Speculative Literary Fiction
Date Published: May 19, 2014
After centuries of religiously motivated war, the world has been split in two. Now the Blessed Lands are ruled by pure faith, while in the Republic, reason is the guiding light-two different realms, kept apart and at peace by a treaty and an ocean.
Children of the Republic, Helena and Jason were inseparable in their youth, until fate sent them down different paths. Grief and duty sidetracked Helena’s plans, and Jason came to detest the hollowness of his ambitions.
These two damaged souls are reunited when a tiny boat from the Blessed Lands crashes onto the rocks near Helena’s home after an impossible journey across the forbidden ocean. On board is a single passenger, a nine-year-old girl named Kailani, who calls herself The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky. A new and perilous purpose binds Jason and Helena together again, as they vow to protect the lost innocent from the wrath of the authorities, no matter the risk to their future and freedom.
But is the mysterious child simply a troubled little girl longing to return home? Or is she a powerful prophet sent to unravel the fabric of a godless Republic, as the outlaw leader of an illegal religious sect would have them believe? Whatever the answer, it will change them all forever… and perhaps their world as well.
EXCERPT: THE GIRL FROM THE BLESSED LANDS
Jason offered his bottle, but the girl shied away. Helena cradled the child’s head and tilted her chin while he trickled a few drops into her mouth.
The girl licked her cracked lips and opened for more. After she’d drunk her fill, she turned to Helena. Her eyes grabbed and held. “The dream,” she said. “It’s true. I can see it in your eyes.”
Helena felt a sudden urge to distract the girl, to disrupt that penetrating gaze. “Who are you?”
The girl ignored the question, instead resting her hand on Jason’s forearm.
His muscles twitched as if he were unsure whether to linger or jerk away.
“Your arm is hot,” she said.
“That’s because I’ve been running.”
The girl’s ocean-blue eyes opened wider. “From what?”
He withdrew his arm and flexed his fingers. “Are you from the Blessed Lands?”
The girl nodded.
“Why would you make such a dangerous voyage alone in such a small boat?”
“I was in no danger,” she said.
He waved a hand at the flotsam, still surging in the tide. “But your boat’s destroyed, and it took us to save you.”
“Yes, I suppose.” She looked back out to sea as if expecting to find her boat still afloat. “Then I thank Lord Kanakunai for sparing me and delivering me to kind people who would help.”
“But who are you?” Helena said more insistently.
The girl motioned for more to drink, this time grasping the bottle with both hands and emptying it. When she finished, she sat up and lifted her chin like royalty. “I am Kailani, the daughter of the sea and the sky.”
The urge to write first struck when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter’s editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic .
Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a career, in the process becoming a well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to write returned.
He’s published three novels so far in this new stage of his life: There Comes a Prophet, Along the Watchtower, and the recently released The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky.
David and his wife split their time between Cape Cod, Florida and anywhere else that catches their fancy. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.
Website: http://www.davidlitwack.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.litwack.author
Twitter:@DavidLitwack
Blog: http://davidlitwack.com/wordpress1/blog/
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The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky by David Litwack
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is one of the more unusual books that I have had the privilege of reading. It is part-fantasy, part-futuristic, part-religious. Actually, it’s extremely hard to describe. What I can say is that the story will keep you marveling at the meaning behind the story. I doubt the reader will ever be bored, and the beauty of the author’s writing style is captivating.
I am happy to report that this is essentially a clean book. There are a few minor words that are almost not worth mentioning. There are also no intimate scenes nor graphic violence. My only complaint is that I sometimes got a bit lost, but that is more my problem rather than the author’s. I was about one third of the way into the book before I could even begin to conceive of what the premise of the book was–I guess if I had read the summary before I dove in, it might have helped. But I must admit this was an intriguing, unique book.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
