The Unknown Constellations: A Novel

As the farmers finish putting out a fire, they are ambushed by archers hiding up on the ridge. What to do about the refugee-bandits on the ridge is another big part of the book. The discussions and points of view that get chewed over by the Farmer's Council felt painfully and frighteningly realistic.

If that was all the book was about, I would have really liked it. I am not generally a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, but something about the description of this book made me want to pick it up. And it is well-written with unique and complicated, realistic characters caught in a dilemma that made me wonder how I would handle the situation myself. But then- the love triangle. From the first paragraph of the book we know that Natalie does not like her husband Richard, the farm's owner.

And from that first paragraph it's pretty obvious that we're not supposed to like Richard either. He's a one-dimensional parody of a Bro character,a wrong note in a book that otherwise is willing to look at all sides of an issue. Richard is a politician who thought a farm would be a nice getaway until He never really believes that the world won't get back to normal and sees his sojourn on a farm as a temporary interruption of climbing the political ladder to greatness. Because of this, he really doesn't worry about danger or take long to consider his decisions- the stakes aren't that high to him because this isn't his real life.

He's a shirker of farm labor, belittling to his wife, and a manipulative bully. Natalie, who inexplicably married this man knowing what she was getting into, really likes Richard's twin brother, Daniel. The two men are not fraternal twins and it seems like the only reason was to make this forbidden fruit one more degree of forbidden. It's obvious from the beginning that the author wants these two to get together, and she cops out by ending the book in a way that allows this happily ever after to come mostly guilt-free.

This whole plot line pissed me off- it felt like it belonged in a different, more juvenile book and it was the least interesting part of the story, although it got a lot of page time. Oct 03, J. Follansbee rated it liked it Shelves: Scientists, pundits, and self-appointed prophets paint the impact of climate change with brushstrokes of extreme weather, upended economies, and pandemic disease. More and more writers are examining the possibilities and dangers of life in a warming world, including Jennifer Ellis, author of In the Shadows of the Mosquito Constellation, a dystopian survivalist novel that explores how people who grow up Scientists, pundits, and self-appointed prophets paint the impact of climate change with brushstrokes of extreme weather, upended economies, and pandemic disease.

More and more writers are examining the possibilities and dangers of life in a warming world, including Jennifer Ellis, author of In the Shadows of the Mosquito Constellation, a dystopian survivalist novel that explores how people who grow up in a world of abundance cope with instantaneous privation. Production falls sharply, disrupting advanced economies. Natalie and Richard, a Vancouver, BC power couple before the peak, move with a select group of friends to a isolated farm in the British Columbia interior. Over the next few years, society collapses around them, and when we meet the couple and their tiny, self-sufficient community, slaving gangs roam the empty roads and overgrown countryside attacking isolated homes and towns.

The strain doubles when a group of newcomers is invited to the farm under mysterious circumstances. The new arrivals divide the established community and set off a chain of events that threaten to destroy the outpost. Mix in the mini-dramas caused by the slow death of industrial systems that kept First World people fed, clothed, housed, and healthy for two centuries, and you have a complex novel that borders on labyrinthine.

None seem to grow much through the story, though Natalie, the protagonist, does make the expected choice at the end, and destructive secrets are acknowledged. A key confrontation between two important personalities is resolved through the unexpected death of one, leaving open the question of whether the conflict would ever be resolved.

Zero-sum games are unsatisfying. This review also appeared on Joe Follansbee's blog. I received a copy of this book for free through NetGalley Guys, that cover and title are phenomenal! I found this to be really slow, and I do mean really slow. I know a lot of people seemed to enjoy this but I really had no interest in the characters at all and while I tried to get into the apocalyptic feel — which I think actually had some realistic foundations — this book really was a struggle.

I suggest reading other reviews because there are some great ones out there. Apr 21, Carolyn Torre rated it it was amazing. This book captivated me and made me really think about preparing for the future. This review was originally published on LauraofLurking I was given a free copy of this book by the author in return for an unbiased review.

Despite starting in two scenes of life or death this book instantly had emotive writing, clueing you in to who was who and bringing the night and the inferno out of the pages. The switch from the first danger of a fire, to the second of arrows was smooth, giving little away about the reason. During the first chapter, if you had not read the blurb, you would ha This review was originally published on LauraofLurking I was given a free copy of this book by the author in return for an unbiased review.

