Publishers Weekly - 09.03.2020

78 BOOKLIFE, MARCH 9, 2020

CHILDREN’S FICTION

The Eye of Ra

Ben Gartner | Crescent Vista

278 pages, e-book, $2.99, ISBN 978-1-73415-

520-4

Gartner’s middle grade time-

travel adventure is a rollicking ride

through the sands of ancient

Egypt. In the present day, siblings

Sarah, 12, and John, 10, are bracing

for the Tidewell family’s upcoming

move from Colorado to Maryland.

John, a worrier, is feeling sad about

leaving his old friends behind, but Sarah, bold and sometimes

reckless, is looking forward to new experiences. Together

with their parents, they take one last sunset hike in the

Colorado mountains. When Sarah and John run off exploring,

they come across a cave inscribed with a strange symbol.

Sarah traces it with a finger, and then they leave the cave—

and find themselves in ancient Egypt. After some initial

shocks, John and Sarah are taken in by young Zachariah, the

son of architect Imhotep, the designer of the splendid Pyramid

of Djoser. Together, John and Sarah must adapt to this new-to-

them place, making friends and learning about the past while

trying to find a way back home.

Gartner’s well-researched novel is suffused with atmo-

spheric detail. John and Sarah’s exciting experiences include

escaping crocodiles, facing off with cobras, and helping to

build the pyramid. These scenes alternate with moments of

ancient Egyptian domesticity, including cooking tilapia stew

and playing board games. Gartner has a relaxed, playful sense

of humor that comes through in the interactions between

Zachariah’s family and the Tidewell siblings, and he weaves

an intricate tapestry of the past.

John and Sarah’s assimila-

tion into ancient Egyptian

society feels too easy. Sarah’s

blasé attitude of “Even if we

are stuck here, no sense

worrying about it, right?” is

unrealistic even for a tween

adrenaline junkie, and she

waves off John’s concerns

and homesickness in a way

that feels heartless at times.

However, younger readers

who mostly want a glimpse

of life in another time and

place will find plenty to enjoy

in this glittering picture of a

distant era.

RELIGION

Three Proofs That God

Exists

Walt Runkis | Austin Macauley

314 pages, hardcover, $46.95, ISBN 978-1-

64182-432-3

Runkis (The Golden Cord of

Arram) mixes up a potent blend of

memoir and philosophical New Age

self-help guide in an effort to prove

the existence of a divine entity. As

a young man in the 1960s, Runkis

had no use for organized religion,

instead placing his faith in science. But after a vivid vision of

the Divine Mother-Father followed by a near-death experi-

ence, Runkis “burned for God-Realization.” After undergoing

a vision quest in rural California, he developed a unique spiri-

tual philosophy incorporating elements of several Eastern and

Western religions.

Runkis divides his work into “the microcosm,” an account of

experiences that he believes are proof of a “non-mechanical

universe” where miracles happen, and “the macrocosm,” an

accumulation of philosophical knowledge and spiritual

insights. In persuasive prose illustrated by his own digital

artwork, Runkis exhorts open-minded readers to believe that

reality extends beyond what can be sensed. “This book offers

a way of recognizing miracles in events that often pass for

ordinary experience,” he explains, giving the example of

someone appearing to help him and his wife while they were

stranded on a mountain and their car wouldn’t start. He also

posits that encounters with evil are necessary for spiritual

evolution.

Runkis is extremely open-minded when it comes to methods

of enlightenment. He advises readers to explore spiritual

books of all kinds and discusses the use of psychotropic

substances such as LSD

(though he prefers meditation

and breathing exercises as

sources of altered states).

Some may be put off by his

belief in alien UFOs visiting

Earth and his insistence that

reincarnation is a fact, not a

fiction or religious belief.

Others may interpret his

visions as mere hallucinations

brought on by drugs or phys-

ical privation. But there are

some intriguing spiritual

concepts here for seekers

willing to comb through and

find them.

Grade schoolers

eager to learn about

daily life in ancient

Egypt will find this

adventure novel hits

the sweet spot.

Production grades

Cover: B-

Design & typography: B

Illustrations: B

Editing: B

Marketing copy: C

Production grades

Cover: A+

Design & typography: A

Illustrations: –

Editing: A

Marketing copy: A

Readers open to

DIY religion will find

wisdom in this

thought-provoking

memoir of spiritual

seeking.

Great for fans of

Raymond Moody, John

Edward.

Great for fans of

Lloyd Alexander’s

Time Cat, Eloise Jarvis

McGraw.

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