Review: Iban Dream by Golda Mowe

Title: Iban Dream
Author: Golda Mowe
Genre: fantasy, YA, Adult
Publisher: Monsoon Books
Publication date: May 1st 2012
Pages: 256 (ebook)
Source: received from author







Orphaned as a young boy in the rainforests of Borneo, Bujang is brought up by a family of orangutans, but his adult future has already been decided for him by Sengalang Burong, the Iban warpath god. On reaching adulthood, Bujang must leave his ape family to serve the warpath god as a warrior and a headhunter.
Having survived his first assignment - to kill an ill-tempered demon in the form of a ferocious wild boar - subsequent adventures see Bujang converse wit gods, shamans, animal spirits and with the nomadic people of Borneo as he battles evil spirits and demons to preserve the safety of those he holds dear to him. 
But Bujang's greatest test is still to come and he must rally a large headhunting expedition to free his captured wife and those of his fellow villagers. In this unique work of fantasy fiction, author Golda Mowe - herself and Iban from Borneo - uses her real beliefs, taboos and terminology of the Iban (a longhouse-dwelling indigenous group of people from Borneo who, until very recently, were renowned for practicing headhunting) to weave an epic tale of good versus evil. 

Goodreads

One of the things I love the most about being a book blogger is that I get send books from all over the world. It is very interesting to learn about new cultures. This is also the case with Iban Dream. Golda Mowe shares her knowledge of the beliefs and taboos of the Iban people, Borneo’s indigenous people. This book should appeal to fiction and fantasy readers.

The book follows the life of Bujang, from him being a boy to a full grown man with a family of his own. Bujang was only a boy when he was sent away from his family because his community thought him to be evil. Many years he survived in the jungle thanks to his ape family, I couldn’t help but think about Tarzan when reading this part. When the time is ripe he again joins the human world where he must find a home of his own. Through his eyes the author shares the cultural beliefs of the Iban people. I learned so much by reading this book and I can’t thank the author enough for it.

The book was really interesting and I loved that I learned a lot about his new culture. But I couldn’t help that my mind visited different places while reading this book. I can’t say anything bad about the writing style because technically there was nothing wrong with it, but it was just not the right one for me.

Overall an enjoyable book with a lot of interesting facts. I would recommend to everyone who wants to learn something from a different culture. 

El