Kokopu Dreams

by Chris Baker | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 1877266310 Global Overview for this book
Registered by VeganMedusa of Invercargill, Southland New Zealand on 3/2/2007
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5 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by VeganMedusa from Invercargill, Southland New Zealand on Friday, March 2, 2007
This is one of my favourite books - when I first read it I had to buy my own copy and one to give away to a friend. Now I'm a Bookcrosser and my copy needs to go and explore the world (but please come back to me!)

"The world is no longer as it once was. After the Fever, Sean must leave his home in New Zealand's far north and journey on horseback to the deep south. Future generations depend on his success. But myth has become reality, and many dangers await."

Basically, most people are dead and the few survivors have to somehow get together and start again. An apocalyptic Kiwi road-trip book, with some Maori mythology thrown in.

Journal Entry 2 by VeganMedusa from Invercargill, Southland New Zealand on Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Ready to go on bookring to:
bilbi - France
samulli - Germany
freelunch - Australia

28/03/07 Update:
2 people joining the bookring!

bilbi - France
samulli - Germany
Drusillamac - Scotland
fairydustwings - US
HeyEcho - Canada
freelunch - Australia
then home to New Zealand

Journal Entry 3 by bilbi from Chambéry, Rhône-Alpes France on Thursday, March 22, 2007
Received today ! I think that your two books (the other one being Cross the River to Home) are the first ones I get from NZ \o/
I'm reading a Pratchett's novel at the moment. This one will be next !
Thanks again for sharing and for letting me discover NZ writers !


Journal Entry 4 by bilbi from Chambéry, Rhône-Alpes France on Sunday, March 25, 2007
I can't hardly put this book down ! It was a gripping story. At first I thought that I wouldn't be able to read the book because my aunt passed away a few months ago and reading a book about losing someone was a bit difficult at first...
But the story is so hopeful and so fascinating and so full of life that I had to finish it.

And what can I say about all the Maori words ? ;-)

I hope this book will be published in French : I'll make my sister read it ;-o

Journal Entry 5 by samulli from Weimar, Thüringen Germany on Monday, April 2, 2007
Arrived here today together with 2 other book from bilbi. Thank you so much for sending the whole lot together! As if I wasn't swamped enough with bookrings already... *grumble, grumble*
Just kidding, of course. ;o)
But I do have quite a few rings in the house at the moment, so I will have to read several books at once. Again. I'll let you know how it goes.

Journal Entry 6 by samulli from Weimar, Thüringen Germany on Sunday, April 8, 2007
I have finished the book several days ago already, but since I can only send it off after the Easter holidays anyway, I figured I could take my time writing a review.
It is very rare that a book gets 10 points from me, but I think this one deserves it. I may be prejudiced, though, because since my prolonged stay in New Zealand almost 2 years ago I love everything to do with kiwi culture. I very much enjoyed reading a story actually set in my favorite country, plus I have a thing for post-apocalyptical stories anyway.
All the Maori words and names and the fact that people would congregate in their local marae after this catastrophe, even if they're Pakeha, brought back many memories from my time in NZ.
New Zealand is so lucky to have preserved the heritage of its native people and to have managed to create a society that integrates Maori and Pakeha culture, which makes it a really special place. I wish my culture would include beliefs of creatures like Taniwha or even the Maeroero.
The story with its magical components reminded me a bit of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", which I read just recently. Only in "Kokopu Dreams" I actually knew which creatures the author was talking about, because I had heard lots of stories about them before.

The only thing in that story that I objected to a little bit, because I thought it too far-fetched, funnily wasn't any of the mythical stuff, but the dogs. Even knowing pig-dogs in NZ are a lot wilder than your average lap-dog in Europe, I have a problem believing that they would have started attacking groups of people when there were so many cadavers lying around everywhere. Biologically speaking, it just doesn't really make sense. But on the other hand, Hamu and Bojay were not really acting like normal animals either, so I guess, I can accept that as well.

All in all, I am very thankful to VeganMedusa for sending this book halfway round the world to give us a chance to read it. I hope it has a safe journey and will come back home someday. I only wish, more people would have taken up the chance of reading it.
It will travel on to Scotland first thing on Tuesday, as soon as the post office is open again.

Journal Entry 7 by Drusillamac from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Wednesday, April 18, 2007
This was a lovely surprise in the post this morning. It seems I am destined to read apocalypse style books around exam time (last year I was reading Stephen King's Cell). This book is next on Mount TBR.

And many thanks to the kind samulli for enclosing some airmail stamps. I am a member of Postcrossing so these will come in really handy :-) Finally, thanks to VeganMedusa for sharing this.

Journal Entry 8 by Drusillamac from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Tuesday, April 24, 2007
As other readers have commented I couldn't put this book down. I watch and read a lot of apoclypse style films and books and Kokopu Dreams was a different take on this genre. The minute I read the blurb I thought 'Disease which causes zombies! Excellent!' But this book was so much more than that. The real monsters were some of the human beings left behind after the Fever.

Perhaps due to reading the book so fast, I lost a bit of perception on time. In the later stages of the book it says Sean has been travelling for 2 years! I was completely gobsmacked as I didn't think it had been that long. The writing is truly marvellously and, although I don't know much about Maori culture, I didn't feel lost in Baker's descriptive style. I could almost smell the bodies rotting.

I have got an address for fairydustwings so I should get this book off by the end of this week. Thanks again for sharing :-) This is one of the things I love about Bookcrossing. I highly doubt I would have read this book if I was not a Bookcrosser.

Journal Entry 9 by Drusillamac from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Wednesday, April 25, 2007
This is being posted off to fairydustwings via surface mail.

Journal Entry 10 by fairydustwings from Columbus, Ohio USA on Monday, June 11, 2007
Got this book in the mail, will journal again when I am done. Thanks for hosting this bookring!!

Journal Entry 11 by VeganMedusa from Invercargill, Southland New Zealand on Saturday, January 12, 2008
fairydustwings - please could we get this book moving along again? Thank you!

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