Introduction: I finished Lada Ray’s “The Earth Shifter” three nights ago and it has been on my mind ever since. The characters and plot have stuck with me and I eagerly await the next installment, as things really began to kick off as I flew through the final pages. The book builds slowly and steadily introducing a wide variety of characters, locations and lore which really flesh out this tale of time travel, alternate history and psychic powers, making everything real and believable. It was great fun to watch as multiple, seemingly unconnected, story threads all came together in the end, and although Lada purposefully telegraphs certain plot points, I was often totally thrown for a loop by the twists she has placed throughout!
What It’s About: The basic plot revolves around the concept of Karma and merit, that a time of judgment is coming for humanity. The physical manifestation of this all-cleansing judgment comes in the form of the Comet of Karma. The Comet of Karma is a massive extra terrestrial body that is destined to collide with, and destroy the Earth should humanity remain on it’s cruel, inhumane and destructive trajectory. That’s where the main character Sasha comes in. Without giving too much away Sasha, a Russian girl in her late teens, has special powers. She can read and influence the minds of others, she can travel through time and effect historical events and much more. If humanity is to have any chance at survival, Sasha must learn about her destiny, pass through many hardships and find the other who, like her, has many powers of his own.
I’ve been interested in the Tunguska meteor incident which occurred in 1908 for some time now. It’s a mysterious and fascinating piece of history and so I had a big smile on my face when Lada presented what “really” happened back then. Throughout the book many historical references are made, except unlike our accepted historical versions, there was always powerful and mystical forced behind such events and persons. This is very cool. Lada also manages to pack a lot of geographical, political and historical information throughout the book making it a truly educational experience as well as an entertaining one.
Strong themes present include greed, abuse of power, bullying, cruelty and senseless destruction. These are the elements that have set in motion the gears of Karma, the universe deciding that humanity has failed to find wisdom and enlightenment, and thus shall be purged. There is definitely a strong underlying critique on the way the financial and political world works, it’s not shoved in your face, but it’s there and I for one welcome it. Like many of the great writers, from Swift to Orwell, a healthy dissection of the darker sides of humanity are integral to their work, they ask us to reflect on the world around us and not to take things at face value, but to dig deeper.
Lada Ray
Who Should Read It: The Earth Shifter is a young adult, sci fi, adventure. I’m sure it would be extra special reading it if you were a teenager and could closely relate to the protagonists, but as a 27 year old man I still had loads of fun. Very much like say, Harry Potter, it can be enjoyed by all ages. I’d recommend The Earth Shifter to anyone into conspiracy theories and alternate explanations of historical events, also to fans of magic, powers, time travel and mysticism. The book also has strong metaphysical and shamanic elements so I think it would really appeal to those into their mysticism and spirituality as well. The Shamanism is well researched and true to the original shamans of Siberia. The book depicts spiritualist healing sessions of trauma and other ailments that those into holistic and energy/spiritual healing would enjoy a lot.
The Earth Shifter definitely has a very wide appeal, and is a very welcome addition to the young adult market. Hopefully Lada’s series will continue to grow and develop a strong following as it definitely deserves it.
Closing Comments: As you can probably tell I enjoyed The Earth Shifter a lot and I look forward to continuing Sasha’s journey with the next book. The book is well worth checking out if any of the themes appeal to you, and remember you can read a lengthy sample at the e-book store of your choice. Finally as I was reading a book set primarily in Russia about comets striking the Earth what should happen but a comet should strike Russia! That was crazy and gave the book a whole new level of intrigue! All in all I give Lada Ray’s The Earth Shifter 5/5 Stars
