I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All opinions are my own. 

An explorer discovers that ancient explorers made their way halfway across the world and settled in a hidden valley in author Leonard Van Veldhoven’s “The White Sky.”

The Synopsis

Leonardo, the narrator and protagonist, is a seasoned traveler and restless seeker who has journeyed across the Americas and the Pacific—from Easter Island to the scattered isles of Polynesia. While reading Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia, he stumbles upon a tantalizing rumor: that ancient Polynesians once sailed eastward, landed in a remote Chilean fjord, crossed the mighty Andes, and settled deep in Patagonia.

A lifelong history enthusiast, Leonardo recalls Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki theory—that South Americans may have reached Polynesia by raft. But what if the migration ran the other way? What if Polynesians—legendary navigators of the sea—reached South America long before European explorers?

Driven by a desire to uncover lost truths, Leonardo sets out on a solo expedition into Patagonia’s wild heart. What begins as an intellectual quest soon descends into a harrowing physical and spiritual ordeal. Captured by mysterious people with sun-worn skin, he is blindfolded and transported across the arid, hostile pampas to a lush, hidden valley—enclosed by sheer cliffs, cloaked in a sky of perpetual white cloud, and dominated by a vast lake of geothermally warm water. Towering statues stand guard on a dam at its edge, their weathered faces hauntingly reminiscent of the moai he once saw on Easter Island.

With no chance of escape, Leonardo slowly adapts to life in this secretive community. He forms friendships, falls in love, and begins to document their world, piecing together oral histories of a miraculous migration from Polynesia via Easter Island to this secluded valley.

THE REVIEW

This was a compelling and engaging read. The powerful themes of exploration and human endurance, along with passion, love, and community, are deeply embedded in the author’s strong writing style, creating an immersive experience that is both vivid in detail and emotionally driven. A powerful balance of history and culture found in this book is also a standout in this novel, not only bringing Polynesian culture and the concept of ancient Polynesian explorers founding a community halfway across the world, but also highlighting how an isolated community not only views outsiders, but grows as a society without the influence of the rest of the world.

The character development and world-building were especially top-notch in this novel. The heartfelt connections the protagonist makes with several people in the village, along with his later connection with his daughter and the trials he endures, keep the reader invested. His curiosity and compulsion to discover the truth, driven by a sense of adventure, mirror the journey the Polynesian people’s ancestors took across the world, and the mounting tensions between him and others in the village create a heavy atmosphere that is impossible to ignore.

THE VERDICT

Compelling, entertaining, and thought-provoking, Author Leonard Van Veldhoven’s “The White Sky” is a must-read speculative fiction-meets-historical-fiction adventure novel. The twists and turns of the protagonist’s journey, along with the deep exploration of history and culture, reveal the emotional depth of the characters and the world they inhabit. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leonard van Veldhoven (b. 1947) is a Dutch architect who, at a relatively young age, realized a long-held dream: to travel and write.

Since 1998, he published eleven books in Dutch — mainly travel narratives and historical studies — as well as one in French and a specialized four-language dictionary.

One of his Dutch books has been translated into English, German, and French.

The White Sky is the English version of de Witte Hemel, his first novel to fuse historical mystery with thrilling adventure in a remote and haunting setting.