“OVER THE EPOCHS SHE HAD THOUGHT SHE HAD SEEN EVERYTHING. BUT NOTHING, NOT EVEN THOSE EARLY DAYS WHEN SHE HAD TO WATCH OVER HER SISTER NEGOTIATE THE FURIOUS EONS OF HER FIERY YOUTH, COMPARED TO WHAT SHE WAS NOW OBSERVING.”

I enjoyed the fantasy concept of the planets in our solar system having a sentience and personality. The story is from the viewpoint of Luna and her close sisterly bond to Gaia. We encounter Mars, who is a chilled out relaxed planet and his boys Phobos and Deimos, Venus, a beauty but is a bitter hurt planet.
Other planets are mentioned but only in passing. I would have liked for this book to be longer with more depth to the story, but I still enjoyed the quick and easy read.

I hasten to add, there is a couple of swearwords that happen, and although I consider the story isn't overly flooded with vulgar expletives, I recommend this book is suitable for older readers

I hope that Mark Newton might bring out some more short stories or novels with The sun-wanderers. as I would enjoy reading more about them.
I received a free e-copy of this book from Netgalley and my review is entirely voluntary. Thank you for sending it.
#GaiaandLuna #NetGalley

"Life: An Odyssey Through Time" by Richard C. Morais is a fascinating and thought-provoking novel that explores the evolution of life on Earth through the eyes of two wanderers, Gaia and Luna. The story begins with the Big Bang and follows the journey of these two celestial beings as they witness the birth and growth of life on a tiny planet in an unremarkable part of the universe.

Morais' writing style is eloquent and engaging, and his vivid descriptions bring the universe to life in the mind of the reader. The characters of Gaia and Luna are intriguing, and the relationship between them is heartwarming. As the story progresses, the two wanderers become more invested in the evolution of life on Earth, and their observations of the rise of humanity are both fascinating and concerning.

The author's portrayal of the rise of humanity from its early beginnings to its current domination of the planet is insightful and thought-provoking. The book raises important questions about the impact of human behavior on the environment and the potential consequences of our actions. The story is both a celebration of the wonders of life and a warning of the dangers of taking our planet for granted.

"Life: An Odyssey Through Time" is a beautifully written novel that will appeal to readers interested in science, philosophy, and the evolution of life on Earth. Morais' unique perspective on the subject is both refreshing and engaging, and his novel is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered about the mysteries of the universe and the nature of life itself.

I don't think I'm the target audience for this book. I usually enjoy scifi and fantasy, but this book only loosely fits those categories. I think this would be better marketed as a YA book.

It's certainly an interesting version of the story of the Earth from the perspective of Gaia herself, but it wasn't particularly my cup of tea.

Earth and the Moon are sisters who converse over the evolution of life on Earth. I'm not going to go into spoilers but what a great idea for a book this was.

Gaia and Luna by Mark Newton
A book review

🌍🌍🌍🌍/5

'The very fragility of Life seemed rather strangely, to be fundamental to its evolution'.

'Amidst a cornucopia of different shapes and forms, great spheres were fashioned to spin and turn at the behest of their conductor in a glorious symphony of creation that travelled ever outward in a timeless mechanism of celestial beauty.'

*Gaia's appearance had settled into a relatively gentle and multifaceted dynamic that was a constant source of wonder to her ashen and largely invariant satellite.'

'And why were there two little dots of the Yin or the Yang in the halves of the other? And, why black or white? Why so binary, monochrome and stark? And what was going on at the interfaces between these different areas? In her now extensive experience, it was always the interfaces, the surfaces where everything happened. This symbol, however, intriguing and challenging as it was, seemed not to be able to say anything about that, not the insane dynamic that Life had always shown?'

'Was this the true purpose of the universe? To create the harmony of form from which meaning and truth may subsequently be derived?'

🌍 You know what? If you travel by plane or spaceship (who knows?) I would absolutely recommend you pick up this book as it made my reading experience absolutely perfect and so much more meaningful. (beware that I say this as a major mood reader).

🌍 Wow. Okay, where do I start? Planets and satellites are personified. We follow them since the BIG BANG that created everything. We get to experience these 100-something pages the way they view time, changes and history. We mainly follow the Moon and planet Earth as per the title but we do get to know Mars, Venus, and Jupiter as well among others. The writing fits the story so so well. This is exactly how I would envision celestial entities talking if I had ever done that prior to reading this book (well maybe apart from the occasional swearing that threw me off sometimes as otherwise, the language was so intelligent without it being obnoxious or pretentious.). It took me maybe a few pages to get used to it, but once I did I could feel the vastness of space and time, the poetic and sensitive eyes of the author as well as the MUSIC. (which is later talked about and took me by surprise that the feelings of music were evoked naturally by Mark Newton's writing!)

