Diamond Star by Catherine Asaro

Gets Stronger as the Story Progressesby Kathi_H

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July 19, 2009: Diamond Star is a stand-alone book, but it also is part of a collection of books, novellas, and short stories that Catherine Asaro has written about the Skolian empire/universe. I also have to disclose that this is the first of Asaro's books that I have read.

The book is strong enough to encourage me to read more of her books, especially from the Skolian empire series. The book is weak enough that I almost didn't get far enough to come to that conclusion. Let me explain:

The first third of the book is very focused on introducing us to Del and his baptism into the world of the music business of the future. Other than references to fancy equipment and the fact that Del was from a planet other than earth, I felt like it was a book about a wannabe rock singer of the 1960s or '70s, and I wasn't very intrigued.

But as the reader gets to know Del and some layers of background are unpeeled, the story becomes more complex and compelling. I found the last half of the book to be engrossing, fun, scary, and thought-provoking, and I found the ending to be heart-wrenching. I was surprised I had come to care so much about Del and his relationships with family and friends, but I had. That's the mark of a good writer.

I will be interested to see how some of Asaro's other Skolian books compare to Diamond Star. I am especially interested to read about some of the other members of Del's family to better understand how they became the people they are in this book.

If we could give half-stars, this book would be 3.5. I bumped it up to 4 rather than down to 3 because of the strength of the second half of the book.

The CD that goes with the book is quite good--not music I would normally listen to, but I received it with the book and have listened several times. Kudos to the band Point Valid.

Diamond Star - a man's struggle to find his place in the universe defined not by his heritage but byby katmaniataz-

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May 25, 2009: You know the old saying "Never Judge a Book By its Cover" well that definitely applies here. The cover reminds me of Disco and the music of the story is anything but Disco. The story delves into the scarred psyche of a man who doesn't know his own worth. Del-Kurj Arden Valdoria kya Skolia; aka Del Arden has a difficult journey of self discovery. He knows his love of music will be his salvation.

Del strives to define himself; not by his heritage or by his personal weaknesses; but by his love of music. His journey helps him to see that his talent is more than just his ability to sing but it is the whole way he strives to be better than some of the choices he has made in his life. Del's journey takes us through a futuristic view of the music world with all its up swings and pit falls. It shows us all that just because we make a mistake it doesn't mean we can't learn and grow from that mistake; taking control of how we live our own lives.

This novel is more than a romance between a man and a woman. It also shows us that music is more than just sounds we listen to. But ideas expressed in words and sounds that can reach into your soul and change your views on the world around you. It shows us the struggle each of us face to show we are more than the mistakes we have made; that each of us can over-come a bad choice by learning from it a moving forward; not wallowing in self pity and denial.

I really recommend this book it has all the qualities needed to make it a compelling read