The history of Planet Earth is full of misery and conflict, no? What if there were another world with a different history — an agrarian utopia with only ten thousand human beings. Perhaps a world with a sustainable economy, free education and free health care, and government-by-consensus. To top it off, let’s say that population growth is successfully limited by voluntary means. Sounds pretty cool, eh? What could go wrong?
Well, my friend Chipsa lives in such a world — the Land of Nye. It is a flat world held up by a giant oak tree.
Even in an idyllic utopia, things DO go wrong.
Chipsa’s compilation of letters and diaries tells WHAT WENT WRONG and HOW IT GOT FIXED (well, sort of). There were some tough moments and some close calls.
The Land of Nye is connected with Planet Earth at two points: one is fourteenth-century England and Wales and the other is seventeenth-century Mohawk River Valley in North America. As the story unfolds, you will see how these connections were made.
The White Magicians of Nye are interested in botany and chemistry, as you will see. Are there evil people who use botanical knowledge to brew poisons? Yes, there are some of those. How about greedy alchemists? Yes, some of those, too. Chipsa and her friends do not give up. Do they ultimately prevail over these evil-doers? That remains to be seen.
— Editor, Alan Eddy.