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Grace Bridges wears many hats: writer, artist, editor, translator, cat herder (yes, really!), and hybrid publisher, empowering excellent authors via the Splashdown Books seal of quality together with full creative control. Her short fiction and nonfiction is found in multiple international anthologies and literary journals, and she continues to work on novels and short stories in The Vortex of Éire series. Book 1, Mariah's Dream, was a 2015 nominee for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for New Zealand speculative fiction. Find out more about her writing, art, and other adventures at www.gracebridges.kiwi; and about her publishing at www.splashdownbooks.com.
Reviewed by Melinda Hills for Readers' Favorite
The future looks bleak as Mariah and her fellow citizens work for the World Senate, scraping by with barely enough food and no prospects for a better life in Mariah's Dream by Grace Bridges. After the discovery of some usable soil and a special fertilizer that produces tremendous crops quickly, Mariah is able to help feed the community and lead a movement to stand up to the Senate. Unfortunately, other forces have been unleashed that ruin the dream for a brighter future. In the present day, Faith is also concerned about feeding more people and develops an app that enables farmers to improve crop yields. Her dedication leads her to create outreach programs for the poor, but there is always something else that she seems to need. Faith becomes an author and puts her feelings into words for others to share. That’s when the present meets the future with interesting results.
Grace Bridges has created an unforgettable future world combining the worst fears of Big Brother and government control in Mariah's Dream. Three stories unfold simultaneously: Faith in the present, Mariah in the future, and a nameless dog who helps fill in the gaps about the condition of the small Irish coastal town where Mariah lives. Intense hardship and the depth of emotions associated with the struggle for survival are clearly depicted, but the resilience of the human spirit is also well represented in strongly developed characters. Mariah's Dream is not only a well written cautionary tale about the unbridled power of government and the consequences of science that is abused, but also a testament to the determination of people to survive in spite of the odds. Great story!