🌍 It was a great brush up of the Earth's history actually, and a very clever way to bring all this information from boring textbooks and make it alive and animated. My favourite part was when the up then unknown concept of LIFE was introduced and how the Earth and the faraway sister and observer, the Moon, experienced it.
Additionally, I truly appreciated the social commentary that went it this book showcased the ungratefulness and greediness of us, apes, towards the wonders of our planet and universe. As an environmental activist myself, I would love to read it along with others concerned about the future of our species.

Highly recommend; a unique book that will surprise you.

PS: I love figuring out something unique about the author or something that sounds out and I have the hunch that he loves the word infinitesimal. :))

Thank you Netgalley and Loudhailer Books for offering me a copy of this book, in exchange of an honest review.

#gaiaandluna #marknewton #netgalley #netgalleybooks #bookreview #loudhailerbooks

Great book! I loved the storytelling here. A story of the universe and our home in it told from a refreshing angle. It mad me smile and it made me think about some of the surprises that have led to the being so full of hubris it has named itself "wise man" (homo sapiens"). It was a bit hung up on Western history and should be better balanced if ever revised. It also struck me as absurd to focus on some historical events and not others.

Imagine Pixar handling the creation of the universe. The Earth and her sister Luna are placed in the sky by a great creator and begin to study the new phenomena of a thing called life. There are eight wanderers, but Luna and Gaia try to follow how an ape species rises to control the entire world and what might happen if they don't treat these wanderers well.

This is such a unique book. I have never read something like this. We are following the Moon (Luna) and Earth (Gaia) from the time the universe was born. Everything seems to be all nice until one day, Gaia announces that something has happened to her, something that she has called ‘Life’, and the two wanderers begin to study and curate and nurture this strange new phenomenon. It touches on a lot of interesting philosophical concepts and this made it such an incredible read.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Gaia and Luna” is an retrospective and existential short story following the personified solar system in its attempts to understand and comprehend the vastness of creation as it occurs.

Although I generally do not enjoy science, this book takes scientific concepts and presents it in a beautiful, eccentric and accessible manner, as this is a work of fiction which experiments with the real world, rather than the other-way-around.

The book’s central theme is the beauty and miracle that is our existence: how life itself is a wonder and a miracle, and although human existence is a speck in Time, it is respected and valued enough for life on Earth to be referred to as “Life”. Along with this central theme, it presents retrospective social commentaries on how we, as humans, build heavy conflict and divide due to systematic bigotry. I enjoyed this element, however some of the comparisons felt almost distasteful rather than detached - the latter seems to be the goal of the author, so I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt due to the book’s positive message.

An interesting relationship between science and spirituality is deeply explored in such a short little book. As a very spiritual, yet agnostic person, it was amazing to see how the “G”, representative of a non-denominational god, was “gently pulling the strings of creation”. I also like how the ‘G’ was not made to represent a single religion’s god or god-like figure, and instead, acted in a position of general interest over the universe.

Overall, this is a relatively nice book, I would usually say books like this are a short, one sitting read, but the pacing is really slow in this book, so if you are like me, it’ll take a lot longer haha!

The disingenuous tone of this work rather put me off .. but then also there are no real characters to populate a storyline. It's the evolution of life simply set out as if the planets have personalities .. but rather predictable and banal ones at that. I think it's just not for me.

I tried to like this book however i think that i just might not have been the right demographic or the intended audience. I found the characters and plot very hard to relate to and the whole thing was very forgettable for me. I liked the concept of the story however I don't think it was properly constructed and parts of this story seemed too scientific for my liking.What i did really like about this book however was i found the idea of it to be very unique and nothing like I've ever read before.

I have not laughed so much in such short book. I just loved this so much.
A cosmic tale between the stars, indeed.

This is a super weird little book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is very hard to classify, as it is fantasy/fiction, science-y, history, basically everything. That makes it ll the more fun.

In an instant, the universe is created and we are given a running commentary of how existence evolved for eight celestial beings as they wander their paths around the Sun, some all alone and others with satellite companions.

Gaia undergoes the most serious of changes, as her younger sister Luna looks on. They discuss at length what these changes might mean for their futures, as something comes into being that Gaia calls Life. A species that is self-aware, and manages to continue evolving, making new discoveries at such a rapid pace that they can hardly keep up. There comes a point where Gaia is truly concerned for herself, and Luna is as well - though she knows she is helpless in the situation and can do nothing to aid her big sister.

I thought this was such a unique way to talk about the history of our solar system, giving the planets the chance to make their observations and discuss among themselves what it all means. We see the entire galaxy evolve, but the main focus is the sisters, Gaia and Luna.

Gaia is thrilled by the changes occurring and constantly shares new developments with Luna. Luna is (rightfully) a lot more cautious, and worries where some of these changes are heading (you and me both, Sister). Yet as humans continue to evolve, Gaia finally hops on board with the concern Luna has been voicing. When we reach the 1900s, and progress is happening so quickly that that sense of wonder has been replaced with pure dread, it is clear that perhaps humans aren't as cool as Gaia first thought (not wrong; we are, on the whole, pretty terrible to one another and our planet).

