Undiscovered Scotland

 

"Mach, Book One: The Awakening" by David Hutchison is a beguiling coming-of-age story aimed at readers aged from ten to eighteen years old, though this considerably older adult also found it thoroughly enjoyable.

In an effort to avoid spoilers, I'll talk about the plot by reusing the publisher's description of it: "In a time before time itself, Mach is about to reach adulthood by going through the mysterious ritual of the Awakening Ceremony, and he is troubled because he has no idea what this ancient ceremony entails. He is unaware that an unseen Order of Warrior Priests will first reveal his true lineage, then take him from his simple village life to teach him their inner ways and prepare him for the challenges that lie ahead."

If the title of the book suggests that "Mach, Book One: The Awakening" will become the first in a series of books then the story you find between the covers strongly supports that possibility.

We follow Mach as he goes through his Awakening Ceremony and then travels to undertake his training. The excellent quality of the writing draws you into Mach's world while the sense steadily grows throughout to book of preparations being made to tackle a great quest that has yet to be revealed. And then... Well, I did say I'd avoid spoilers.

It is possible that no one in the history of book reviewing has ever picked these two points of comparison for a single work, but parts of the story made me think, in a positive way, of "Kung Fu Panda": and as the book reaches a conclusion that is both satisfying and appetite whetting I also found myself thinking of "The Fellowship of the Ring". I very much look forward to reading "Mach, Book Two" when it is written and finding out where the story goes after it leaves us on the harbourside at the end of this book.