Starsight by Minnette Meador

Great characters, great starsby SheilaDeeth

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April 08, 2009: It wasn't till I picked up my copy of Minnette Meador's "Starsight," mailed freshly minted, signed and personalized by the author, that I realized how long it was since I'd enjoyed a fantasy (unless Harry Potter counts). I tried George R.R. Martin's books recently, but couldn't get into them - the short reading sessions of a busy life meant the story became too disjointed for me to follow. But Minnette has quickly rekindled my love of the genre. Eechas instead of hairy horses disturbed me - maybe that's one of my problems, keeping the language of a fantasy world in mind. Guiders. Power (always in italics). I wasn't sure, but I kept reading, persevered into the second chapter. Then suddenly the whole of Minnette's strange world came into focus in my imagination. I was there, transported for a chapter at a time, and the names and images were ready and waiting to return as soon as I came back. With so many names - such strange names - I'm not sure how she did it. But I'd have to say, Minnette has a very deft hand at weaving enough detail into her tale to keep it all flowing smoothly in and out of memory.

Two things attracted me to the book before I read it: Piers Anthony's endorsement on the front cover, and Spider Robinson's on the back. The pictures on the cover made me think I might be in for a Lord of the Rings look-alike, but I was pleased to be wrong. "Starsight" is set in world of its own, with human characters, flawed and believable, stories and histories interwoven and slowly revealed, and an enjoyable premise of good misused and evil strangely attractive.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I was reading book one of a set, though the story is complete enough to stand alone. Now I've finished, and the world's still waiting, it's peoples poised for disaster and war, its problems and deceits only partially resolved; and I'm looking forward to book 2.