Details:
- author: Claire North
- full title: Notes from the Burning Age
- narrator: Peter Kenny
- genre: general fiction, fantasy, thriller
- topics: #dystopia #espionage #politics
- publisher: Orbit
- publish date: 20.07.2021
- timing: 13:02:00
My Rating of the Audiobook:
- content: 💙💙💙.5
- narration: 💙💙💙💙💙
 |
| Goodreads |
Excerpt from the Book:
At
the top of the highest ridge of the tallest hill, Vae finally stopped
before the best tree in the wood. The kakuy tree was a hornbeam, older,
the priests said, than even the great burning. As the old countries
perished when the seas rose and the desert grew, as the peoples of the
world mingled and fought for fresh water and fertile land, the hornbeam
had grown, spinning towards the sun above and soil below, its roots
entangling with its neighbour like children holding hands. Where humans
walked, each tree seemed separate, swaying thing; but below the forest
their roots were one, perfect symbiosis. Truly a great spirit lived in
the hornbeam, the people said, a mighty kakuy, so at its base they left
their offerings and prayers, and every night before lighting the stone
lanterns the Medj of the temple would come to give thanks to leaf and
branch.
My Thoughts:
This was my first (audio)book by Claire North. I wanted to read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August first. But I somehow started with this one, and I had pretty high expectations.
While the writing is great, I had trouble getting into the story, and I needed a really long time to listen to the entire audiobook. Usually, I would prefer to read a book. But in this case, the audiobook format was a much better option for me.
I expected it to be more of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic story. The start was promising, and I wanted more of kakuy and this new world. I didn’t expect the story to be political espionage that is just coincidentally set in a future world. So, I struggled with it, and a few times, the story really bored me. But this is my personal preference, I guess. Because I almost never read political and espionage books.
I loved the idea of this new world, their belief, the idea of translating ancient texts, warning signs of the environment, and the characters who were very intriguing.
I’m sure this will be a great read for some. For me, it was ok, sometimes good, but not perfect. Especially, the beautiful language, setting, and narrator kept me going.
Masterfully narrated by Peter Kenny. I loved his narration.
About the Author:
Claire North is a pseudonym for Catherine Webb, a Carnegie
Medal-nominated author whose first book was written when she was just
fourteen years old. She went on to write several other novels in various
genres, before publishing her first major work as Claire North, The
First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, in 2014. It was a critically
acclaimed success, receiving rave reviews and an Audie nomination, and
was included in the Washington Post's Best Books of the Year list. Her
most recent novel, Touch, was also in the Washington Post's Best Books
of the Year, in 2015.
