The Kikiloa Chronicles - by Erik D Larson (Paperback)

About the Book

Kikiloa is an irrepressible Mitochondrial Eve, born a lonely prehistoric outcast, now a time-surfing San Francisco teen whose friend Hazel can defeat entropy. Probably. Circe meets Douglas Adams in the spirit of Ursula K. Le Guin.

Book Synopsis

"An engaging time-travel romp that mashes up Jung and Doctor Who to masterful effect." OUR VERDICT: ✓ GET IT - Kirkus Reviews

Kikiloa, the puckish and imperfect time-surfing Mother of humanity, takes us on an award-winning kaleidoscopic adventure of hope, loneliness, and self-discovery. Reviewers agree: this "wildly original" new take on time travel is "unlike anything else" they've read - "ambitious and deeply imaginative" storytelling that "offers a rich and rewarding experience."

Kiki is both the 200,000-year-old Mitochondrial Eve and a freckled fourteen-year-old trickster bounding across a San Francisco park to meet her ordinary friend Hazel, who Kiki believes can make death itself pass people by. Probably.

As she flickers across a trillion universes, Kiki is determined to discover an antidote to entropy before everything meaningful is lost. And she hopes Hazel is the key.

When a cliff collapses beneath them and Kiki vanishes mid-fall, Hazel is left facing the man who attacked them, while Kiki's braided hopes unravel backward through self-delusion, all the way to her bleak first life as an outcast enslaved in a dystopian prehistoric world.

But Kiki never lets up. She laments a Hawaiian tsunami, alchemizes sniper attacks, tells quantum stories, weaves through highway pileups, goes Jungian, and bakes perfectly average cookies. And through it all, she spars with her infuriating, enigmatic mentor Paha, who believes surfing is elegy: all waves break, and fighting the end only creates suffering.

"Sharp prose, warm characterization, and the literary chops to make the heady ideas resonate at a human level." ⚡ Editor's Pick - BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly

The Kikiloa Chronicles is Erik D. Larson's emotionally vast, funny, and wild literary debut carried by Kiki's unmistakable voice - from the devastating loneliness of her first life to the hard-won wisdom of friendship. Charming and self-deceiving, she wrestles with love, a force like gravity, alive at the core of a universe destined for darkness. Read Book One of Kikiloa's trilogy with your eyes, mind, and heart wide-open.

Foreword Clarion 5 out of 5, Literary Titan Gold Book Award, 2× American Fiction Awards Winner.

Circe meets Douglas Adams in the spirit of Ursula K. Le Guin.

Review Quotes

Kirkus Reviews: Our Verdict: ✓ GET IT. Featured Review.

"An engaging time-travel romp that mashes up Jung and Doctor Who to masterful effect. Like Jasper Fforde or Douglas Adams, Larson is one of a true minority of writers who can make cerebral science fiction both lucid and entertaining. This philosophical depth anchors the multiverse shenanigans in a tangible, and very human, reality."

BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly: ⚡ Editor's Pick

"Moving, surprising time travel story of the fight against entropy. With sharp prose, warm characterization, and the literary chops to make the heady ideas resonate at a human level, Larson spins a deep, winding epic about hope, empathy, and living in the moment...Lovers of humane SF will find much to relish."

Foreword Clarion Reviews: 5 out 5

"Kiki's omnipotent, puckish narration relays an absorbing story ... Fun yet complex characters navigate this intricate and interconnected world. A thoughtful science fiction novel about how people derive meaning from a random and temporary existence."

Literary Titan: ★★★★★ and Gold Book Award

"Imaginative, sincere, and bigger on the inside than it first appears."

The Wishing Shelf UK: ★★★★★

"Wildly imaginative, surprisingly moving, and unlike anything else I've read-Kiki's voice stays with you long after the final page. Most of all, The Kikiloa Chronicles succeeds because it has a personality all its own. It's funny, strange, imaginative, heartfelt, and unapologetically ambitious."

BlueInk Reviews: Recommended.

"This is a wildly original story, anchored by Kiki's engaging voice and the author's assured prose. Readers will eagerly await Book Two."

Reader Views - Paul Knobloch: ★★★★★

"Thoughtful, original, and emotionally resonant science fiction that leaves readers with much to ponder."

Reedsy Discovery: ★★★★★

"The perfect novel for the imaginatively restless who want their cosmic stakes rooted in real humanity.."

The US Review of Books: RECOMMENDED.

"Kikiloa at first feels like Gaia, a mother in Greek mythology, rising up before current generations blinked open bleary eyes. The writing mirrors Kiki's personality, including unexpected turns or zingers, a contrast of daily life and time's vast expanse, and a mystery right out of reach."

Chanticleer Book Reviews: Recommended!

"A highly original story of contrasts. It takes the multiverse in directions that few others have, bringing to the surface deep philosophical questions about the conflicting choices we make for ourselves and others."

The International Review of Books: Highly Recommended.

"An ambitious and deeply imaginative exploration of time, destiny, and the choices that shape our existence...A refreshing new take. Its unexpected conclusion lingers in the mind."

Readers' Favorite: ★★★★★

"Well written and immersive, readers who enjoy multiverse fiction with strong character stakes will adore this. Very highly recommended."

San Francisco Book Review: Recommended.

"Its imaginative power and thematic depth make it compelling. Fans of Neal Stephenson and Madeleine L'Engle ... will likely find this novel a worthy addition to their shelves. For readers who seek a challenging narrative that intertwines ancestry, identity, and the multiverse, The Kikiloa Chronicles is a must-read."