| Lin |
HI All:
I received my copy of Richard Bach's newest installment of The Ferret
Chronicles yesterday afternoon, & finished reading it last night. Here's my
review!
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The Last War: Detective Ferrets & the Case of the Golden Deed, by Richard
Bach. 136 pgs, paperback, no illustrations.
I thought I heard a while back that the next installment was going to be
Teacher Ferrets in the Classroom, yet Detective Ferrets came out first.
Unlike it's predecessors, it's a paperback, w/ no illustrations, & this one
includes a forward by Richard Bach, which the previous installments have
*not* included. After reading the book, I get the impression that perhaps
*this* book was rushed out ahead of Teacher Ferrets, due to world events
this past yr (Afghanastan, Iraq, etc) - thus no hardback edition or pics.
However, the writing hasn't suffered in the least, if this is the case, &
the point was well taken, by me, anyway. War is not moral in any situation,
& each individual should do whatever they can, no matter how
insignificant-seeming on the surface, to do what they can to promote peace.
"The war began, each side convinced we can harm others without harming
ourselves and the ones we love. Can't be done", he shrugged, "can't be
done."
Shamrock Ferret is a little kit, who's parents constantly test her ability
to understand the world around her, by asking questions & allowing her the
opportunity to find the answers her own way, by keeping her mind open to the
possibilities of the world. Early on, she decides her future is to solve
mysteries, just like her idol, detective Nutmeg Ferret. Her desire is
increased by a visit from a mysterious encyclopedia salesman to her
familiy's home.
Flash forward to later in her life, when Shamrock Ferret opens her own
detective agency. She is becoming notorious for solving the most unsolvable
mysteries. Her secret is in her ability to handle objects, & see the history
of the object, & the ferrets who were associated w/ it. Through this
ability, Shamrock is able to solve not only everyday mysteries that she is
hired to solve, but discovers the very origins of Ferret civilization on
planet Earth. An encounter w/ a rare vase leads her to Avedoi Merek, the
philosopher ferret who, centuries before, wrote The Courtesies, the code all
modern ferrets live by:
"Whatever harm I would do to another, I shall do first to myself.
As I respect and am kind to myself, so shall I respect and be kind to peers,
to elders, to kits.
I claim for others the freedom to live as they wish, to think and believe as
they will. I claim that freedom for myself.
I shall make each choice and live each day to my highest sense of right."
These Courtesies, written out of Avedoi Merek's sense of helplessness in the
face of a society seemingly intent on destroying itself, became the basis of
all ferret civilization for generations to come. However, none of the
history of ferret civilization, or what led up to the writing of the
Courtesies, is completely unknown to ferretkind until Shamrock Ferret finds
the key to unlocking this buried history.
I sucked this book back in just over an hr. Granted, I'm a fast reader, but
it's also just a compelling read. It's relevant to the world situation
today, addressing many of the ethical questions we all are asking in our
post-9/11 society. While very few characters from previous installments make
an appearance in this edition, it's for obvious reasons - this book lives
mostly the Past, but makes a very strong statement about the Future.
Lin, Ariel, Oberon, & Max
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