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Asante's Gullah Journey
When Gullah family farms are being threatened library swordsman Asante must help save them. In this post-apocalyptic world of swords and soul, doing what's right leads to unimaginable threats. Beneda, a local farmer and archer, has begun her own quest. Will Asante and Beneda join forces to save the Gullah farms?
270 pages, Paperback
Published August 10, 2016
5 people are currently reading
1241 people want to read
About the author
S.A. Gibson
40 books351 followersS. A. Gibson writes Woodpunk fiction, and futurist action stories. Having worked with computers and people, now happily crafts different worlds and fun characters and wondering how to save the heroes and heroines.
S. A. Gibson was born in South Korea, grew up in California and currently lives in Los Angeles with a spouse and a chihuahua-dachshund.
When not writing, or writing school papers, S. A. Gibson is blogging at Experiences in writing, or online at Twitter, and at Facebook.
S. A. Gibson was born in South Korea, grew up in California and currently lives in Los Angeles with a spouse and a chihuahua-dachshund.
When not writing, or writing school papers, S. A. Gibson is blogging at Experiences in writing, or online at Twitter, and at Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 17, 2018
The world of Asante's Gullah Journey. What to know before reading the book.
All my stories are set in the same world. This is a future earth where modern technology is lost. So past history is remembered. But, people live with tech like in the early 1800s.
This is the first story with these characters. So it is independent. The things to know, are that in this world, Libraries have become the most powerful force. Because they have the past knowledge. They attempt to keep the records for society and maintain order. Library scouts are the trained enforcers for the libraries. They are experts with swords and other weapons.
The other thing to know about this story is the Gullah people are real. Along the coast of South Carolina there was a group of escaped slaves who had thier own language known as Gullah or Geechee. They existed in isolated communities into 1900s. There are still some left, today. For the story I imagine the group survives into the future and keeps their culture and independence.
All my stories are set in the same world. This is a future earth where modern technology is lost. So past history is remembered. But, people live with tech like in the early 1800s.
This is the first story with these characters. So it is independent. The things to know, are that in this world, Libraries have become the most powerful force. Because they have the past knowledge. They attempt to keep the records for society and maintain order. Library scouts are the trained enforcers for the libraries. They are experts with swords and other weapons.
The other thing to know about this story is the Gullah people are real. Along the coast of South Carolina there was a group of escaped slaves who had thier own language known as Gullah or Geechee. They existed in isolated communities into 1900s. There are still some left, today. For the story I imagine the group survives into the future and keeps their culture and independence.
July 4, 2017
The story world has a very interesting premise. I could have read more about the weaved-in back story and historical context on how this alternate future world originated from our world of today.
The way how the story is told and its pacing reminded me of Tolkien’s and other pure fantasy books. A very positive aspect of this book is the cultural and racial diverse background of its characters. They use Southern Black Dialect and this not only makes the dialogue but also the book original and representative of other cultures.
The way how the story is told and its pacing reminded me of Tolkien’s and other pure fantasy books. A very positive aspect of this book is the cultural and racial diverse background of its characters. They use Southern Black Dialect and this not only makes the dialogue but also the book original and representative of other cultures.
July 15, 2017
A great book that i enjoyed reading. This book was full of world building adventure. Beneda is the character in this story as well as Asante the swordsman who helps her on this journey. A must read for any and all book lovers everywhere.
November 17, 2017
"Asante's Gullah Journey" by S.A. Gibson is sci-fi written in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world. From the start, the story is action packed and full of adventure. Heroines stand out in a work where land is a precious commodity, especially farmland, and some will not stop until they take it all by any means necessary.
This is my first book I have read by S.A. Gibson, and for me this book fell a little short of keeping me captivated. The main reason for the low rating was based on the language that was used to narrate the story. It made the story hard to follow, especially when parts had to be re-read to understand. While some readers may have been able to follow easily after a while, it stood in the way of what could have been a good story. Secondly, I found the character building to be lacking, as well as the world building. Even though the story was fast paced, it lacked attention to detail on characters and why the world was the way it was. If not for the summary, I would have found myself lost.
I voluntarily reviewed this book.
This is my first book I have read by S.A. Gibson, and for me this book fell a little short of keeping me captivated. The main reason for the low rating was based on the language that was used to narrate the story. It made the story hard to follow, especially when parts had to be re-read to understand. While some readers may have been able to follow easily after a while, it stood in the way of what could have been a good story. Secondly, I found the character building to be lacking, as well as the world building. Even though the story was fast paced, it lacked attention to detail on characters and why the world was the way it was. If not for the summary, I would have found myself lost.
I voluntarily reviewed this book.
December 8, 2017
Unique and Intriguing
I have never read a story like this before. The style of writing was unique and the story intriguing. Overall, I enjoyed it!
I have never read a story like this before. The style of writing was unique and the story intriguing. Overall, I enjoyed it!
