A first novel by Eifion Jenkins. It is a mix of literary and genre novel - a myth for modern times. Gwidion is a boy on the verge of manhood. To him 9/11 has no meaning. But the psychic shockwaves of the event, in a world which has destroyed itself, are still felt. Gwidion is troubled by dreams in which he is falling from a clear blue sky and being caught by an imaginary twin ...

Nofel gyntaf Eifion Jenkins. Y mae'n gymysgedd o nofel genre a nofel lenyddol - chwedl ar gyfer y byd modern. Mae Gwidion ar fin tyfu'n ddyn. Iddo ef nid oes i 9/11 unrhyw ystyr. Ond mae sgil-effeithiau seicig y digwyddiad mewn byd a'i ddinistriodd ei hun i'w teimlo o hyd. Mae Gwidion yn cael breuddwydion rhyfedd am gwympo o'r awyr ac efaill dychmygol yn ei ddal.

Eifion Jenkins takes us on an imaginative exploration of other worlds in this enthralling debut.

Gwidion is growing up in a post-apocalyptic landscape, with most of the world uninhabitable and the population suffering from an infertility plague. But the reasons behind the failures of the past are not of great interest to Gwidion’s small community, living in what remains of Wales. They are preoccupied with the pleasures and rituals of the present and how they will face the future - a daunting prospect to a humanity that is losing the vestiges of technology, and where the vast majority of the men are infertile and most of the children born are girls.

Gwidion is special. He struggles with the normal hormonal battles of a teenage boy and the insecurities of first love, but he is also the only boy in his generation, with all the pressures to reproduce that that entails. His extraordinary mental powers mark him out further. His determination to learn the truth about his own and his world’s history takes him away from his small rural community to the Soma Academy in Madrid, where he becomes a pawn in the political power games of Earth’s rulers.

The world Gwidion grew up in was full of warmth, love and real community, and this new world, in which he hoped to find the truth, is bewildering in its power plays and subterfuge. But it is his destiny to go on, beyond anything any human has done before, and find peace at last, while those that would control him find themselves struggling with corruption and the realisation that no matter how far they go, they still take humanity’s flaws with them.

The plot is subtly woven, bringing past and future together and full of strong and complex characters. Jenkins shows a knack for bringing to life humanity’s flawed honesty and he has real insight into the secrets we all keep in our hearts.

This is a quiet look at the simple but compelling truth that the search for home can lead us back to our own hearts.

Helena Earnshaw

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.