During the first chapter, if you had not read the blurb, you would have believed you were reading a wild west farming novel. This worked to the book's advantage, allowing you to meet the cast and get an emotional grip before learning the back catalogue of how this happened. Throughout the entire book it flipped seamlessly between diverse farm life, life of death battles and romance. I liked that despite this novel being post-Apocalyptic for once there weren't humans walking around rotting on every corner. This was very much a more realistic and refreshing change, covering how oil ran out and caused economic collapse.

This is explained well and believably, but without spending half the novel in flashbacks. It very much lives in the present, galloping from one event to the next. The characters were well written, many with an instant like or dislike for the reader. For example, Richard, the owner of the farm comes off as instantly brash, especially as he argues with his wife, him doing nothing, while she tries to stop their crops burning to the ground.

It shows a lovely power uncertainty between the couple, both fighting to run the farm their own way. I did find it hard to keep some of the farm members straight as t who was who and who was the mother-in-law, for example. I think that is a natural hazard of having such a large cast as you would need to run a farm with minimal electric or fuel, but when somebody we haven't seen for a few chapters casts a main character a dirty look then stalks out I would have liked a quick thought to somehow let me know who I was dealing with. I would give this novel a 4. However, for the sake of review sites I have to drop to down to a 4, I feel there was just a little too much character confusion to give it a May 07, Heather Duff rated it really liked it.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review First of all the one thing I must point out to you is the cover of this book, I am sucker for stars and this cover is just beautiful, however does a gorgeous cover mean whats inside is the same? Thankfully in the case of In the Shadows of the Mosquito Constellation the answer is yes, the setting is a rural farm, a pocket of calm of in a world that has fallen apart due to economic collapse. This book has no zombies, no nuclear apocalypse, no zoomin I received a copy in exchange for an honest review First of all the one thing I must point out to you is the cover of this book, I am sucker for stars and this cover is just beautiful, however does a gorgeous cover mean whats inside is the same?

This book has no zombies, no nuclear apocalypse, no zooming off to other planets, it has families trying to survive using the skills they have in an uncertain world. Natalie and Richard years previously bought their farm working on it at every given opportunity to make it habitable and able to be self-sustaining, when the economy goes pear shape they leave their old lives behind and move to the farm along with the children, relatives and close friends.

Richard was one of these characters you just want to slap, he had zero respect for his wife and I felt he was just procrastinating his way through life till a better offer comes up, his brother Daniel is the total opposite, hardworking, brooding and the object of Natalie's desires which of course she knows is wrong since he is her brother in law.

Natalie is very much a set upon woman, she has zero respect from Richard and the rest of their small community look to her to get things sorted but when raiders start attacking their safe haven the security of what they have built is in doubt. With dwindling medical supplies Natalie and Daniel set out to look for more with no idea of what is out there whilst Richard goes to find out where these raiders are coming from this leads to confrontation and some new additions to the camp but can the camp sustain the newcomers and do the residents want to help them in the first place?

Natalie and Richard's marriage is falling apart before her eyes whilst this is all going on, he is blissfully unaware but she finds herself more and more drawn to Daniel and when power hungry Richard gets the opportunity to visit the government you can see her praying that he doesn't come back, does he? Well you will need to read for yourself, this story is beautifully written and like I said there are no zombies or anything like that just desperate people during a desperate time and when you have family to protect you will do everything in your power to protect them.

Awarded 4 out of Sep 28, Sharon Hughson rated it really liked it. This is a realistic, and well-constructed possiblity for a dystopian event in the near future of our world. The reasons I rounded down: The character introspection slows the story too much 3. One of the narrators didn't add to the story, and his teenage perspective felt at odds with the other narrators 4.

I felt like one sudden death was too convenient to the story, and not sufficiently This is a realistic, and well-constructed possiblity for a dystopian event in the near future of our world.

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I felt like one sudden death was too convenient to the story, and not sufficiently explained so I could buy it. There came a point where I hated putting this book down. Complications and conflict kept coming and coming. All of it completely likely and realistic and adding more layers of tension to the relationships under pressure. If you enjoy dystopian novels, this is worth your time. I will warn you that the use of the four-letter F-word is excessive.

