Hy Brasil: Island of Eternity by Robert E Kearns is a historical fiction written in the style of classic descriptive literature. The unique prose and narrative style of language from a different era may be a challenge for contemporary readers. For example “the chilled refreshment which arrived in a plastic vessel of the nature that invariably occurs stacked alongside the office cooler. It agreed as a near-glacial delight, the peripheral clinging onto miniscule droplets which I surmised as condensation. Spillage did not impress as a constituent of Tiffanie’s disposition, is literary language uncommon in current day fiction. Hy Brasil gives a fantastic insight into Irish society and psyche, of both today and of the past. There’s a touch of James Joyce literary style in Kearns writing. The unconventional style and voice Kearns uses to write Hy Brasil does not make it an easy read, but nor was James Joyce's Ulysses, and that didn't make it a bad book. Kearns' book is very avant-garde. His use of unused words like Hibernia, (meaning Ireland) keeps you constantly trying to understand the strange way he expresses the story behind his novel.

Part one is written as either a memoir or as an autobiography of the protagonist’s first ten years as a child growing up in Ireland. Told in the first person in the present time, he introduces the reader to his mysterious awakening and developing interest in Ireland’s history. His mental dialogue and philosophical meanderings flow with poetic grace.

Part Two is a flashback hundreds of years into antiquity and referred to by legend and folktale as the island Hy Brasil. The island’s history is told in the third person by Olan. Here the reader learns of the early hunter-gatherer settlers of the island and of their rapid development of civilization. An inherited intelligence gene and the accelerated intelligence of the population led to a highly advanced society. Pending a catastrophic decimation by an asteroid, Orlan is determined to escape annihilation.

Part Three returns to contemporary Ireland and the first person account of the storyteller as he discovers archaeological secrets relating to Hy Brasil that intrigue him. He becomes enamored with a co-worker, Tiffanie. She is drawn to him and his obsession with unraveling the historic secrets of Hy Brasil.

In spite of, or because of, the rambling, excessive verbalization and highly descriptive, complex writing, the reader will become engrossed with the dark, mysterious gothic style and slower-paced plot. The mysteries between an ancient, mythical island (Ireland’s Atlantis) and present-day research develop the theme of continuance, remembrance, life, death, and romance.

Readers who enjoy historical and mythical literary works will find Hy Brasil by Robert E Kearns entertaining and spellbinding.

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Hy Brasil: Island of Eternity is a work of literary fiction penned by author Robert E. Kearns, and it focuses on the subjects of history versus the modern day, gothic fiction and high adventure. Based on the mythical island of Hy Brasil, reputed to have existed off the west coast of Ireland in ancient times, we find ourselves exploring the connections between ancient times and the modern day of Dublin and Waterford. Archaeological discoveries in the present lead us back to Hy Brasil and its learned ways, where the advanced society is unraveling in the face of a huge disaster. The mystery unfolds in both past and present, and our heroes discover that it isn’t quite over in the modern world.

Author Robert E. Kearns has created an effortless read that was easy to breeze through and escape into, thanks to his highly vivid descriptions, beautiful narrative voice, and dark, mysterious gothic stylings. The plot is traditionally slower-paced due to the high literary quality of the book, but as it pulls the strands together and builds to its crescendo, the level of thrill shoots up and new discoveries are made on every page towards the very end of events. All in all, Hy Brasil: Island of Eternity makes for an exciting and engrossing read, with a cast of characters realistically drawn with Irish flavor and ancient power, and a fabled land that Kearns whisks us away to on a sea of excellent words. Overall, Hy Brasil is a highly recommended read for fans of historical and mythical literary works.