Recommended for those looking for a short, unique read about our world.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow-what a clever book and a great insight into the creation of life. Fascinating. Recommended.

It's the history of Creation as told by the moon and earth, Luna and Gaia. They see how fast things are changing and see the addition of different kinds of animals. The ever changing world with the advanced "apes" and the impact that's happening. Interesting mix of facts and fancy. Well written and original content. I received this book from Net Galley and Loudhailer Books for a honest review .

Not bad, not great. This has an interesting premise, and I can see the author's talent, which should blossom with time. This one didn't come together as it could have.

Thanks very much for the free review copy!!

"Over the epochs she had thought she had seen everything. But nothing, not even those early days when she had to watch over her sister negotiate the furious eons of her fiery youth, compared to what she was now observing.”

Gaia and Luna is part fantasy, part Sci-Fi, and part history, with a lot of commentary on the human race and its evolution. It’s the story of Earth and life on Earth narrated from the point of view of the Earth and the Moon itself, which is quite innovative. Gaia, the earth, and her sister Luna have been quietly orbiting the sun since not long after the Big Bang when suddenly their serenity is disturbed by the formation of a new phenomenon called Life. Luna is alarmed, but Gaia quite enjoys observing evolution in action, until the accelerated spread of one particular species turns their fascination to dread. Gaia and her diminutive satellite sister Luna observe the evolution of life. They study and curate it, strange things are happening. So the book is a truly unique way of explaining the creation of life, and how it has evolved and diversified.

I enjoyed the first half of this short novel but the second changed the whole tone of the book as Luna rants on about the human’s self-destructiveness. I couldn't work out who it was aimed at. The language and words used were definitely adult, but the tone of the book, in my opinion, is more suited to children. The swearing by other characters made it unsuitable for children.

Overall, it’s a satisfying and fun read and the writing is quite good. It’s a unique story told in an innovative manner. Three and a Half Stars

Many thanks to the publisher Loudhailer Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Gaia and Luna is a hard book to categorise - part fantasy, part history, with a lot of rather preachy social commentary - but certainly highly original. I was invited to read it by David Haviland from Loudhailer, who has introduced me to several books that have been way outside my usual genres but that I have enjoyed nonetheless. I liked the premise and am glad I wasn’t deterred by the recurrent use of the word “whimsical” (normally a red flag for me) in other reviews - although I agree it is deserved.

Gaia, the earth, and her sister Luna, have been quietly orbiting the sun since not long after the Big Bang, when suddenly (relatively) their serenity is disturbed by the formation of a new phenomenon called Life. Luna is alarmed, but Gaia quite enjoys observing evolution in action, until the accelerated spread of one particular species turns their fascination to dread…

I enjoyed the first half of this short novel the most, relating long forgotten school science knowledge as seen from the perspective of kindly celestial bodies, but once Man reaches the 20th Century, the author’s voice takes over, and while I understand what he’s trying to do, it changed the whole tone of the book as Luna rants on about the evils of Capitalism and Man’s inhumanity and self-destructiveness. I don’t disagree with him, but I dislike veiled politics taking over a story. I also felt the introduction of swearing to the various planets’ vocabulary was unnecessary and rather than giving it an “edge”, but cheapened the otherwise lovely writing.

The ARC copy I received had no chapters and no paragraph breaks, with only the occasional dinkus (= *** - I learned a new word here, thanks Google) to break up the text which made it unnecessarily hard to read. Hopefully this will be fixed in the published edition. Overall, I don’t regret reading this as it certainly made a change from my usual fare, and it did make me think, but it wouldn’t be for everyone (climate change deniers will be especially irritated but then again they deserve to be). 3.5 rounded up for the beautiful cover and well-meant messages.

Thanks to NetGalley and Loudhailer for the review copy. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
Gaia and Luna is available now.

The book is about the history of the Universe, the formation of the solar system.and (bizarrely) the close friendship of the Moon and the Earth. The pair’s friendship goes on an emotional roller coaster, as the earth gives birth to various life forms including mankind and the destruction caused to the planet by man’s greed & various wars.
I am not sure what sector of reader the author is writing for, or what genre of book it falls into. I initially thought it was aimed at young teenagers until I read some of the ‘ripe’ language, although on second thoughts most teenagers have grown up with the F-word being in common use!
Even though I would never usually read a book of this nature, I am sure that the book will be a success because of it’s originality and its topical viewpoint on the current climate disaster and extinction event that we are all facing.

This book gives a very interesting perspective on the creation of the solar system and formation of the Earth, as told by both the Earth and Moon. I really enjoyed the way this story was told, from the Earth's beginnings to the creation of life to current issues between the planet itself and its inhabitants. It was also incredibly unique that the author gave each planet (and moons) human personality traits and quirks. The story is beautifully written, but I'm not entirely sure how to categorize this book. I can see that it might not be for every reader, but it's definitely a book unlike any I've read before.