Book Review: Sword in the Stars
The Story: Haunted by memories of a violent past, Alastair Coldhollow wagers his life on the hope that a sword will appear in the stars and the foretold Halfainin, the Pathwalker, would come. Meanwhile, tensions simmer between Anglinore and the murderous Gorrack Nation, threatening war on a cataclysmic scale. The fate of all could rest on an abandoned child and the decisions of those who desperately seek to identify him.
Epically Epic: Betrayal, murder, addiction, despair…and, of course, hope. This story has it all. I felt like I was reading an epic high fantasy in its entirety, and this is only the first of seven books! At 400 pages, were not talking about a little novel, either. But I must say, I was riveted to every last one of those pages. This tale of ambition, romance, misplaced trust, and man’s state of depravity is hands-down my favorite thing I’ve read since Jeffrey Overstreet’s Auralia Thread, and if you keep up with my reviews, you know how much I loved that series. If not, let me refresh your memory: reviews for Book 2 in the series, Cyndere’s Midnight, and Book 4, The Ale Boy’s Feast. Anyway, Wayne Thomas Batson’s style is different than Overstreet’s, but I had a similar reading experience. I felt transported, which is really the highest compliment one can pay to a work of fantasy.
The Writing: Batson is a great writer; there’s no question about it. This is the first piece of his that I’ve read, but I know he has a lot of other fiction on the market. Judging by the ratings on Amazon, I’d say those stories are equally well-written. There are clever little winks and nods throughout the story, particularly with the character’s names. (Was it just me, or were there two characters with the surnames Kindle and Nook?) Despite crafting what might sound like a horribly weighty and serious story, Batson manages to insert lots of humor into Sword in the Stars. He’s not too shabby in the romance-writing department, either. You know, for a dude. 
Why This High Fantasy is Especially Readable: When people find out I write fantasy, I usually get a reaction from one of two totally opposite ends of the spectrum. Reaction 1: “I looooooove fantasy!! Are there swords and elves and magicky things?” Reaction #2: “Oh…Er…Fantasy. That’s…er, nice.” If I dig a little deeper into those “Reaction 2″ people, I often find that they think fantasy is really difficult to get into because there’s no frame of reference in the real world. We’re not familiar with the geography, the language, the culture, or even the species of our characters right off the bat. There’s a period I like to call “story world adjustment” that has to take place first. Maps and character lists in the front or back of the book tend to help with this process. But herein lies the genius of Batson’s writing: he knows how to use common imagery and/or language to paint his fantasy pictures. For example, a creature named a spirax dwells in Batson’s story world. Essentially, it’s like a giant, gnarly spider–exactly what the name would suggest. A little pixie-like creature from the race of the Willowfolk is named Sprye. She’s quick and agile, just as you’d expect. (You know…Sprye, spry.) Anyway, there are dozens of other examples like this throughout the story, which make me think this might be a good book for someone who likes fantasy stories but sometimes has trouble adjusting to bizarre story worlds.
One Gripe: You must allow me one gripe, since I’ve been raving thus far. There are several typos in this book. Not the end of the world, I know, but it drives me crazy. Especially because there are some respected editors/proofers on the inside cover of this novel. (Ahem.) Anyway, these typos seemed to travel in little clumps and weren’t throughout the whole of the book, so it didn’t really affect my reading experience too much. Until I found THE ERROR. Not a mere typo, but an editing issue. In a particular chapter, a character and his wife are killed. In the next chapter, they are present at a wedding. I went back to check and make sure I didn’t miss something, but no, indeed. They were apparently resurrected. Also not really that big of a deal, but I hope it can be corrected in future editions. 
Christian Fantasy: Okay, folks, this book is for all of you who get annoyed when the Christian element in Christian fantasy is lacking. Batson puts it right out there in a strongly allegorical sense. The imagery and references are obvious and intentional, and there’s no mistaking it. Batson uses this to his advantage, even, by making the reader want to holler at one particular POV character when he’s searching for the Halfainin in entirely the wrong demographic. We know this character is off-base because we know the story of Jesus. It’s a pretty fun mechanism Batson has employed. Additionally, he avoids common pitfalls of straight allegory by making the story about everything except the actual Messiah aspect. We follow Alastair Coldhollow through his journey, closely-linked to but separate from the Halfainin’s inevitable salvation story. In the interest of avoiding any spoilers, I’ll say only that I consider this an example of strong Christian themes done well.
One Last Note: I would like to unilaterally recommend this for all YA audiences, but please be aware that this book is violent. Think Lord of the Rings. Fantasy violence with swords and spells and such. If that’s a problem for you (or your teen…any parents out there??), then I’d have to say avoid this one. But if you can handle the swords and daggers and arrows, this story is well worth it.
Bottom Line: Highly recommended. I’ll be checking out the second book in the series, The Errant King, later this year. Stay tuned for the review!
