from her people and ultimately
her family is a constant reminder of her age and fragility. Yet the secret to
her banishment and ultimately the secret of Virimund is thought-provoking and
moving. While the leads in this story were many, there can be only
one wicked witch. Gretchen Boreson, the Administrator at the Seattle Multiplex
is simply wretched. Her character is like a stab-wound to the spirit and from
the beginning it cannot be said she has the child's best interests at heart. The constant tug of morality, in its many forms within the book, is a stimulating
change. Marley never holds back in her blatant dislike in the motivations of a
medical professional seeing dollar signs above a human being's head. She deals
with the situation of potentially human life without death, in a slightly religious
but not indoctrinating tone. The writing style, as can be seen by the
page count of the book, was tightly written, leaving no place for padding out
and over-analysis of character developments. I loved this book. Unashamedly
crying during several episodes of characters going through emotional anguish and
joy. It stands out for its parallels to our lives here in this time and place,
ultimately making me feel ashamed of mankind and its perpetual need to impact
on nature for its own ends. A good book, for questioning times. Donna Jones
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OTHER REVIEWS - August 2004
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On
a distant oceanic planet, a dark secret waits unaffected by time. The previously
thought uninhabited planet of Virimund, with its vast oceans and small numerous
volcanic islands, is a veritable paradise waiting to be explored.
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