January 16, 2018
S. A. Gibson's Asante's Gullah Journey is a novel set in a dystopian future with low technology and where librarians have a lot of power and respect. While many of Gibson's books are set in this dystopian future, this one focuses on a particular set of characters, Gullah farmers on Daufuskie Island, who wish to save their farms from people trying to trick them out of their ownership documents. To do this, they must seek the aid of the librarians and a librarian scout named Asante, who recently arrived from Kenya.
It took me a bit to get into Asante's Gullah Journey because it is presented entirely in Gullah dialect--including the internal dialogue of the characters. But once I got used to the dialect, my reading went more quickly. The dialect actually had me researching the Gullah people and their language, both unknown to me prior to this book.
My two favorite characters--both POV Gullah characters--were Beneda and Lakisha. Beneda, though still a young woman, finds herself in a new role as leader of the Gullah farmers in the fight for their farms. Lakisha, still a young girl, decides she wants to work for the library rather than the farms. Both women are strong female characters who help their people in different ways. And Beneda is an awesome archer to boot! In fact, many of the female characters in the novel seem to be running the show.
Interestingly enough, the title seems a bit misleading. While things would certainly be different without the presence of Asante in Gullah lands, Asante is not a POV character. But he certainly does journey and aid the Gullah people. I do find myself, however, wondering more about his character's past and reason for coming to the United States from Africa since most of what we learn about him is from Beneda's or Lakisha's perspective.
I also feel like I missed some details about the antagonists and their motivations for wanting the Gullah farms. Does it have anything to do with their post-apocalyptic setting? Are they just greedy?
While Gibson does a great job in describing the general place setting of the novel, those wanting to know more of the background of his futuristic, "woodpunk" world will not get much from this novel. But he does have several others, though, that can provide more insight.
Overall, I enjoyed Asante's Gullah Journey for its cultural diversity, unique setting, a bit of mystery, and its action. I would recommend this to someone looking for something new in dystopian fiction.
It took me a bit to get into Asante's Gullah Journey because it is presented entirely in Gullah dialect--including the internal dialogue of the characters. But once I got used to the dialect, my reading went more quickly. The dialect actually had me researching the Gullah people and their language, both unknown to me prior to this book.
My two favorite characters--both POV Gullah characters--were Beneda and Lakisha. Beneda, though still a young woman, finds herself in a new role as leader of the Gullah farmers in the fight for their farms. Lakisha, still a young girl, decides she wants to work for the library rather than the farms. Both women are strong female characters who help their people in different ways. And Beneda is an awesome archer to boot! In fact, many of the female characters in the novel seem to be running the show.
Interestingly enough, the title seems a bit misleading. While things would certainly be different without the presence of Asante in Gullah lands, Asante is not a POV character. But he certainly does journey and aid the Gullah people. I do find myself, however, wondering more about his character's past and reason for coming to the United States from Africa since most of what we learn about him is from Beneda's or Lakisha's perspective.
I also feel like I missed some details about the antagonists and their motivations for wanting the Gullah farms. Does it have anything to do with their post-apocalyptic setting? Are they just greedy?
While Gibson does a great job in describing the general place setting of the novel, those wanting to know more of the background of his futuristic, "woodpunk" world will not get much from this novel. But he does have several others, though, that can provide more insight.
Overall, I enjoyed Asante's Gullah Journey for its cultural diversity, unique setting, a bit of mystery, and its action. I would recommend this to someone looking for something new in dystopian fiction.
July 28, 2023
Where to begin? This is not your typical science fiction story. The author uses the term "wood punk" to describe the genre of this book, and it fits. The world has suffered a collapse, and people have had to revert to old ways of family farming, communication through letters and carrier pigeons, and libraries have become the sacred repositories of all knowledge. Librarians are not only knowledgeable, but martially skilled. If you do damage to a library or a librarian, they will hunt you as unrelentingly as a US Marshall.
But the main aspect of the story revolves around the power of family and small communities, banding together to protect each other and the land they depend on to live.This is also a coming of age story, as Beneda, the female protagonist, goes from a young girl helping to run a family farm into a reluctant but capable leader of the people around her. She and Asante, a visiting Librarian from Africa, work together to take on unscrupulous individuals working to claim the Lowlands for their own financial gain. Because she's a young woman using a bow and arrow to defend her home and lead a (small) revolution in a future U.S, I did see the parallel between Beneda and Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games, but the stories and the flavors are very different.
One of the most unique aspects of this story is the dialect Mr. Gibson uses for his Lowland Carolina characters. Though it may be off putting until you can get into the rhythm of it, I found it added to the portrayal of the time and region. People of color populate this novel, and I found that quite refreshing as well.
My only problem was that I couldn't "feel" the characters. Something about the point of view of the author kept me from being able to fully get inside the heads and hearts of everyone. This distance is the main reason I gave the book a four instead of a five. Still, I'm interested in seeing other stories set in this world.
