Review: On a Scale of Rainbow to Serpent, this book is.... pretty good?  @badwordplay
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2014
Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat:  Yes, I checked out this book because of the cover, alright?  Jeez, just shut up about it…  But after looking into the book a little more, I was actually intrigued.It is set in Australia, which is always endlessly fascinating.  It is a country started as a British penal colony, and not much has changed since.  I’m just kidding, Australia…. Wait, do they even have internet there?  Can they read this?  Anyway, against the backdrop of the adorable juxtaposition of harsh living conditions and dangerous wildlife, and the adorably ridiculous names of their towns (in this case, COOBER PEDY), the story focuses on opal mining.  Matt Gould is in search of his equally adorably ridiculously names friend Val “Brumby” Heath, who is working at the opal mines.  It quickly spirals outward form there, with many different characters with many different intentions and allegiances, to the point where you don’t really know whose side you should be on.I very much enjoyed this book.  The setting was the most fascinating part for me, and it was in fact a genuine portrayal, since the author actually went to the mines to research for this book, and currently still works closely with them.  Whether the actual characters are based on actual people or not, that is not clear, but they feel real enough, that I would not be surprised if there really was a Brumby, with an even more adorable nickname.Overall, I very much enjoyed this book.  The time spent with in-depth research really shines through, and it feels like a very genuine portrayal of the opal mining trade.