The Story in the Stars: Gateway to Gannah Book I
By Yvonne Anderson
Anyone who’s been following my reviews knows I am not a fan of science fiction at all. I won’t say this book blew my mind but it definitely didn’t disappoint me. I can be harsher when I’m reading a genre I don’t particularly like but author Yvonne Anderson did a good job at keeping me pleasantly surprised at every turn.
It was easy to keep turning pages as I read this book. I was intrigued by the world and the combination of faith and fiction. As a fellow Christian I’m a sucker for faith-based books so that was a plus. I’ve always felt that Christian fiction needed more action, more blood, more grit—and I got that here.
The Story in the Stars is an exciting, action packed, alien swarmed book of wonders. No, it is not Chronicles of Narnia, it’s not fluffy talking animals and cute kids running about with sprinkles of open-to-interpretation scripture here and there. It is Christian, upfront and personal. It doesn’t have any intent to proselytize, it’s simply a book that encompasses the faith of the author. It starts off with a scripture! So I’m sorry to those Bible-phobic readers, let me warn you now; this book contains strong references to Christianity—specifically Jesus Christ. Don’t like? Don’t read. Problem solved.
Now back to my review.
Being the only being left on a planet is a scary thought. Having a violent plague wipe everyone out is even scarier. I thought that was a very interesting concept brought in by Anderson, it wasn’t as though I’d never heard of plagues leading to an apocalypse but in Christian fiction you usually see something that mimics the biblical ending in the Book of Revelation. So that was a very nice and very imaginative way to draw in the reader.
The setting of this story is dark but full of depth. When I was reading I kind of stopped for a moment when I realized the main character was ice-skating as a way of travel—admittedly, that was a head scratcher for me but after taking in the vivid description of the Gannah, I fell in love with the planet.
Dassa is a plucky main character who is enjoyable and strong. I didn’t mind following her through the story because she wasn’t whiny or stereotypical. There is much to like about this bold young woman, I think every reader will be able to find a piece of themselves in this character. While you’re reading you have to stop and look at things not just as a reader but as Dassa herself. How would you handle being the last surviving being of your planet? That’s a chilling question.
I think science fiction and faith is something that’s difficult to blend together. The idea of science and faith coming together usually makes me raise an eyebrow. I was expecting bickering between the two points of view, not a consistent, unified story. Anderson has a way of bringing together two polar opposites and making them work. That’s the gift of an overactive imagination combined with crafty writing. You will not be bored of this book, whether you’re religious or not. In fact, I hope people who aren’t religious will grab a copy. This is something everyone will enjoy, trust me, I don’t like outer space and I don’t like planet hopping but I fell for it here.
My only complaint of this book isn’t about the writing or the characters but the cover. I just don’t think it does the book justice and almost falls flat in comparison to the liveliness in the story. Still a good, detailed, read for all ages. I hope everyone who reads this review will pick up a copy.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*