Chuck Black

The last book in this series left more questions than answers, so I was eager to find out what happened next. I had another series by Chuck Black that I really wanted to finish before tackling this one, though, so it took a bit to get back to this. I’m glad I finally took the time for it!

Space opera, at least the way Chuck Black writes it, is quite possibly one of my favorite genres at this point. I love the world he’s created here, and especially love the allegorical aspects of the show more story. In this one, there were a couple of places where I figured out as I read what they represented from the Bible, so it was fun to see how that played out in this new world. Black retold several familiar stories in this book, and I knew what the end would be, but I still found myself on the edge of my seat more than once as I tried to figure out how it would all happen.

I’d recommend this book to any sci-fi fan, especially anyone who enjoys allegorical stories. You don’t have to know the Bible to enjoy the story, though; it’s fascinating and well-written and can easily stand on its own. The allegorical side just adds a bit of depth, which I love. The characters are great, and Rivet definitely remained a favorite of mine through this book. I ended up staying up WAY later than I intended to one night, just so I could finish the book, and I’m eagerly anticipating picking up Oath, book four, soon! show less

Some of my siblings came across this series close to a year ago, and had great fun listening to the books. They told me I ought to read them, too, but it took a while to work them into my reading schedule. After seeing someone reviewing the first book in the series, I decided it was time to experience it for myself. And what fun it turned out to be!

I haven’t read any sci-fi in years. It isn’t a genre I’m super familiar with, but so far, I’ve loved everything I’ve read in the genre, show more and this book was not a letdown! Combining sci-fi with Biblical allegory, Chuck Black weaves a compelling story of darkness meeting light and hope shining out of the most dire circumstances.

There were many delightful, almost playful elements to this story. Along with a few bits of well-placed humor, an engaging plot, and relatable characters, this made for a fast, easy read. I’m guessing this book’s intended audience is YA, but as an adult, I enjoyed it just as much as I imagine a younger person would (or maybe that’s just the child in me speaking). I was impressed by how well-formulated this space world is, and especially struck by the allegorical side of the story. A very enjoyable read, and I can’t wait to read book #2 in the series! show less

I've been enjoying The Starlore Legacy series over the past couple of years, and recently took the time to pick up this one. It ended up taking me a bit longer to get through than some of Black's books, and I'm not sure why--perhaps because I was more distracted, or perhaps since I'm not in the target audience, it didn't grip me as much as I would like. Despite my disappointment, there were many story elements I still loved.

As with the other books in this series, this one was highly show more allegorical. I loved watching different memorable Biblical scenes play out in the story. Some of them, like the temptation of Jesus, were particular favorites; I loved how it felt lifted from the Bible's account, yet fit perfectly into this story-world and setting in such a way that it didn't feel odd or out of place.

I was disappointed that around 50 pages from the end, I realized what the ending would be...and my suspicions proved true. Because of that, the book felt somewhat predictable.

At the same time, I loved that Daeson's story continued in this book, and the way Brae came into her own here. That was super special!

Another good addition to the series. I'm looking forward to continuing with the next book in (hopefully) the near future, and am especially interested in what happens next with Jeshu! show less

I read the first book in this series seven or eight years ago, and was so traumatized by it that it took me this long to finally get around to reading the sequel. It wasn’t that book one was bad; I was just woefully unprepared for the amount of violence I encountered in that story, so while I appreciated parts of that story, it took a long, long time before I was ready to continue the series.

This book was a lot different than the first one. Although there’s quite a bit of violence in show more here, too, it doesn’t feel as senseless as the first book, because we’re given a lot more perspective on why things happen the way they do. We aren’t viewing things through Drew Carter’s traumatized eyes, so that helps, too.

Unfortunately, I feel like parts of this story let itself down, though. More than half the book is backstory, interspersed with flash-forwards to present-day happenings, and while the backstory is (mostly) necessary, those sections also felt quite slow to me. I was also confused through much of the first part of the present-day sections as to how this world worked and what was happening, so that didn’t help matters much. Eventually, I did get into the story; it just took a long time—hence, my lower rating for the book.

Overall, this was a good story. I’m now a lot more eager to finish the series, and I’d also like to go back and re-read parts of book one now that I have the perspective of book two to keep in mind. One of the biggest things I struggled with in book one was the fact that the book was marketed as Christian fiction, but the main character was very much not a Christian. At this point, I understand why that is, so I’m looking forward to seeing how things pan out for these characters now. If you enjoy suspenseful/thriller-type books in a sci-fi setting, and don’t mind some violence in your stories, I’d recommend you check out this book and the other ones in the series. show less