I heard about this book as it was featured in the NZ Writers Fest. I went along to hear a reading from it and was hooked. I had to buy the book so I could hear what happened next. That's how they get ya. I was happy to buy it though, and support NZ writers.
The idea of this book is that Māori writers retell traditional Māori myths, putting their own spin on to the tale. It is made up of a collection of poems and short stories that are pretty much in chronological order from the time that there was nothing to the future.
With so many different authors contributing, it's very interesting to read. You get a taste of many different styles and you just don't know what the next tale will be like. It's like a fun version of gambling.
Probably my favourite part of the book is the authors' interpretations of traditional stories that we've all heard before. Unless you're not from New Zealand, then you probably haven't heard them before. In that case you might not enjoy it as much. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out which myth they were retelling. Sometimes it was easy, like Māui goes to Hollywood, sometimes it was not so easy.
My favourite story was Te Ara Poutini by Nic Low, which is a sci-fi story set in future Aotearoa where Māori rule the business world and different hapū are rivals in both business and traditional conflicts. It was really cool and should be a whole novel!
Probably the best story, was Hine-tītama - Ask the Posts of the House by Witi Ihimaera, who we had to study in high school english, he's that famous. It is an amazing story, brutal, I'm not ashamed to admit I cried when I read it.
I also loved Moon Story by Patricia Grace. A retelling of Rona and the Moon. If you're not familiar, Rona trips in the dark and curses the moon (not a good idea). As a kid I always felt so superior to Rona - I would never curse the moon! But Patricia Grace brings the story to life with vivid descriptions and you empathise with poor Rona after all.
I thoroughly recommend this book, especially if you have a love for Māori stories.
You can buy the e-book by clicking here
Final rating: Ka rawe!
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