With a bang the universe is here. Gaia and her diminutive satellite sister Luna observe the evolution of life. They study and curate it, strange things are happening. Progress does not mean better,they observe things getting worse with forest fires,pollution and more. It makes them sad and they can see the effect it is having on Gaia. Very interesting book and it has an important lesson we need to heed.

Pub Date: 12 Nov 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Mark Newton, Netgalley and Loudhailer Books for this free copy in exchange for a review.

This novella of anthropomorphized celestial bodies observing, summarizing and collecting data on the history of humanity was really good. It's only stopped form being great because it was short and lacked for description.

Thank you very much Net Gallery, David Haliland and Author Mark Newton for a copy of Gaia and Luna In the View of the Moon.

It begins with a BANG. It's almost God's bang in the Bible but this is the opposite, this BANG is in outer space. This is where primal forces sow seeds to give us Venus, Mercury, the Sun, ETC, and.... APES.

Gaia and Luna look down on earth seeing what the humans are doing on the planet, this makes Gaia very sad and she frets over what may happen to her if things get out of control.

Read this book to find out what happens to Gaia and her friends in the end.

What I liked about this book is it teaches Gaia and friends what they mean to each other and to themselves, they learn a valuable lesson here. I felt this book read like poetry but was competing with mystery.

I didn't like that it was too short.

This book was published on October 21, 2021 by Loudhailer Publishing.

I love the creative and even poetic stance Mark Newton took in crafting this book, and I can see so many “next possibilities” here for inviting readers and as a mentor text. Creative, lovely prose and a treat to read and share.

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 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 .