Review: Sword in the Stars

Alastair Coldhollow is a criminal.  A man struggling with memories of a past he has renounced, and yet still haunted with the guilt that has seeped into his life and echoes from his past addictions.  And he puts his very life on the line because of his hope that the Sword will appear in the stars, and show the way for the Caller to find the foretold Halfainin.  And Alastair hangs his life on the hope that he will be the Caller to find the Halfainin to rest his guilt at last.


And then it happens.  The thing he had been waiting for--but what if he isn't the Caller after all?    What if he is just a man who can never be forgiven for the deeds he has done in the past?


But meanwhile, tensions are growing higher and higher between Anglinore and the Gorrack Nation, threatening war on a scale that could devastate all of Myriad.

And the fate of it all rests on two twin kings, an abandoned child, and the decisions of Alastair Coldhollow.

When I first read the description of this book (the above is not that description--I wrote that myself) I felt a shiver of excitement.  When I first saw the gleaming, detailed cover of Sword in the Stars, a thrill ran through me.  This was going to be an adventure to treasure--and when it comes to books, I am rarely wrong.

And it went above and beyond.  Sword in the Stars is a worthy novel.  The worldbuilding is fantastic.  The battles are, quite simply, epic.  The characters are amazing.  And the truths spoken in this novel are deep, impacting, and wise.

This book is Wayne Thomas Batson at his best.  It very nearly rivals Venom and Song in 'epicness', and certainly surpasses all of his books in originality, character-building, and world-building.  The plot is fresh and original.  The description was vivid and detailed, yet it isn't over-the-top.

The allegory, a great element in this novel, is deep, veiled, and thought-provoking--my mind was racing to figure out what each event is compared to, if I really agreed with some of the characters (by this I mean King Ealden), and what do I actually think about this?  It was stock-full of Biblical truths--a regular treasure trove, wrapped in epic battles.

In a sentence, books like these--epics that can be treasured on your bookshelf for years and re-read again and again--are the reasons why Wayne Thomas Batson is one of my most treasured authors.  Sir Batson, your fantastic words accurately reflect your faith and God's amazing love--bravo!  You've done it.

I look forward to the next addition to the Dark Sea Annals--the ending of Sword in the Stars left me breathless, shocked--wanting more.

Rating?  I rate Sword in the Stars 9.1 out of 10.  :)  (see the right sidebar for a point guide)