Ko's Story

by Peter Dickinson

Four children embark on a quest for a new land at the dawn of human historyAfrica, two hundred thousand years Suth and Noli were orphaned the night the murderous strangers came, speaking an unfamiliar language and bringing violence to the peaceful Moonhawk tribe.Determined not to die in the desert, Suth and Noli slip away with Ko and Mana. Suth, the eldest, leads them; Noli’s dreams of the future guide them. Ko gives them courage; Mana gives them peace. Their search for a new Good Place, one of food and safety, will take them across the valleys and plains of prehistoric Africa and bring them together as a tribe and as a family.

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Peter Dickinson was an English author and poet widely respected for his children's fiction, detective novels, and imaginative speculative writing. Raised partly in southern Africa before continuing his education in England, he developed an early fascination with adventure stories and classic literature, influences that later shaped his narrative style. He attended Eton College and later studied at King's College, Cambridge, before beginning a long association with the magazine Punch, where he worked for many years as assistant editor, reviewer, and resident poet. Dickinson eventually left journalism to pursue writing full time, publishing works for both adult and younger audiences. His crime novels featuring detective James Pibble earned critical praise, while his fiction for children established him as one of Britain's most distinguished authors in the field. Over the course of his career he produced nearly fifty books that combined historical imagination, fantasy, and thoughtful reflections on human behavior. He achieved rare distinction by winning the Carnegie Medal twice, for Tulku and City of Gold, recognition that placed him among the most celebrated children's writers in Britain. Dickinson also received numerous other literary honors and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In addition to fiction, he wrote poetry and essays, and his work continued to influence generations of readers and writers in the field of children's literature.

Reviews

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review please visit my blog: The Kin: Ko's Story review @ From the Shadows I Review



3.5 stars



This didn't grab me as much as the previous two books. I wasn't entirely sure why at first but I figured it out a bit later on in the paragraph. This book doesn't lack anything that the other two had, the scene setting was beautiful, the oldtale was wonderful and the writing sublime. Now I'll get on to why I didn't fully enjoy this book as I promised I would. It wasn't the book in any way, shape or form, it was me. I've been distracted all day in preparation of one of my other passions in life: the British Touring Car Championship qualifying (It's a form of motorsport and my personal favourite. Just in case you were wondering).


The main character of this story is Ko and I have to say I really liked him, he reminds me of myself. He's a dreamer and I found myself connecting with him in a way that I hadn't with Suth and Noli. I hadn't liked him in the previous books because some of his actions were incredibly stupid and although he's hardly mature in this one I found myself liking him anyway. Noli, Suth, Tan and Tinu aren't mentioned as much in this one and I think that it's a shame as the closeness they had in books 1 and 2 was integral to the story.


Overall I liked the book but my distraction and quite possibly the lack of chemistry between the characters made this book slightly less enjoyable. I still liked the author's writing style but some things that I personally thought were important weren't mentioned and I'd have liked them to be. I think if you've read the previous books it's definitely worth picking this one up.