Review of Of the Earth

[Amanda Collier]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Of the Earth" by Kim Cousins.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Of the Earth by Kim Cousins is a stark vision of a dystopian time when the United States no longer exists.

Many see the future as a time of hope and innovation. It is a chance to fix what is wrong now for future generations to have a chance at peace. Sacrificing now for a better tomorrow. Of the Earth shows a very different possibility. Discord and prejudice have resulted in a future so bleak that there is almost nothing left. Those that are left fall into two categories. There are those who have accepted the “mark”, and those that haven’t. The mark is an implanted electronic chip. Without it, there is no shopping or trading in any public place. But with it, you must pledge yourself to the one world leader. Christians have discovered that this is the biblical “mark of the beast”, and that to accept it is to forsake religious beliefs. Those who have refused the mark live off the land. They also live in fear of every day and for when the PeaceKeepers will finally come after them.

Biblical end times are equal parts fascinating and terrifying. Most stories based on this futuristic time have common themes, and this book is no exception. There is the collapse of society, the forcing of a mark, and surviving as outcasts. Intertwined throughout are stories of perseverance, sharing of faith, and building relationships. Where this book differs is a very unique addition. In this book, we are able to know the thoughts of animals. The book starts with a story of a cat and a dog surviving and finding a human to trust and take care of them. With this story to begin the tale, I thought that the animals would have a bigger part in the overall story. Unfortunately, they do not. The animal’s input is minimal and doesn’t have much impact. For me, I would have liked to see an underlying story where the animals are striving for some goal just as the humans are. Otherwise, the animal’s thoughts were extraneous and a little distracting.

The book follows several different characters. Because there are so many characters, I found it hard to feel connected to them. Each character’s story is interesting on its own. I could easily see each character having an entire book dedicated to their own travels and struggles. Because there were so many characters, the book jumped around a lot and it was a little hard to keep it all straight.

The story does a good job of painting a bleak, hopeless world. It is a world of fear and uncertainty. Without a functioning government or the ability to purchase the things needed to survive, every day becomes a focus on knowing how to survive. It takes a long time for the book to tell us exactly how the country collapsed, but it is a believable explanation.

This book is a good example of a biblical post-apocalyptic story. It could have benefitted from a narrower focus on characters. The addition of animal communication was an interesting concept, but I wish it would have been more thoroughly explored. If there had been a deeper meaning behind the animal’s thoughts, it would have been such a good concept. It’s a good story, but because of the high volume of characters and quick jumps in perspective, I would rate it a 3 out of 5 stars.

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Of the Earth
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Louis Donald]

A post-apocalyptic world with a biblical twist sounds intense, and the idea of animals having a voice is intriguing. Too bad it didn’t play a bigger role.

[Shaniz Tobiaz]

This great book, i will add it on my bookshelves and indeed the review was great.

[Pearl Flourish]

The idea of a biblical dystopian world mixed with animal perspectives is really intriguing, but it sounds like it didn’t fully come together. A tighter focus on the characters and a stronger role for the animals could have made it a more powerful read.