The Proving: The Zambinos of Blue Hill [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Will Azeperak (Author)

Book Description

By the mid twenty-first century civilization will be colonizing the near reaches of the solar system. Honor and honesty will be highly valued. People may choose to receive a brain implant, called a grain, which imparts great knowledge. It is customary to perform a proving-a feat of intellect that proves that the grain is working.

In the year 2063, you will find the Zambino family residing at 125 Puffin Rock Road in Blue Hill, Maine. Even for these remarkable times the Zambinos are not your average family. Chookanoo Zambino and his genetically engineered, adopted brother Scoom can't wait to get their grains and then, build a spacecraft for their proving.

They can count on help from family, friends and the household robot, Zimbit.

But, ancient spirits from beyond have a different proving for the Zambino boys. What do they have in common with a Civil War solder, a Nez Pierce warrior, a Roman centurion and the crew of a schooner that disappeared in 1891? Discover the secret reason Scoom was genetically engineered by a renegade scientist.

So, liquefy some electricity and fire up the hyperbaric engines-it's time to go for a ride with the Zambinos of Blue Hill.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Will Azeperak is a Product Engineer who designs many strange new products. Perhaps you have used some them? He lives in Florida, near Cape Canaveral with his wife and three children. He believes that we all have a very bright future, and he wishes to share that vision with you.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (November 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595298540
• ISBN-13: 978-0595298549
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,339,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My Bio:

Here it is:

I became an Engineer so I could design things...

...That's how I see myself.

I am addicted to design - I can't stop designing things.

My passion is design. (I'll get to the writing stuff in a minute.)

It all started when I was a small child, standing next to my Mother in a S&H Greenstamp store. I looked up at the all the products neatly lined up on a shelf. Then I saw it - a blue metal tea set. Blue metal? How could this be, how was it made, where do such things come from?

Suddenly the world was made of wondrous things, forged from the imaginations of unknown geniuses. Who were these remarkable people that could turn their imaginings into tangible things?

That's where passion come from--the simplest of things--a moment of wonder.

In that instant I realized that the ordinary is extraordinary.

I filled every piece of paper with designs for spacecraft, undersea bases, submarines, cars, and every gadget I could think of. Drawing, doodling and hammering away alone in my Dad's basement workshop...

...That was my childhood.

One day, a Mercury Space Capsule, sitting atop a Redstone ballistic missile, blasted off from Cape Canaveral.

Then I noticed the stars. I remember going out into our suburban backyard, I sat in the darkness and stared upwards. A small child, armed with a pair of low power binoculars, confronted the Galaxy.

What was it about these flickering points of light? Why did they call so loudly? Why did I ache inside to touch them?

Well - I don't know. But, I do know this:

I got my degree in Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology (no small feat for an incredibly undisciplined student such that I was) and I learned how things were made and then I started designing things for a living.

I've been designing steadily for the past 25 years. I've designed electronic products, military computers, plastic toys, interactive kiosks, medical computers and other stuff I can't remember right now.

Today, I am working as a Biomedical Engineer. I design implantable artificial body parts, surgical instruments and operating room equipment...

...The beat goes on.

Like many people, I met someone, fell in love and got married. We have three children, two boys and a girl.

Like many writers, (who don't yet know that they are writers) I made up many bedtime stories for my children. One of them was about a clever little boy named Chookanoo and his cat Scoom.

I decided to write a book. The idea appealed to me - after all it was like designing something - I was designing a whole world and all of the people in it.

Chookanoo became a more serious character and Scoom became his brother and the both of them became Zambinos and they lived in my favorite town, Blue Hill, Maine.

I loved Blue Hill. I only briefly visited the town two times in my life. Somehow it called to me - like the stars. I don't know why, but I find it best to accept the unknown and move on.

As the story of the Zambinos and their world of our future grew, it took on a life of its own. I read things in my own story that I didn't intend to write - I accepted that mystery too and moved on.

I wrote the story while we lived near Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Space Shuttle roared upwards and the deep rumble shook our house. When it returned, the double sonic boom beat on our windows.

Then I found myself looking up at those stars again. Oh, there you are, I almost forgot about you. I got so busy designing things.

The Zambinos got me looking up at the sky again and then the ordinary got extraordinary all over again.

[e-mail]
Azeperak.org

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, June 3, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Proving: The Zambinos of Blue Hill (Paperback)

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!

I read THE ZAMBINOS OF BLUE HILL: THE PROVING in record time since I had a hard time putting it down.

It is about a family in the year 2063. Bess and Victor have been married for a long time and they have one son, Chookanoo, and a genetically engineered son who is a cross between a human and a bobcat, named Scroom.

After the kids get their grain, a brain implant which gives them all of the knowledge of the world, they have to do a proving. A proving is an act which tells the world that their grains work.

The boys decide to make a spaceship. On their maiden voyage, the boys are abducted by aliens who have also abducted other people from Earth during different times. The rest of the story is about how Chookanoo and Scroom get away.

The everyday world of the future is amazing. They have robots, video gum, an interactive video-like game where everyone goes, and, above all, respect for all humans. In this world, honesty and honor are the norm. Everyone is to respect everyone else's right to believe what they want to believe, and everyone has access to knowledge.

This was a wonderful read from a good writer, and I look forward to reading more from him.

Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

5.0 out of 5 stars An adventure with spirit!, February 24, 2004

By 

Anthony Hensley (Merritt Island, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Proving: The Zambinos of Blue Hill (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book. The characters and the plot are very engaging. Once you start reading, it is hard to put down. The story is fun, suspenceful, brave, historical, scientific, fantastic, thought provoking and a good adventure for all ages. The message you take with you after finishing this book is encouraging and refreshing.