DOLPHIN MELODY - the dolphin trying to reach Us
In the vast depths of the oceans, Hinemoana, Māori Goddess of the sea, watches over all marine life, narrating the poignant tale of Melody, a dolphin born in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Melody's life, marked by tragedy and music, turns dark after the loss of her mother and her baby to human hands. Haunted by a freezing spectre of hatred, she struggles to find peace and a voice to communicate with mankind. Onshore, the artist Manaia faces her own battles, mirroring Melody’s pain and loss. As Melody seeks solace through astral journeys and divine promises, her path intertwines with Manaia’s, leading to an extraordinary alliance with Manaia’s husband, Rōreka. Through acts of sacrifice, love, and interspecies communication, Melody finds hope and healing. A journey of sorrow, redemption, and the powerful bond between humans and dolphins unfolds, revealing the potential for unity and understanding between worlds.
RIPPLE - a Dolphin Love Story
Ripple is fiction in the Visionary and Metaphysical genre. It is a love story with elements of horror, sci-fi and environmental fantasy. The novel has attracted reviews from all over the world and is often favourably compared to Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Life of Pi. Originally self-published in English, Ripple is now also traditionally published in translation in The Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech edition is called Vlnka.
The Story of Ripple - the Book
Ripple was first published in 2011 and soon after was selected by the New Zealand Society of Authors to represent it at the Frankfurt Book fair in 2012, the year that NZ was "Country of Honour" there. Reviews continued to arrive until Ripple became one of the best-reviewed NZ novels on Amazon, reaching top spots on several Goodreads lists. She spent many months as top book on the Visionary and Metaphysical Fiction list on Goodreads.
If you have questions about why Tui wrote this book, what inspired her, and how it all came about, this in-depth interview may well answer them:
Read an interview with Ripple author Tui Allen on the Visionary and Metaphysical Fiction web site.
Ripple Now on the New "Shepherd.com" Book Discovery Site
As recently as October 2022 Ripple was featured on the new Shepherd.com website, which is an intriguing new book-discovery site originating in Europe, built to rival Goodreads. Each Shepherd book is presented on its own page along with a list of the five books that most influenced the author's own writing. This is a new way of helping readers learn something of great value about an author before choosing their book.
You can see Ripple's own page on Shepherd.com here.