Zuvia

by R.D. Starmer

Zuvia. A city that exists beneath us all. As long as man has existed on this planet there have been eyes watching us from deep within the surrounding forests and woodlands. Today, those mysterious eyes are still there, observing, looking, and learning. We are oblivious to their presence.

The eyes belong to the Zuvians...and the more we continue to destroy our earth with greed and carelessness, the harder their species must work to rebuild the damage we do to ourselves.

This story spans several generations but takes place within the same family, on the same piece of property, with the same purpose; to help our earth to thrive.

405 pages, Paperback

Published March 9, 2021

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so thankful to have found an exciting book I can read aloud with my 10 yo. We really loved this book. Each night he would ask for “one more chapter?” This story stretches the imagination and paints a beautiful picture of our world. I love the fact that it encourages kids to look up from their devices and get out into nature. It’s divided into 3 sections that span the generations so you can see how history brought the main characters to the place they are today. The author paints a picture with words (and quite literally with his own illustrations) that help the reader see how the generations have changed our world. Each section was more exciting than the last.

Before you read, make sure to check out the glossary and illustrations in the back. If you’re trying to read some of the names out loud, you’ll fumble, but the list of characters and their relations are spelled phonetically in the back. My son especially liked poring over the drawings of the land and looking at the family tree when someone new was introduced or a new location was introduced.

The author made mention toward the end of many other adventures the characters had together after their first encounter with the Zuvians. I really hope there will be more stories to follow this one. 5 stars for a clean, adventure filled book I can share with my family!

[Nana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The legendary tale spans generations and is told the old fashioned way, two men talking at the checkers game table on the front porch of a store! Could this be true? Are Zuvians real?
Young and old alike will love this and after you read it you will never feel the same in "the woods or forest".
Even very young readers will enjoy the tale....read it a chapter at a time at bedtime!
This will be a book you keep and read over again!

[Jen Estevez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zuvia was a fun read. Not only did this story span several generations, the bulk of the story is told by a groups of friends who join forces with the Zuvians that live deep under the family property, to protect the land where the entrance to Zuvia is located, as well as the surrounding area. The land continually comes under threat from either rogue family members or a company who tries for years to get at Zuvia’s valuable mineral resources. Not only do Zuvians partner with a select few humans of each generation, but they also have a team of animal-like creatures who aid in their efforts to repair and heal the land as well.

Although the main characters are high school age, the story is clean so can be enjoyed by younger readers as well. I can’t wait to find out if R.D. Starmer expands on this story, or a prequel maybe. I will definitely be recommending this book.