5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantasy Revisited, May 18, 2009
This review is from: Starfinder: Book One of the Skylords (Hardcover)
As a teenager, I used to read a lot of fantasy, but as an adult I spend most of my time on memoirs and biographies. Reading Starfinder reminded me of how much I really enjoy the fantasy genre. I was so captivated by Marco's book, I read it in a few days while I was supposed to be working. The plot moves along briskly, and always keeps you eager to find out what happens next. The protagonists, two lonely children named Moth and Fiona, are very believable and sympathetic, while even the villains (i.e. Rendor and Alisaundra) have their redeeming qualities, making it impossible to truly dislike anyone in the story. Although this novel is targeted at young adults and has some important lessons for youngsters about believing in oneself, I think adults will find Starfinder equally enchanting because of the world it creates and its exploration of the themes like free will and faith. The conclusion of the story is left open-ended, all but guaranteeing that there will be a sequel, which is something I'm greatly looking forward to.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
STARFINDER is a Gem for All Ages Cleverly Wrapped in a Shiny Package, July 20, 2009
This review is from: Starfinder: Book One of the Skylords (Hardcover)
"It is mankind's birthright to fly. I've always believed that. I tell you, Captain, we are born to it, like the birds themselves. Why else would God put such a desire in the hearts of men? Children look up at the sky and they want wings. They want to touch the face of God."
This paragraph, spoken by Governor Rendor, is the key artery to the heart of STARFINDER, John Marco's latest effort. Written with a younger audience in mind, it is no less enthralling for adult readers, and is an engaging and emotionally charged tale of anguish, loss, regret and redemption.
Thirteen-year-old Moth has grand dreams of flight. He wants nothing more in all the world than to fly one of the mighty dragonfly ships as a Skyknight, protecting his home city of Calio, which is truly on the edge of the world. His parents having passed, he lives with an elderly guardian, Leroux, who succumbs to illness, but not before spilling an unbelievable story and bequeathing a mysterious gift.
His friend, bitter 14-year-old Fiona, resides with her grandfather, Rendor, the Governor of Calio and the man who invented the mighty airships that patrol the skies. Fiona's parents were killed in an accident aboard an airship. Rendor is more concerned with his ships and his governance, much to Fiona's displeasure, and she views life through a lens of abandonment and betrayal.
When Rendor's men seize the late Leroux's possessions, Moth flees and hides away, aided by Fiona and Skyhigh Coralin, the one Skyknight who offers Moth hope for the future. Knowing the danger he puts his friends in, Moth decides he alone must take on the fantastic task set to him by Leroux and violate the law by crossing beyond the misty Reach and into the land of the Skylords. As with all plans, however, he cannot shake Fiona. Together with the strange bird Esme, rumored to have once been a Skylord herself and armed with the magical Starfinder device, the two commence a journey replete with danger.
Once they enter the realm across the Reach, they are hunted from all sides: Rendor, who secures a force to cross the void and reclaim the Starfinder, and the Skylords seek them, with the aid of the Redeemers, creatures formerly human who were captured and enslaved by the Skylords. Along their perilous road, undertaking every effort to stay a step ahead of their hunters, Moth and Fiona encounter dragons and centaurs as they seek answers to what the Starfinder truly does and how they can accomplish their mission of restoring Esme to her rightful form.
Marco's delivery of the story is impeccable. It has a steady pace throughout, and its action scenes are vivid. The quieter moments carry weight, especially those where Fiona is lamenting the loss of her parents and trying to convince Moth that no one can ever be trusted because they will just leave you. Throughout their journey they constantly must come to terms with those who leave, needing to somehow have faith in their return --- a faith that fails in many instances.
One of the strongest elements of the writing is that for the majority of the novel, there is no real understanding of good and evil, or who is right and who is wrong. Rendor cares nothing at all for the children; he merely wants the Starfinder device. The dragon, Merceron, one of the finer characters in the story, refuses to aid the children, changes his mind, receives the Starfinder from Moth, and sets out on his own quest. The Skylords control the sky. No one may fly but them --- not dragons, not birds, and certainly not humans. For them, the Starfinder device is a necessary tool for controlling flight. Who can be trusted?
Set in that framework, Moth and Fiona struggle to discern the proper path. They are struggling on the cusp of no longer being children, burdened by world-altering events and decisions, battling inner demons of doubt and despair as they seek faith in those around them and in themselves. It is a well-conceived and executed coming-of-age tale. And even so, their elders are also battling with those same issues, illustrating that these problems are universal and not limited to any specific age group.
STARFINDER is a gem for all ages cleverly wrapped in a shiny package. Inside that covering you won't find exactly what you were expecting. John Marco, himself enamored with the miracle of flight, has put his passion into this story, and it breathes on the page. Beneath the serious tenor of the book is a wonderful well of boyish belief in the wonder and magic of dreams.
--- Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard
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