Synopsis
"Origins" is written as two intertwined, parallel narratives. The first, which takes the form of a diary written by Christie at Fourth World around the year 2009, follows the fortunes of Maggie and Bernard and their assorted group of children and gifted animals. The stone which Christie has carried back from the yeti's cave (see Only Human) proves fatal. It releases an alien presence (the Yoke) which takes over the smallholding and laboratory of Fourth World and by its efforts to return to its own planet, destroys both human beings and the environment worldwide. There are few survivors but of those who do remain, two are newborn twins, Ogden and Atticus, who carry a dog and cat gene, the latest and last experiment by Maggie and Bernard in their genetic engineering research. The second narrative takes place far into the future, in a changed world where nuclear devastation and disease has reduced mankind virtually to the stone age scenario. Nessa and Farral from the warring Cat and Dog tribes are thrown together and eventually become tolerant of each other in their travels across wild mountains and nuclear waste. Terminating their journey among a small group of inhabitants in the very far north, they find that Christie's diary has survived and been preserved by this group of people. It is of course the key to the reader of this 'new world' set up. It is an extraordinary and compelling resolution to the story. Kate Thompson's final volume in the "Missing Link" trilogy is startlingly dramatic in construction and disturbingly thought provoking in content.
About the Author
Kate Thompson is one of the most exciting authors writing for young people today. A born storyteller, her work is highly original and she is thought provoking in her ideas. She has travelled widely in the USA and India and studied law in London. After living in County Clare, she moved to Kinvara in County Galway and there, she discovered her passion for playing the fiddle. She is now an accomplished player and also has a great interest in restoring instruments. Kate is the only author to win the Children's Books Ireland Bisto Book of the Year award four times - in 2002 for The Beguilers, in 2003 for The Alchemist's Apprentice, in 2004 for Annan Water and in 2006 for The New Policeman. The New Policeman also won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2005, the Whitbread Book Award Children's category 2005, the Children's Book of the Year in the Irish Book Awards in March 2006 and has been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In 2008 Kate was again shortlisted for the Children's Books Ireland Bisto Award for her book, The Last of the High Kings, a beautiful and haunting story that delves deep into the magic of Irish myth and folklore.
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