Book Review - Ten Silver Coins: The Drylings of Acchora

In Ten Silver Coins: the Drylings of Acchora, Canadian author Andrew Kooman takes you on a fantasy ride through the authoritarian city of Vendor, into the out-of-bounds Forest, exploring the magical house of the Keeper of the Forest and tumbling into Acchora and its hidden volcano city. Jill Strong, Daughter of Disgrace, orphaned and now forced to flee from her home, embarks on a thrilling adventure where she is entrusted with ten silver coins and losing one, chases after it desperately with the help of Simon, a boy she meets in the Keeper's house.

Andrew's heart for the millions of children who like Jill Strong, the novel's heroine, are forced to flee their homes is revealed through his tender treatment of Jill, a frightened young girl trying to be brave in the face of her own fears, weaknesses and disappointments. Learning of her mother's deeds in Acchora for the first time, she tears up, admitting to the King, "Your memory of her changes my own and suddenly it feels like she no longer belongs to me. I feel like I've lost her all over again."

Throughout the adventure, Ten Silver Coin's overarching theme seems to be about giving a voice to the voiceless, and hope to the hopeless, a carryover from the author's active involvement with non-profit organizations addressing social injustices across the globe. The first novel in a trilogy of Jill Strong adventures, Ten Silver Coins is an excellent tale of second chances and acceptance, no matter where you come from or what your past may be.

I picked up his book at the Malaysian book launch in Penang - a fitting place to launch the book, as it was mainly written in Penang during his stint with the Youth with a Mission (YWAM) base here. To my surprise, some Malaysian flavour seems to have found its way into the story, such as the naming of a Dryling guard as 'Cendol', a sweet Malaysian dessert. Although I enjoyed the book thoroughly, a slight minus point in this debut novel is the abundance of typing errors that litter the book, making the inner editor in me shiver in despair. (Fix it for the next printing, please?)

The book was released on November 19, 2009 and is available from Smashwords.com as an e-book or in print form via andrewkooman.com, Amazon.com and other online book sellers.

Andrew Kooman currently resides in Red Deer, Alberta. The Red Deer release and book signing will be held on December 3, 2009 at Second Cup, South Pointe Common (Red Deer) between 6.30pm to 9pm. $1 of the sale of each book at the launch, e-book or made through andrewkooman.com will go toward helping real children who have been forced to flee their homes.