"May my pen always be Melodious; may Harmony direct the structure of my expression, and may Rhythm speak its truth to my readers, in the name of the Creator of all, whom we the Ainchan people know as Music."
 |
How Music Came to the Ainchan People by Timothy Callender Trafford Publishing
book review by Wendy Strain
Approaching the topic from the perspective of a history book, Callender tells a convincing story of hope and fulfillment. Taking a small side step from history, the author's fictional civilization is introduced to a foreign population that arrives on its lands from previously unknown but rumored places. The mostly peaceful and weaponless people were quickly overwhelmed by the more aggressive foreigners and their strange firesticks. The previously very vocal local culture was then oppressed through a series of monarchs who imposed silence in the street. It is now the history teacher's job to instruct his students about how music was returned to the culture and why it holds such a venerable place in their society now.
The book is filled with lovely descriptions that delicately pull the reader into the web of the story. History lesson smoothly blends into story time as Shangodoon narrates his own journey on behalf of his people. Exotic terrains take shape as the epic journey of the hero unfolds, revealing ever deeper insights and observations into nature and the nature of human existence. These understandings eventually create the new reality for the Ainchan people from which the story originally starts. While the author never allows the reader to fully lose track of the story as it is told through varying voices, the pace is smooth and consistent. In the end, the effect is a journey toward inner peace and wisdom. As is hoped near the beginning of the book, each page seems graced with beautiful harmony and rhythm building toward something greater than itself.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review