Just Finished: “The Stars Down Under” by Sandra McDonald. As mentioned before, this is the sequel to “The Outback Stars”, which I’ve already read.
I enjoyed this book and it’s predecessor, but there are aspects that I don’t particularly like. It’s basically science fantasy; the story is science fiction with elements of pure fantasy mixed into it. Quite a bit of this is written from first person perspective, and the author sometimes tried to convey the sense of disorientation and confusion of the individual. At least, I hope that was the intent, because it was successful.
The story is an interstellar space epic, tied in with the Australian Aborigine culture and beliefs. Kind of a weird mix, but fresh in the sense that I don’t think anybody else has done this before. It’s nice to find a new idea out there. There are villains amongst the humans, and adversaries (militant aliens).
The writing and character development were good, the reading enjoyable, mostly, but I don’t care for the psychedelic parts. The book was left open for a sequel, and when it comes out I’ll probably read it. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give this book a 7.
Next Book: “Soul Music” by Terry Pratchett. Be warned, I am a Terry Pratchett fan, and I’ve read most of what he’s written. Including this book; this is a re-read. I love his weird humor. It makes you re-examine your own reality.
-Popgun
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