Aaron Quinn

Aaron Quinn’s Stars Below the Concrete Review


Heavenly beings and creatures of myth and legend gather from this dimension and the next as a prophecy of ancient times begins to unfurl. Among these celestial creatures are two human mortals united by an invisible chain that links them together, even when they are physically far apart.

Star-crossed lovers? Parents of a promised child? No one quite knows the meaning of the prophecy E1:10, only that these two lie at the center of it and that a great conflict swirls around them.

Stars Below the Concrete follows the journey of the two humans, Sparrow and Pillar, as they face the destinies laid out before them and struggle with the timeless challenge: Do you believe? Does Sparrow, who has for the past several years been under the thumb of an abusive, drug-addicted boyfriend, believe enough in her own self-worth and destiny to keep herself clean while she journeys to find Pillar? And does Pillar believe enough while standing in place to wait for Pillar to arrive, or will his belief falter across the years as he embraces the life around him?

All the while, we see the progress of the allies of the prophecy, namely three brothers, Abraham, Cyrus, and Roland, sons of the creators of Earth, as they gather together their companions for the coming war. Through beautiful imagery and elegant prose, we travel with these characters to worlds of ice and fire, visiting creatures of awe-inspiring strength and cunning. Together they rise against their singular enemy: Makayla.

Makayla, a merciless and deceptive enemy, has also heard of the prophecy and seeks to destroy Pillar and Sparrow before they can bring it to fruition. The sons of the creators seek to protect the mortals, but their powers are limited by the inability to restrain freewill. Will Pillar and Sparrow maintain their belief in the prophecy and their destiny? Or will they fall sway to the influence of this sinister being?

Stars Below the Concrete is a Tolkienesque high fantasy novel that had elements reminiscent of A Wrinkle in Time. This combination is not part of the genre I typically read, but I walked away intrigued by the amount of creativity and elegance found in this word-smith. The cast of characters proved to be quite unique, and I grew especially fond of the character ‘Shadow’--a invisible immortal being with just enough humor and grumpiness to make him downright likable. Stars Below the Concrete is book one in a planned five part series. As we await the release of the next installments, we are left to wonder, what does Quinn have for us next?… (more)