Songs of the Zhongzi: The Books
About the books:When one hundred small creatures, each a little shining jewel, individually crafted with respect and love, find their way through the hatch to life in the sulphur-sweet air of their own wild planet, they start on a wonderful journey that parallels the rise of human civilisation. Against a fantastically beautiful back- drop. the zhongzi develop colourful personalities. They learn how to ride the geysers, harness the winds and interact with the weird and delightful endemic life forms . They create cultures and communities radically different from anything known by their human creators. But confronted by ideological challenges and divided into radically different societies, their actions have drastic and far-reaching consequences
The Songs of the Zhongzi cross many genres to draw the reader into strange situations, new sets of rules and a colourful kaleidoscope of strange creatures, all of which is fun. But at a deeper level it parodies very human questions such as how to develop healthy communities, how to cater for a questing intelligence, how to deal with diverging ideologies and how to prevent boredom in a perfect society. Concepts such as identity, religion and purpose are explored. The result is a philosophical experiment, researching real human dilemnas in a very different world, giving complex questions a fresh imaginative context.
The books are part of a multimedia project. At the root of the zhongzi society lie their songs, depicting decisive moments in their development. Therefore, the song videos were an inevitable development. Along the way pictures were created for the videos - most of which were never used - but which are to be found in the galleries.
Review from Troll King:
Extract: "It is criminal that this work hasn’t received the attention it deserves because it does what all literature aspires to do, to tell the human story in a way that inspires and urges us to reflect upon our own mortality and our ambitions to achieve beyond our limitations. This book is a postmodern classic and should be canonized amongst essential literary works to read. Therefore, despite the multimedia content, this book has earned the highest accolade of 5 stars."
A draft copy of Book1 was sent to professional reviewers under the title "The Rise and Fall of the Perfect Creation", to get feedback. See the whole of Noor Al Jahangir’s review at Trollking Reviews, and many other professional reviews here.
Songs of the Zhongzi (book 1) (Click to enlarge covers)
Humans have set out to create the perfect life... intelligence without a dark side. The wild planet of Shianshenka poisonous to humans, but breathtakingly beautiful is selected and seeded with the newly created life-form: the tiny seed-like Zhongzi. This tale tells how the little Zhongzi overcome the limitations placed on them by their physiology; how they learn to ride the geysers and harness the winds; how they interact with the weird and delightful endemic life forms of the planet; how they create community, culture and civilisation.
But not all is perfect. A deep ideological cleft divides the Zhongzi society into radically different societies, and as the conflict escalates their actions have drastic and far-reaching consequences.
Island of Rainbows (book 2) (Click to enlarge covers)
Escaping from slavery in the dark Eastern Caverns, the Siren folk are carried by a storm far out over the ocean. What follows for some, is a magical journey in a deep-running ocean spiral. For others the storm results in a meeting with the enchanting gossamer globes— wise deep-sea creatures, that become their mentors and protectors. Both groups end up on the shores of the wonderful Island of Rainbows. But the curse of the Homeland has not left them. Along the way, some have aquired a religion that becomes dangerously fanatical, both in its expression and its logic. Recognising that failure to deal with this will destroy the fabric of their society, they turn to the globes for advice. The answer, it seems, lies back on the Homeland, and the strange mysteries that now surround it.
Island of Fire (book 3) (Click to enlarge covers)
A small flock of refugees from the dying Homeland arrive on the Island of Fire, and must create new lives. Although the island’s environment seems hostile, it is home to fantastic and beautiful lifeforms and ecosystems they have never met before. They find places where they could happily settle. But the island is already inhabited by the Vulkans – zhongzi who ride above the volcanoes, and who have lived on the island since ancient times. The Vulkans, fearing that the newcomers are the first of a wave of refugees from the Homeland, are divided in their reactions. Ancient conflicts surface, and the newcomers find themselves
caught up in the machinations of the Vulkans. But with their colourful diversity of talents and callings the newcomers fight their battles in their own unique way, and slowly bring far-reaching changes to the Vulkan society.