Review: Starfinder

Starfinder

John Marco

Series or Stand Alone: Skylords series, book one

Previous Books/Series:
Tyrants and Kings - The Jackal of Nar (1999), The Grand Design (2000), The Saints of the Sword (2001)
Eyes of Gods - The Eyes of God (2002), The Devil's Armour (2003), The Sword of Angels (2005)

Release Date: May 2009

Publisher: DAW

Pages: 325

Author Site (not official): http://www.sffworld.com/author/345.html

My Rating: 5/5

Source: Won from giveaway hosted by In Search of Giants

Synopsis:

[from goodreads.com]

A new fantasy series from the author of The Sword of Angels.

Steam trains and electricity are rapidly changing the world. Moth of Calio is obsessed with the airships developed by his friend Fiona’s grandfather Rendor, and dreams of taking to the air one day like his heroes, the Skyknights.

But not everyone is happy to see humans reach the skies. For thousands of years, the mysterious and powerful race known as the Skylords have jealously guarded their heavenly domain. But Moth and Fiona are about to breach the magical boundary between the world of humans and the world of the Skylords.

Review:

Moth may be an orphan but that doesn’t stop him from being a dreamer. He wants nothing more than to become one of the elite Skyknights and roam the sky of Calio in one of the sleek dragonfly airships. But his dreams are put on hold as his entire life is shook up after the death of his beloved mentor Leroux. Leroux’s death brings more than grief as a journey is set forth before Moth that will test the limits of everything Moth believes in. This journey will take him through the forbidden Reach and into a world that is inhabited by fantastic creatures who will both aide and deter Moth from the goals put before him.

Traveling along with him is his best friend Fiona. The grand-daughter of the Governor of Calio she is fierce, feisty, and definitely independent. As the story opens further a vulnerability appears that shows Fiona’s strengths and weaknesses. A superb companion to Moth, the two characters see the same things completely different because of their life experiences. I believe this story is Fiona’s just as much as it is Moth’s. And speaking of Moth I admit I was a little skeptical of his character at first. I thought he would be immature for some reason. However, he gained my respect and admiration as the true colors of his personality shown throughout the novel.

There is such complexity in the other characters of the novel. Adversaries become friends and it’s hard to see who the enemy is until you get into the meat of the story. I found the relationships between pretty much all the characters, secondary and primary alike, to be enjoyable and engaging. From Fiona’s grandfather, Rendor, and his shipmates, to the dragons, and to the Skylords…each set of characters had a depth that really had me hooked.

I’m sad I waited so long to read STARFINDER. I can’t remember when exactly I won it from Aerin’s blog but it’s been sitting on my shelf for a good while. I think it was the “eh..” cover that made me wait to open the book. Shame on me because I enjoyed STARFINDER so much! From the characters to the world created by Marco I just wanted MORE MORE MORE! Being a fantasy novice myself, I think it was a wonderful novel for one to get their feet wet. It wasn’t overly complicated or overwhelming in the tiniest bit and I think that’s what scares some people away from fantasy. I also believe that long time fantasy lovers will enjoy the simple yet fantastic story John Marco has wrote. I’ll be looking into his adult fantasy novels to see how those fare with me. And of course I’ll be eagerly awaiting book two in the Skylords series (which better be produced soon Mr. Marco!!) even though STARFINDER was wrapped up quite nicely in the end.