Another five star review

S.J.R. Smith's debut novel is a winner, October 17, 2007 By Alex Hutchinson "Novelist" (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews The Heart of the Caveat Whale is a captivating allegory capturing a timeless struggle between aggression and relief. The Aquavians, a peace loving and joyful race of underwater beings are being threatened by dark denizens of the deep waters, led by a fearsome MerKing. The fight seems hopeless as thousands of Aquavians are either killed or captured and turned against their own as vicious, mindless hordes. Shunda, a lone Aquavian, orphaned by the war and searching for his lost people stumbles upon Hoondiake, the only land fighting back against the MerKing's advances onto dry soil. Allied together Shunda, and Mookori, a prince of Hoondiake, search desperately for a way to win back the minds of the captive aquavians and strike an offensive against the dreaded MerKing and his Merman army. If the unusual names are hard to swallow, don't worry because there is a pronunciation guide at the back of the book explaining how they are supposed to sound. It is yet another thoughtful addition to what is a well contemplated story. I really enjoyed reading this book. The imagery was simply enchanting. I could hear the waves crashing against the shores of Hoondiake allowing a smile at the pure innocence and joy of Shunda, and I shivered when faced with the cold cruelty of the MerKing. S.J.R. Smith did a fabulous job of weaving an entirely new world in such a delightful way that you get submerged in the story and hours have passed before you can tear yourself away. Being that the Captives is only the first book in a series, we as readers won't have to wait ashore for very long before we find out what happens next.

Five star book review

Thus begins a sweeping epic, written for young adults yet appealing to fantasy lovers of all ages., October 7, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

The Heart of the Caveat Whale Book One: The Captives begins a trilogy set in a world struggling against the tyrannical domination of the MerKing. Peaceful, human-like ocean dwellers known as aquavians were once numerous, yet now they are controlled by cruel means to fight for the MerKing, since they can breathe on land while mermen cannot. One young aquavian, orphaned in a magic-induced quake twelve years ago, retains his own mind due to chance isolation; he is the key to a prophecy predicting the end of the MerKing's rule. Yet before the war for freedom can be taken to the sea, first the captives on land must be freed. Thus begins a sweeping epic, written for young adults yet appealing to fantasy lovers of all ages. Highly recommended.

Recent book review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

A great ocean fantasy, July 27, 2007

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Ian McCurley (age 13) for Reader Views (7/07)

The story begins when Qoshonni, an Aquavian, is out gathering herbs and is kidnapped by the people of the island and given to the Mermen, an evil race of humanoid fish-people. Mermen are much like Aquavians except that Aquavians can travel and breathe on land well, while Mermen must stay near or in the water. Qoshonni is taken along with many other Aquavians to the bottom of the ocean and forced to join the army of the Mermen who feed them tainted meat to control them. She and a group of Aquavians resist in secrecy, only eating what they can catch.

Twenty years later, the young Aquavian, Shunda, is living in the ocean with his dolphin friend, Obraidh, and Obraidh's pod of rough toothed dolphins. Lately, Shunda has been thinking about leaving the pod and going off in search of his own kind. He had only come to the dolphins after the Great Wave which took his own family. Although he enjoyed their company, he sought the companionship of his own kind. After finding a warrior's belt of pearls, Shunda decides to set out with Obraidh in search of other Aquavians. They eventually land upon the shores of Hoondiake, which, as one of the Hoondiake princes tells them, is at war with the Mermen. The prince asks Shunda to help them deal with the captured Aquavian who, because of the meat, has become extremely violent. Can Shunda help this Aquavian and all the others under the rule of the Mer King break their addiction to the mysterious, evil meat and become their gentle selves once again? And, can Qoshonni help herself and her band of rogue Aquavians escape the Mer King? And the biggest question is "Why is this called `The Heart of the Caveat Whale?'"

"The Heart of the Caveat Whale" is for ages 13 and up. You will like reading this book if you enjoy the topics of islands, the ocean and the classic fantasy novel. S.J.R. Smith shines in this book because of the well-written, well-thought-out and very original story. "The Heart of the Caveat Whale" is an intriguing and interesting adventure tale.

Book Launch

The launch of the book, The Heart of the Caveat Whale, Book One: The Captives, was covered by the Dungarvan Leader and the Dungarvan Observer. You can find the article below:

Fear of Water Promts Local Author to Write Fantasy Novel

There was a great turn-out at the book launch for Dungarvan’s newest author, S. J. R. Smith at the Dungarvan Library on Wednesday, 28 February. Her first fantasy novel, The Heart of the Caveat Whale, Book One: The Captives, was viewed by a diverse crowd, from young children to the elderly and everyone in between. Rev. Cliff Gregston officiated the ceremony, and the Deputy Mayor was also in attendance. The author read a portion from the novel to the receptive audience, and everyone readily slipped into the fantasy world she created. Many expressed how lovely it was to see so many young children in attendance with an interest in reading.

The author explained that she wrote this novel from her fear of water. The story was also inspired by the St. Stephen’s Day tsunami in 2004. The author responded imaginatively to the grief by writing a story about the under-water people, the aquavians, and the adventures of Shunda, a young aquavian boy who goes in search of his lost tribe and family.

With the growing interest in fantasy novels, it is great to know we have a local author of this genre. This first book in the trilogy, The Heart of the Caveat Whale, is geared toward 14-17 year olds, as well as those who are young at heart, and is available at local bookstores, including Eason’s, De Paor’s and Reader’s Choice. There will also be the opportunity to meet the author and obtain a signed copy of the book at Eason’s, in the Dungarvan Shopping Centre, on April 4^th at 5PM until 7PM.

This is the first published novel for S. J. R. Smith, who is the coordinator for the Dungarvan Writers’ Group, which meets at Merry’s Pub on Tuesdays at 7:30-9PM. All of the fellow members of the group attended the book launch to offer support to their fellow writer.

Article by the members of the Dungarvan Writer’s Group