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joelteon's review
4.0
Once again I have a novella review from the SFINCS competition. This time for The Stars Within by Alex Arch. Split between two POVs, Thomas and Colette, the chapters share fifty percent of the storytime between each character. Thomas, discovering he has cancer for the second time, questions why he sentenced his pregnant wife to such a miserable life on a lowly mining world. While starship Captain, Colette, is tasked with delivering a bomb to the centre of humanity's enemy, The Radiants.
'What did a fool like me do to deserve such a brilliant star?'
The writing was a bit clunky and a lot of the time that broke my immersion. But the story was exciting and appealing enough to overcome many of the hiccups in the text. I wanted to know what happened to both Thomas and Colette and how these two disparite storylines converged.
The writing did sharpen up a lot after the first third and I am so happy to say that the expected outcome wasn't what actually happened. No one should spoil a good twist and The Stars Within ends with a very good twist.
Alex Arch has shown some serious skill even with the slight hiccups in his prose. I can feel the emotion he left on the page from his real life experiences with cancer in his family. If Alex continues to write he will become a popular name in the Indie SFF world.
I wish Alex the best of luck in these last few weeks of the SFINCS competition. It's going to be a very tight race for those ten finalist slots!
Check out the review on my blog here. And my full site here.
Rating: 4/5
'What did a fool like me do to deserve such a brilliant star?'
The writing was a bit clunky and a lot of the time that broke my immersion. But the story was exciting and appealing enough to overcome many of the hiccups in the text. I wanted to know what happened to both Thomas and Colette and how these two disparite storylines converged.
The writing did sharpen up a lot after the first third and I am so happy to say that the expected outcome wasn't what actually happened. No one should spoil a good twist and The Stars Within ends with a very good twist.
Alex Arch has shown some serious skill even with the slight hiccups in his prose. I can feel the emotion he left on the page from his real life experiences with cancer in his family. If Alex continues to write he will become a popular name in the Indie SFF world.
I wish Alex the best of luck in these last few weeks of the SFINCS competition. It's going to be a very tight race for those ten finalist slots!
Check out the review on my blog here. And my full site here.
Rating: 4/5
theshaggyshepherd's review
5.0
I don’t often compare books to other books because I struggle so much to remember details and tell people why I feel that way. This time, I clearly feel The Song of Kamaria, The Last Gifts of the Universe, Wind Tide, and, most of all, Sanda from The Protectorate vibes.
There are two POVs in every chapter that are both really well done. I love how quickly the author was able to make me feel attached to both of these MCs as well as several supporting characters despite the short amount of time I spent with them. I mean, I felt for them so much within 2 or 3 chapters already. That doesn’t happen often. I also liked how different they both felt in the beginning. One was more of a slow build up to action with a peak in the middle that then slowed a bit again towards the end while the other was action through and through. Calling the one POV slow though isn’t a negative. That one just focused more on the emotions while the other focused more on actions, which was a really great mix.
It did have moments that I felt were a bit convenient, which probably would’ve benefited from more detail in a longer book, and the ending, I’m sad to say, went over my head. I think it was trying to do something complicated and probably really profound, but I personally needed a bit more detail there as well to understand the connection of the two POVs.
Overall though, I am really impressed by the author’s ability to draw me in so quickly and be able to tell this big of a story in such a short amount of time. I think they have a lot of creativity that just needs a little more fine tuning with details. I am really looking forward to reading more from them.
There are two POVs in every chapter that are both really well done. I love how quickly the author was able to make me feel attached to both of these MCs as well as several supporting characters despite the short amount of time I spent with them. I mean, I felt for them so much within 2 or 3 chapters already. That doesn’t happen often. I also liked how different they both felt in the beginning. One was more of a slow build up to action with a peak in the middle that then slowed a bit again towards the end while the other was action through and through. Calling the one POV slow though isn’t a negative. That one just focused more on the emotions while the other focused more on actions, which was a really great mix.
It did have moments that I felt were a bit convenient, which probably would’ve benefited from more detail in a longer book, and the ending, I’m sad to say, went over my head. I think it was trying to do something complicated and probably really profound, but I personally needed a bit more detail there as well to understand the connection of the two POVs.
Overall though, I am really impressed by the author’s ability to draw me in so quickly and be able to tell this big of a story in such a short amount of time. I think they have a lot of creativity that just needs a little more fine tuning with details. I am really looking forward to reading more from them.
aliteraryescape's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
tuftymctavish's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The baffling choices characters continually made, and the rapid glossing over of detail became quite frustrating in the end I’m afraid.
mizar's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
An interesting, heartfelt story that kept me interested for the most part, although I have to admit that the end was a bit confusing. I failed to understand what the author was aiming for.
nonni's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
kayshiddenshelf's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
4.5/5 Stars
A sci-fi with heart, action and leaves you wanting more. The Stars Within is a self-published sci-fi that accomplishes a lot in a short page count.
This follows two POVs from Thomas and Colette. Thomas strives to make a better life for his expecting wife. While he’s surrounded by supportive friends, his life on a mining planet has locked them into a bleak life. Thomas finds himself down at every turn and fighting cancer. Colette, a retired military hero is called back for one last mission to save humanity. However, she finds herself caught up in her feelings for an old flame, as she tries to focus on her mission.
This novel quickly builds characters that you feel for and relationships that you can’t help but love. There’s a great mix of character work and suspense that continues to build, all while pulling at your emotions. Creating a balance between these aspects is tricky and I feel like the author pulled it off.
We see characters who feel human. Their emotions and the impacts that has on their choices makes for a compelling read. The storyline is engaging and made this hard to put down.
For me, one read of this isn’t enough. I quickly wanted to dive right back in and reread it immediately after finishing. This is a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you thinking.
While there was a lot to love in this, there was one aspect I would have liked more time spent on near the start of the book. Regardless, this was a great read and one I will be saving for a rainy day to reread.
A fast paced sci-fi, with heart, great characters/relationships, action, and a story that will leave you philosophizing.
With such an impactful read from a debut author, I’m eager to read more from Alex Arch.
A sci-fi with heart, action and leaves you wanting more. The Stars Within is a self-published sci-fi that accomplishes a lot in a short page count.
This follows two POVs from Thomas and Colette. Thomas strives to make a better life for his expecting wife. While he’s surrounded by supportive friends, his life on a mining planet has locked them into a bleak life. Thomas finds himself down at every turn and fighting cancer. Colette, a retired military hero is called back for one last mission to save humanity. However, she finds herself caught up in her feelings for an old flame, as she tries to focus on her mission.
This novel quickly builds characters that you feel for and relationships that you can’t help but love. There’s a great mix of character work and suspense that continues to build, all while pulling at your emotions. Creating a balance between these aspects is tricky and I feel like the author pulled it off.
We see characters who feel human. Their emotions and the impacts that has on their choices makes for a compelling read. The storyline is engaging and made this hard to put down.
For me, one read of this isn’t enough. I quickly wanted to dive right back in and reread it immediately after finishing. This is a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you thinking.
While there was a lot to love in this, there was one aspect I would have liked more time spent on near the start of the book. Regardless, this was a great read and one I will be saving for a rainy day to reread.
A fast paced sci-fi, with heart, great characters/relationships, action, and a story that will leave you philosophizing.
With such an impactful read from a debut author, I’m eager to read more from Alex Arch.
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