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cas2405 's review for:
The Actual Star
by Monica Byrne
Everyone PLEASE read this book! I have followed Monica Byrne as she first envisioned and then re-envisioned this novel and couldn’t have imagined that after 9 years of work, that this would be the product. The story follows the lives of characters in three timelines, each a thousand years apart. Each chapter jumps between them in order: 1012 (ancient Maya), 2012 (modern-day Belize), and 3012 (a future I will not spoil) and then repeats. Every chapter is a cliffhanger that makes you want to keep reading to see what comes “next” even if “next” is 2000 years in the past. The characters are richly created but there are no wasted words or excessively flowery prose; everything is written and finely honed for maximum impact.
I’m not a person for whom science fiction usually resonates because my imagination often lacks the ability to envision the realities of the books, but Monica creates a WHOLE WORLD including a new religion, and it is lovely and incredible. The way the three timelines intertwine at the ending does not feel rushed or forced or trite. I know I always hate when a novel tries to wrap up all the loose ends at the last minute, but this isn’t it.
Go forth and read!
I’m not a person for whom science fiction usually resonates because my imagination often lacks the ability to envision the realities of the books, but Monica creates a WHOLE WORLD including a new religion, and it is lovely and incredible. The way the three timelines intertwine at the ending does not feel rushed or forced or trite. I know I always hate when a novel tries to wrap up all the loose ends at the last minute, but this isn’t it.
Go forth and read!