Son of the Great River [Paperback]

Elijah Meeks (Author), Hajra Meeks (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2009

Saffu is forced to leave his tribe for the land of cities and kings. He befriends an indomitable girl and a boy mercenary serving a cursed emperor in a story of princesses, witchcraft, war, glory, and corruption.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc. (March 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601457723
• ISBN-13: 978-1601457721
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,016,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Strong First Novel, June 14, 2009

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Son of the Great River (Paperback)

Elijah Meeks comes to this well-crafted and unique first novel with the credentials of being both a student of the environmental history of the Bronze Age and a man who has devoted his life to teaching both young students and students of all ages interested in understanding the fascinating world of Natural History. What he has created is a fresh setting of a coming of age story involving credible characters from the Bronze Age, and in doing so he has offered what is termed the 'intermediate audience' of readers an alternative to the futuristic video games and comic book versions of heroes that usurp much of the time the audience for this book spends in leisure.

By avoiding contemporary settings and concepts Meeks is able to go to the core values that face each of us as we move from childhood into the adult realm - curiosity, challenge, survival, introduction to tradition and the laws of the 'tribe' (a concept that most assuredly persists to today, no matter the level on which we examine our society), friendship, love, the mystery of death, the innate evils of greed and corruption that confront any 'pioneers'. By playing out this well-constructed drama in an age from the past untainted by the destruction we have brought to the globe via 'civilization' Meeks invites the interest of his reader into fresh territory. His characters are three-dimensional, never approaching the tropes usually associated with sci-fi novels, and become people we want to know.

As with any first novel, there are areas that the author needs to reconsider, such as uses of words that are too contemporary to fit into the timeless atmosphere he wishes to achieve, words such as 'puny' and 'ruckus'. And there are moments in the adventures of the young hero Saffu where more poetic description of the landscape would offer breathing space for the pace of the writing. But these are small issues and Elijah Meeks is such a fine communicator that doubtless attention to such details will be addressed in future books. As for SON OF THE GREAT RIVER there is enough fine writing and storytelling to make this book appeal to a much wider audience than the suggested 'intermediate audience'. This is a very fine first novel! Grady Harp, June 09

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guided by the Human Heart, May 12, 2009

By 

Sandra Pennington "Author of, "The Path i... (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Son of the Great River (Paperback)

"Son of the Great River" describes two boys coming of age in the early Bronze Age. This novel begins to intensify the moment a stranger from the south dies in Saffu's arms. He leaves his tribe and travels to the land of cities and kings.

I noticed how death awakened something inside these young boys. It motivated them to go on the adventure of a lifetime, and not, let death take this away from them. Each lived their lives authentically and uniquely. They followed the path their heart's craved within their soul.

This book is masterfully put together to give inspiration to and motivation to anyone who has not decided to take their own journey into the heart and soul of human existence. As you read this book, you will find yourself asking the questions: Am I living authentically? Am I living the life of my dreams? Am I really following my heart? If not, why not?

The Path into Healing

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting adventure story, May 4, 2009

By 

kellyreaderofbooks (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Son of the Great River (Paperback)

Young adult novel set during the Bronze Age. Two teenage boys leave their homes, and find different adventures; both growing up along the way. There's plenty of action, and a bit of romance thrown in as well. I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed it considering the YA genre isn't usually my thing. Once I started it though I found it hard to put down and zipped through it in a few hours (it's very short). I would recommend for fans of historical fiction, or readers of YA fiction.