IRKOY CRYSTAL
by Raylene Lyon
A devoutly religious woman gains superpowers and falls in love with a space alien in Lyon’s SF novel.
Nila Brant, a 24-year-old paralegal, is hiking in the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake Citywhen she meets three men in identical green clothing, accompanied by a huge, catlike creature. She’s immediately drawn to one of the men, who introduces himself as Rion; he soon offers her a crystal pendant, which she feels compelled to wear. The sentient Irkoy crystal “attunes” itself to Nila and suddenly sharpens her perceptions; she passes out and wakes up on a spaceship. Rion and company explain that they’re not from Earth; they’re part of a World Alliance that needs crystal “Bearers” like Nila to sense and help fight against the evil Mist, which “could wipe out all life in this galaxy.” Nila’s crystal-attuned powers include telepathy, fast hair growth, total control over her fertility, perfect health and freedom from the effects of age, and even the ability to modify “the structure of space-time.” Nila bids her old life goodbye and sets off to train on the planet Hearthworld. She learns her alien companions’ language and grows closer to each of them—and particularly Rion—even after her “life energy” is almost drained in her first battle with the Mist. Nila meets many new aliens in her subsequent adventures and endeavors to protect her new friends. Lyon offers a lucid fantasy in which superpowers grant the hero a way to triumph over an amorphous evil. Nila identifies strongly with her Christian faith, offering prayers of gratitude throughout. Along the way, the story delivers a clear evangelical allegory; Nila’s powers are effectively depicted as godly, as they give her the chance “to touch and even use the force or power that structured the universe,” even if it seems to her to be “sacrilegious” to put a name to that power. Straightforward principles of self-sacrifice and devotion guide an otherwise fairly escapist superhero narrative.
An adventure story grounded in belief that may satisfy its target audience of fellow Christians.