But the main aspect of the story revolves around the power of family and small communities, banding together to protect each other and the land they depend on to live.This is also a coming of age story, as Beneda, the female protagonist, goes from a young girl helping to run a family farm into a reluctant but capable leader of the people around her. She and Asante, a visiting Librarian from Africa, work together to take on unscrupulous individuals working to claim the Lowlands for their own financial gain. Because she's a young woman using a bow and arrow to defend her home and lead a (small) revolution in a future U.S, I did see the parallel between Beneda and Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games, but the stories and the flavors are very different.
One of the most unique aspects of this story is the dialect Mr. Gibson uses for his Lowland Carolina characters. Though it may be off putting until you can get into the rhythm of it, I found it added to the portrayal of the time and region. People of color populate this novel, and I found that quite refreshing as well.
My only problem was that I couldn't "feel" the characters. Something about the point of view of the author kept me from being able to fully get inside the heads and hearts of everyone. This distance is the main reason I gave the book a four instead of a five. Still, I'm interested in seeing other stories set in this world.
November 30, 2017
If you are looking for something different, look no further. Asante's Gullah Journey isn't an ordinary sci-fi novel. The author's voice shines through with a sometimes blinding light. I mean that as a compliment. I enjoy something completely new and unusual every now and then.
The use of dialect threw me for a loop and took a few chapters to get used to, but in the end made the journey more enjoyable. It won't be for everyone. If you are an avid reader who enjoys sci-fi or fantasy, I recommend this book. Getting past the dialogue will put you into a fast paced race to the end. 4 stars!
The use of dialect threw me for a loop and took a few chapters to get used to, but in the end made the journey more enjoyable. It won't be for everyone. If you are an avid reader who enjoys sci-fi or fantasy, I recommend this book. Getting past the dialogue will put you into a fast paced race to the end. 4 stars!
November 15, 2017
The narrative voice and worldbuilding here are both quite strong. The world itself leaves the reader wanting to explore even more of it. The dialect used in some of the dialogue took a bit of getting used to, but sticking with it was a great decision, and I'd have missed out on a great story had I let that push me away.
November 18, 2017
This is the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. The story moved along well and it kept me captivated the whole time. The language took a bit of getting used to, but I was able to follow along pretty quick. I really liked how the lead role was a female character, I thought that was great. Overall it was a great book and I look forward to reading more by this author.
April 25, 2017
This book starts off a little confusing. The story reads as if you are talking improperly. It’s hard to get through the first few sentences without re-reading it a few times. As I go through the first few pages, it seem as if these characters are on a farm working and this land is family owned. The little girl Beneda feels strongly about protecting everyone on it, and I like that. This story is filled with adventure. It keeps you guessing and wondering about what’s going to happen next. There are so many different characters and when reading a book like this it’s best to keep up with them all.
This journey that this people on this farmland it’s pretty wild. It’s amazing to see how close a family that they are. You must read this book to see how amazing it is.
I give this story a 4 out of 5 stars. Pick this novel up for a weekend read.
This journey that this people on this farmland it’s pretty wild. It’s amazing to see how close a family that they are. You must read this book to see how amazing it is.
I give this story a 4 out of 5 stars. Pick this novel up for a weekend read.
April 29, 2017
Love the atmosphere the author created, have a fondness for the region encompassed in this story.
From Bluffton, S.C. to Hilton Head Island, from okra to sweet grass baskets, the story is an adventure.
A special thank you to author S.A. Gibson for providing this book in a giveaway from Goodreads for an honest review.
From Bluffton, S.C. to Hilton Head Island, from okra to sweet grass baskets, the story is an adventure.
A special thank you to author S.A. Gibson for providing this book in a giveaway from Goodreads for an honest review.
November 20, 2017
This one was a slow, thoughtful read because the language was so different than what I'm used to. Third person present with a regional dialect. Based on the description, the book is supposed to be a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel. Thing is, I never picked up on that part except for the blurb and one line where the author mentioned the 49 states of the US. Other than that, it could have been a historical novel. The book seems like a continuation of the author's After the Collapse series. Know that from the very beginning, instead of having to figure it out myself, would have given me the context I needed.
As self-contained character driven story, it works to a degree. I didn't have a clear picture of all the characters and what the looked like, though. Also, I only connected with a few and even then I was living their lives through the narrator's eyes not the characters' eyes.
For these reasons, I had to give it a three star rating. I really wish they had a 3.5 rating though.
As self-contained character driven story, it works to a degree. I didn't have a clear picture of all the characters and what the looked like, though. Also, I only connected with a few and even then I was living their lives through the narrator's eyes not the characters' eyes.
For these reasons, I had to give it a three star rating. I really wish they had a 3.5 rating though.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews