I just finished reading Star Crossing, by Alexis Glynn Latner. It’s the third novel in the Aeon’s Legacy series. I’ll get to the point right away: if you like science fiction, read this book and read the whole series!
The Aeon’s Legacy series tells the story of the slower-than-light colony ship Aeon, setting out from a dying Earth to find a new home for humanity. Because distances in space are so vast, and light is so slow, the colonists mostly make the journey in stasis, or suspended animation. When their first destination proves unworkable as a future home, Aeon sets out on a thousand-year voyage across space, with her precious human cargo back in stasis. While they’re frozen in time, though, the rest of the universe goes on without them. Aeon’s Legacy is a story about 21st century humans encountering a universe vastly changed from the one they left.
Star Crossing is a different kind of book from the first two books of the series. Hurricane Moon, the first book, was very hard science fiction. Downfall Tide, the second, introduced more speculative elements but also ramped up the pace of the action. Now, the third book keeps the action going non-stop, but also stretches the speculative nature of speculative fiction farther than ever before. Energy beings that get into ships electrical systems, something akin to a Bermuda Triangle in space, and more give the protagonists plenty of reason to stretch their skills to the utmost.
What I love about this series is the author’s interest in moral and ethical issues. Some of the protagonists’ actions to save themselves lead to wildly unintended consequences and condemnation from the rest of the human race. Latner is always revealing surprising outcomes of characters’ past actions, and weaving them together in a way that shows the interconnectedness of humanity.
So often in Hollywood and the Big Five publishers, if you see a reference to faith, you can safely assume you’re being set up to see the character as a hypocrite or a villain. Latner is beautifully, refreshingly different. Many if not most of her characters are religious and though their specific beliefs are often very different from mine, no one – from Christians to Wiccans to everything in between – is ever a caricature or a parody. Their faith is a serious part of who they are, and treated with respect. For that, even when I disagree with her, I will always recommend Latner’s books to anyone who will listen.
What I don’t like about this series is that through her characters, the author advocates for some opinions that I don’t share. I know that many folks read my books and my website because I do my best to provide an alternative to the profane, hypersexualized entertainment industry in America; for them I must warn that Star Crossing includes profanity, sexuality that’s definitely present though not explicit, and some politicization of sex and sexuality.
The beautifully constructed world is more than worth averting your eyes a few times, though. The rich, authentic characters and the studious eye for ethics and morality make the whole series, and Star Crossing in particular, books you shouldn’t miss. My advice is to buy them today!