KIVA AND THE MOSQUE

A  BOOK IN REVIEW

Take a Native American Indian, a retired Navy Commander, a Hispanic Catholic woman, an American-Iraqi artist who still holds her Islamic roots dear, and an Indian herbalist healer.  Throw this unlikely group together in an all-out bid to prevent the final holocaust, what do you have?  Kiva and the Mosque was one of the most unusual Apocalyptic novels that I have come across.

Drawing from Kayt Peck’s extensive travels during her life and career.  She has a wealth of life experience to draw from to develop the material for the writing of this intriguing book.  Living high in the mountains of Northern New Mexico, she found the perfect setting for the story, drawing from the scraggly characters that have inhabited this sparsely settled region for over 400 years to the Native American Pueblos people that dot the north and central portion of the high mountains and mesas in the state.

You felt like her characters were life like and had the tanginess of having breathed the air of life as you followed through the pages of the book up and over the high mountain terrain of Northern New Mexico where the setting for most of the story took place. 

The ancient(s) of ancients within several of the group’s faiths sent recognizable spokesmen to speak to each of the chosen representatives.  They were given directives and told to “go forth”.  Unlike most apocalyptical novels, Ms. Peck’s focus was not about the “shoot’em up, bang, bang!” it was about what it will really take to prevent the final cataclysmic event foretold in the Bible and Koran.

One aside in the telling of the story is that two of the main characters are same sex partners, this may be found offensive by some of faith.  The relationship was never flaunted nor were there any scenes of content included in the novel.  It was just a matter of fact, of who the character was.  

Sometimes the message of the story is of such importance that differences of opinion, faith, and/or belief systems need to be covered in love and kindness, so that the story may be read and weighed.

An interview with the author with be forthcoming after the first of the year .  I look forward to asking her several questions about the writing of this book at that time, as well at the new book she is currently working on.