However, as much as I felt swearing was over-used, it couldn't keep me from reading because I wanted to know how these characters survived and resolved their problems. Jan 24, Kristine rated it really liked it Shelves: With Mosquito Constellation, however, it's nine years after a worldwide oil depletion and a tribe of people are trying to subsist in southwestern Canada. And, with tarot-themed chapters and a swift-moving plot, it's a grown-up version of dystopic drama and one of only a smattering of books that could not otherwise be enhanced with the inclusion of zombies. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First, I must say that when I saw the cover, I had to read this book. The story is a good one. It reminded me a bit of the Walking Dead, only way less gore, NO zombies, and much more believable. The writing is great, although there were a couple inconsistencies, and not everything was explained. Of course this is not hard sci fi. I loved reading the different character's perspectives, and getting to know more than one I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved reading the different character's perspectives, and getting to know more than one. The plot was good as well. All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys this genre. I am hoping the author will write a sequel, and plan to keep my eye our for other books by Jennifer Ellis Initially I felt it was a little slow but as the story progressed it became more and more compelling. The main characters were complex and thought provoking- it was easy to "feel" along with them.

I did have a bit of trouble keeping track of some of the characters- there were a lot of them and the less often seen ones would cause me to think "who is this? All in all, this was a very good book. Feb 29, Melissa Sullivan rated it really liked it Shelves: No doubt he is a gifted healer and seer and mystic. His experience of seeing and hearing the extraordinary luminescence of a single blade of grass, enables him to describe an energetic that conveys both awareness and expressive power—each blade intoning a single, unique, extraordinary note that contributes to the chorus of all life.

Ultimately, however, the true gift of this book is not its capacity to convey the extraordinary, but its insistence on our embracing the Truth as it expresses itself through subtleties of humble, daily experience. We risk privileging certain experiences at the cost of accepting and embracing all. In Embracing the Power of Truth, Shavasti attunes us to the extraordinary power of Truth as it presents itself to us in the glorious ordinary when we open our hearts — Cynthia Clough Published on Amazon.

This is a brilliantly written deeply personal book with every page shining a light on a potentially life changing truth. Shavasti beds in his teachings within his extensive knowledge of other cultures, spiritual practices, world history and languages adding depth and context to what is revealed. I also experienced Embracing the Power of Truth as a very complete book of teachings; a great bringing together of all he has come to know to be true. Thank you so much Shavasti for sharing so openly and honestly the journey of your own ever awakening heart.

You have helped to lay down a path for other hearts to follow. Payne are some of my favourites in spirituality and healing. This book bridges the human world — with all of our problems, difficulties, challenges, as well as our potential, beauty and gifts — with the spiritual world, the world of gods and spirits and guides. I was deeply touched, and that awareness has already changed my perception of my self and of humanity in general, and I know will have ramifications in my healing and therapeutic work.

The book is filled with such invitations to consider, to discover the little jewels of consciousness hidden within the folds of our being. I would recommend it very highly to any earnest spiritual seeker. The candidly inspiring personal accounts shared by Shavasti, a seasoned and experienced healer and spiritual teacher, will not only inspire you, but also give you a doorway into simple but powerful truths that may have been eluding you. After years of already being established as a healer and author, Shavasti suddenly finds himself with a gun to his head during a harrowing armed robbery experience.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is one of the most accomplished and affecting books I've read in a very long time, though it isn't perfect. Once in a while Marra broadcasts his character's intentions a little too directly. You can almost feel his desire to pull loose ends together, and I don't blame him, for the material he's working with often lacks order and reason.

But he really doesn't need to try so hard in those moments. The writing moves us forward, as do the characters, who to stay sane sometimes need to burrow into the past. It's true of the marvelous character Khassan, an old man who once worked diligently on a comprehensive 3,page volume of Chechen history. He submits the book to three different publishers, only to be told by the national publisher in Moscow that he needed to send in three typed copies.

The tragedies in this novel, large and small, come rapid-fire, and are so various that there's no Wikipedia page that could ever explain them. But despite everything, people here keep living their lives in that Samuel Beckett-y, "I can't go on, I'll go on" way. In fact, the entire Chechen world on display can often feel ripped right out of Beckett. Here's an early conversation between Akhmed and Sonja:.

Though the lives lived in this novel can seem unbearable, what Anthony Marra has done is to diligently describe them in passionate, extraordinary prose. In A Constellation of Vital Phenomena they become not only "write-able," but also highly, deeply readable. Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player.