Catharsis, Legend of the Lemurians (Earth Keepers Chronicles: Book 1) [Formato Kindle]

I love the cover. Gorgeous in its simplicity. Hop on board and lets go for a ride to Catharsis.

Earth Keepers have been watching our planet since time immemorial. The nine chosen ones were record keepers and decision makers, in charge of deciding Earth's fate.

This is the beginning. To have a beginning, must there be an end?

Catharsis is a beautiful red planet inhabited with beautiful people of all ages. They had beautiful faces, beautiful bodies, beautiful homes, beautiful yards, beautiful stores, beautiful...., well, you get the drift. They were surrounded by beauty.

They even went so far as to eliminate pets, then animals of all kinds, because they created messes and that was totally unacceptable.

What would one sacrifice for beauty?

Everyone and everything was beautiful, except.......

The Uglies like simple clothing, going barefoot and smiling. The Catharsian's saw the Uglies as diseased. Could ugly be contagious? All Uglies were locked up in Camp Ugly, surrounded by an electric fence and guarded 24/7.

They were allowed to marry, but only allowed to have one child. The Catharsian's thought if they kept lowering the population, eventually the Uglies would disappear.

The Uglies focal point was the Gathering Square. Their most valuable possession, the Lemurian Mother Crystal, was located in the Temple of Mu, in the Square.

Surviving took everything they had. There was no time to protest or worry about being pretty.

Once a month, the Uglies were allowed to leave their prison to gather supplies, clothes and medicines. A small group of Runners went out to gather whatever they could carry on their bodies. They were heroes. Not all runners returned healthy and some didn't return at all.

Catharsian beauty is on the outside. Uglies beauty is on the inside.

Then everything changed.

"The time of Karma is now."

5 STARS - Would Buy It For Them (lol)

Awesome. Stretches my imagination to a point I could not get to on my own.

I love the cover. Beautiful and simple. The title fits the book. This is a short story, a history lesson, the beginning of the Earth Keeper Chronicles.

I love how Lada Ray takes historical events and twists them into a fantasy world.

One child. Sound familiar? Isn't that going on today in China?

Surviving took everything the Uglies had. To me that rings true for the poor and middle class of today. We are kept so busy trying to survive, we don't have time or are too afraid to protest. We might lose what we have.

"No Uglies Allowed" hung in stores and pharmacies. Sound familiar? Made me think of slavery. Not only were they not allowed in the stores, if people helped the Uglies, they would be penalized. Made me think of slavery.

To gather and be happy, singing from our souls under such terrible conditions, is what makes us human. We try to make the best of whatever we have.

The Runners going though trash and finding, perfectly good clothes and food made me think of the homeless on the streets today. Our trash is often their treasure.

So you see what I mean about Lada Ray's ability to take history and twist it into a story that takes as into the fantasy world. It is only limited by her imagination.

Be sure to read about the author. She is as fascinating as her books.

I picked this book up on a recent Amazon free day. Thank you Lada Ray.

Catharsis, Legend of the Lemurians (Earth Keepers Chronicle 1)

A lovely short story with very strong ethical overtones relating to bullying and comeuppance. I very much liked the fact that the Lemurians, the underprivileged race of second class citizens on the planet Catharsis, never rose to the taunting and cruelty of their tormentors, the self proclaimed superior race, the Catharsians.

The message is a strong "Two wrongs do not make a right" and how it's important to keep your own dignity even as those who torment you choose to sacrifice theirs.

The other cool thing is that the end of the story very much sets up the events to come in the later books in the Lemurians series, with a nice twist that I will not spoil here ;)

Well worth a read, especially given that it's free! It certainly made me want more, and I'll definitely be reading Lada's The Earth Shifter next.

Good story, likable characters, excellent value, 5 stars ;)

Rohan Healy

Lada Ray just gets better and better. I absolutely loved this first book or prequel of the Earth Shifter series.
The red planet of Catharsis is inhabited by extraordinarily `beautiful' people. But the Catharsians harbor a secret - they share the planet with the Lemurians - an ugly people who have been herded into Camp Ugly to live in drudgery under harsh conditions. They do not complain and are very gentle and compassionate in nature. We are quickly reminded that beauty lies not in looks but in the heart and soul.
Through Morf, one of the chosen runners who must make the dangerous trip amongst the Catharsians to get supplies, we learn of a disastrous fate about to befall the planet of Catharsis, and watch as the Lemurians are forced to take control and make the most difficult decision of their lives.
This is a most original story and it captured my imagination immediately. It is a wonderful mix of magic, science and morality and has so much value I cannot recommend it more highly. The author has an intriguing mind and you cannot help but be swept into her worlds filled with wonderful imagery and interesting characters. At moments it reminded me of the Hunger Games but with a more scifi feel.
Pass this book on to children and adults alike. It's suitable for all ages.
I simply can't wait for The Earth Shifter so that I can find out about what happens between the Lemurians and Atlanteans. Fascinating stuff! Don't miss it.