The planet Ankor is not unlike Earth. It has a breathable atmosphere, an ocean and seas teaming with fish and other creatures, and at least one continent, called Crustacea. The climate is mostly mild, but like on Earth, it varies from snowy fields to exotic jungles. The wildlife is rich and includes species unique to the planet and also those found on Earth. What makes Ankor very different from our planet is its “guardian race”, the Turkles. They are close cousins of turtles, but they “walk on their hind legs, and have the gift of language, and the ability to create their own culture.” And that culture is fascinating. It has familiar elements, such as a royal family, country folk working in fields, villagers, and the dwellers of the capital city with various institutions. There are Turkle innkeepers, artists, inventors, and even university professors, but one also meets hermits and priests. On its face, it's a familiar society, and one can sympathize with Turkles' fondness of food and understand their family life. Nevertheless, Turkles are very different from us. They are seemingly devoid of greed, envy, and malice.

It's hard to imagine such a society, let alone build an interesting and compelling world without villains, disasters and conflicts. Philip Dodd has succeeded. Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle, follows Klubbe's journey from the time he was a young hermit, to when he became an inventor, to his opening of the space era for Turkles. Klubbe's adventures are very different from our typical hero's journey, but they do have their share of twists and turns. Characters like King Zilk and Queen Zubria, and Kribb the aspiring journalist for the Turkle Times, add humor to the story. The reaction of Turkle society to changes brought by Klubbe's inventions make the story richer and more interesting.

While I mostly liked the poetic tone of the storytelling, some sentences felt convoluted and jarred my reading. For example: “ Then, like his sister, he attended to what the young man was saying, who was speaking out from the middle of the television screen, while sat in the bow of a grey motor boat, which bobbed up and down on fairly rough waves, with its engine turned off.” Nevertheless, Ankor and its inhabitants is a planet I've enjoyed to discover. Recommended for everyone who'd like to meet a genuinely nice race in our galaxy. ( )

Borrowed from friend enjoyed!! :-) ( )