THE SHATTERED STAR

Ostrom’s military SF novel examines the devastating physical and psychological consequences of war in a tale about an idealistic teenager who enlists in the corps to bring “light to the Starless.”

Although he hasn’t seen his spacefaring military father (who may or may not be dead) in years, Kael Vallen wants to follow in his footsteps—and does just that when he turns 18.As a recruit in the God Ruler’s forces, Kael dreams of sharing the transcendent light of the Starlit Covenant with what he sees as the ignorant masses. Unbeknownst to Vallen, his underage brother, Auctor, secretly enlists, as well, and follows his sibling into space. After traveling to the planet Xalthryn to “provide support” to the God Ruler’s forces already on the surface, Kael and his overzealous brother are shocked to find themselves thrown into a full-fledged war, where their forces may be the fanatical aggressors. Ostrom’s novel is powered by palpable emotional intensity, and its deep development of its central characters and unapologetically graphic depiction of war pack an undeniable punch: “Kael peeked out from behind his barrier to see trees torn and men running. A projectile caught a man in the torso, and his body seemed to explode. Legs flew one way, head and shoulders the other.” However, the book’s overall lack of description and overly simple plotting work against it. The populace on Xalthryn, for example, could’ve—and should’ve—been noticeably different than their military oppressors in terms of their physiology and culture, but, as it is, their depiction feels superficial at best. The terms “heretics” and “savages” fittingly describe the bigotry but not the people, who ultimately seem two-dimensional. Readers will also be able to predict the story’s general conclusion without much difficulty.

An underdeveloped but bleakly entertaining beginning to a promising interplanetary saga.