The Dark Between the Stars is a rich universe filled with thought-provoking characters and a fluid expansive and layered storyline.

 Kevin J. Anderson has such an amazing talent at science fiction. He is able to create such an expansive universe in a book, believable characters, and dynamics, and strong storylines, both individually to the characters and overall, creating such an immersive novel.

Strong Continuation

This isn’t a novel that requires one to read the Saga of Seven Suns, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. This is an entirely new story that provides just enough information on the past to help readers recall what they’ve already read if they read the Saga of Seven Suns, and enough backstory if they haven’t. There’s no wondering, no guessing, just fluid storytelling that allows the reader to follow the current events of the story with ease.

And there’s a baseline for understanding who the characters are, new and old, and where they come from. There are some notable favorites in the novel which are very much in the gray area, they aren’t good, but they’re not evil either. There’s a balance in the characterization that draws the reader in, that allows the reader to understand who they are and even sympathize with them on some level. They are simply rich characters, each one as unique as they come, each one suffering in their own way, each one taking into account the world and evolving in so many ways.

Not only is that breathtaking, it’s believable, which is probably why it’s so wonderful to read and follow these characters through their distinct narratives. They are believable characters who are so astoundingly recognizable.

Great Storytelling

As for the story itself, what’s so great about it is the way Anderson went about creating this all-powerful boogeyman. He took something so minor and seemingly inconsequential and debunked bedtime story from the Ildirian’s and blew it up. And the boogeyman here is something to fear. They have such immense power and work in different ways than the antagonists from the previous novels. It works so well because so little is known about them but they have such a clear motivation. They don’t just strike like the Hydrogues but work methodically. Interesting still is the mystery surrounding them and where they came from. That’s the drive of the novel, the mystery surrounding this new foe.

Final Thoughts

The Dark Between the Stars has so much going for it. There are layers upon layers of richness that fill up the pages making it such an immersive joy to read. (On a personal note I HIGHLY recommend reading the Saga of Seven Suns just because it provides such a rich back story. You can read now, or later, just read it. They were amazing!

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Product Details:

Pub Date: May 5, 2015	Page Count: 784pp	Age Range: 17 & Over
ISBN: 978-0-7653-6934-5	Publisher: Tor Science Fiction	List Price: $9.99

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