Book Review and Competition - Serpent's Gold by Sam Osman

Submitted by Runemage on Friday, 26 August 2011 Page Views: 10024

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Serpent’s Gold is a follow-up to Sam Osman's first book Quicksilver, and we have ten copies to give away (read on for details). In Quicksilver, which we reviewed last year, we were introduced to the adventures of three remarkable children, Wolfie, Tala and Zi’ib, born in different continents yet with several things in common.

Most striking are their enigmatic eyes, green flecked with yellow, and that each of them wears an oddly-shaped pendant, half of a riven eight pointed star, which endows them with some interesting attributes. [to say the least! MegP Ed]

In Quicksilver each child discovers they have one parent from the planet Lupus and one from Earth. The Earth parent in each case is from an ancestry of exotic religion or shamanism. Brought together through a series of more-than coincidences, or as these serendipitious events are known in the books, ‘kinnections’, the children went on to discover ancient skills and practises which are there for the finding just under the veneer of our modern-day life.

Don’t worry if you’ve not read Quicksilver before you discover Serpent’s Gold. Sam has very cleverly woven the what-you-need-to-know parts of the previous story into the early chapters of this one. Firstly in a TV interview where one character, the rather dotty but very likeable editor of “Earth Mysterian”, the last Earth Mysteries magazine in the world, Remus Forrester explains a few relevant things to the TV audience and secondly, the main characters themselves write a letter to their descendants, which is designed to be read at some unspecified time in the future. This letter contains everything about them and what they got up to in Quicksilver so the plot of Serpent’s Gold flows smoothly and all readers are up to speed.

This is a tale of intrigue, a quest involving destinies decided aeons ago intermingled with life in the modern era, of Light versus Darkness with danger and a lot more besides. Dark Forces in the shape of a black panther are seen nearby. Can the children turn the tide and save the Ley system and energy grid for the force of Light to preserve the qualities of consciousness, kindness, affection and altruism?

What makes this book different from others of its genre is that Sam weaves many ancient techniques through the fabric of the story, using them both to solve clues and to teach a little about them, rather than relying on fantasy. She packs an awful lot of subjects into the plot, but it’s done with such a light touch and deftness of stroke that it never detracts from the storyline.

The book includes so many topics it’s impossible to list them all but they all flow with the pace and the intensity of the tale - always an accompaniment, sometimes an 'Aha!' moment, but never an intrusion. Here are a few - standing stones, stone circles, ley lines, light and dark forces, big cats, alchemy, magic squares, sacred geometry, guardian spirit dogs, yin and yang, feng shuei, shamanism, dowsing, finding the facts hidden in allegory, consciousness and intent affecting ritual movement, symbols, folk customs and lore, will and intention, solstices and equinoxes, resonance and a host of others.

This is a quote about Sacred Geometry and Harmonics:

“Many mysterious tunes were resonating across the cosmos as the Sphere of Lupus wove and meshed the threads of fate. Few could hear those melodies but down the centuries some of their distant chords had been reflected in the geometry of pattern and number.”

Another observation I rather liked is this one, “knowledge can be gathered by the eye but wisdom must be gleaned by the heart’.

Who will the book appeal to? Well essentially it is a childrens’ book, but having said that it has good 'crossover potential' - as industry people might say. If it’s used as reading practise, the supervising adult will certainly not be disappointed. If you know nothing at all about Earth Mysteries, you will learn a little and maybe have your appetite whetted for more. If you know a little, it will be of great interest to see what is used in which situation in the story. If you’re not in the slightest bit interested in earth mysteries then you’ll still read a fast-paced tale which uses some unusual methods to solve problems.

Have a look at Sam’s website and the 'kinnection' she found with Battersea Power Station when she wanted to research the interior for her book.

There’s also a quick resume of Serpent’s Gold there and you can read the first chapter online for free.

Review by Runemage.

Andy B adds: I interviewed Sam Osman when Quicksilver came out last year. She has now revealed that a film company in LA have optioned the film rights to Quicksilver, and they are close to picking a scriptwriter for the project.

Serpent’s Gold by Sam Osman
Paperback 338 pages
ISBN 9781 4071057658
Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books
Available from Amazon.co.uk

Competition Time

We have ten copies of Serpent’s Gold to give away, thanks to Scholastic. For a chance of winning one please answer the following question correctly:

What is the name of the archaeological site in Sudan that the children visit in Quicksilver, the first book? (hint, it's in the interview)

For a second bonus question (this is optional as it quite hard) - Quicksilver has just been released in a German translation - what is the title of the translated book in German? If you get this bonus question right you will win an extra (surprise) prize if you are one of the ten winners.

Entries by email please to [email protected] (Subject: Serpent’s Gold Competition) by the end of Weds 31st August 2011

Good luck!

Note: Win a copy of the new book Serpent's Gold, the closing date is 31st August

Contributor Bio for Runemage: Based in UK, contributing since 2005. Favourite site: Uragh.

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