2025 American Fiction Awards Finalist - Multicultural Fiction 2025 New York City Big Book Award - Distinguished Favorite - Multicultural Fiction 2025 New York Book Festival - Honorable Mention - Fiction Wall Street and Easter Island come crashing together in this epic and cautionary story of two lost civilizations: one perilously lost in the present and the other tragically lost in the past, each on their journey to find peace, sustainability, and resilience. Rookie New York derivatives trader, Alec James, has a fateful encounter with Roshanak Amari, the most beautiful woman he has never seen, knowing only her eyes from behind the enigmatic veil of the Middle East. Young, ambitious, and in love, they find themselves on opposing sides of the dark financial market that conceals Alec’s world, a market so vast and misguided it brings the entire global economy to its knees. A millennium earlier, King Hotu Matu’a, the Great Parent, settles one of the most isolated places on earth. For centuries his family gazes toward Hiva — the land beyond — and painstakingly erects hundreds of towering statues to lead generations in becoming one of the greatest island societies of all time. That is, until they are discovered by outsiders on Easter Sunday, 1722. Their fates come crashing together when Alec discovers an ancient wooden tablet. The lost Rongorongo script of Easter Island has a warning for the future, if only it can be deciphered in time. Part fact, part fiction. You will be amazed to discover which is which. "This is one of the most original novels this reviewer has read in many years." "The author has done an excellent job of creating situations that result in dynamic tensions within and between characters that keep the reader's attention throughout. This is a very well developed novel with a unique approach to plotting and with layers of possible interpretations of what is occurring and what the story actually is about." - Whistler Independent Book Awards "A fast-paced story by an unusual author. Darren Swanson advises governments and organizations all over the world on sustainability and development. After decades of successful work, he is now devoting himself to a different genre. And it pays off. Knowledge and (narrative) art skillfully come together in Towers of Hiva ." "Woven into the fates of his characters, Swanson allows the hope of better alternatives to emerge. He doesn't need superpowers or mega-powers for this, just the actions of people, individually and freely." - Guenther Bachmann , former Secretary General of the German Government's Sustainability Council and author of 'How to Successfully Encourage Sustainable Development Policy'. "This wonderful and compelling book elegantly weaves together two captivating tales, one set in the past, the other in today's world. Whilst the stories are very different, both are essentially about risk and resilience, making this novel a powerful metaphor for the future." "The book is a potent reminder that we should learn from the lessons of the past when planning for a sustainable future." - Professor Barry Dalal-Clayton , author of the Mark Weston series of environmental thrillers and numerous academic books on sustainable development. "A fast-paced story by an unusual author. Darren Swanson advises governments and organizations all over the world on sustainability and development. After decades of successful work, he is now devoting himself to a different genre. And it pays off. Knowledge and (narrative) art skillfully come together in Towers of Hiva ." "Woven into the fates of his characters, Swanson allows the hope of better alternatives to emerge. He doesn't need superpowers or mega-powers for this, just the actions of people, individually and freely." - Guenther Bachmann , former Secretary General of the German Government's Sustainability Council and author of 'How to Successfully Encourage Sustainable Development Policy'. "This wonderful and compelling book elegantly weaves together two captivating tales, one set in the past, the other in today's world. Whilst the stories are very different, both are essentially about risk and resilience, making this novel a powerful metaphor for the future." "The book is a potent reminder that we should learn from the lessons of the past when planning for a sustainable future." - Professor Barry Dalal-Clayton , author of the Mark Weston series of environmental thrillers and numerous academic books on sustainable development. Darren Swanson is a fiction and non-fiction author of books and reports about sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, and community resilience. He is a professional engineer as well as a strategy/risk expert, and a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School and University of Saskatchewan. He lives in Winnipeg. Visit his website at www.darrenswanson.com.