Star Eaters

December 1, 2022
The conscience of a star-snuffing space raider is sparked by a stowaway. The moral quandary in this science-fiction tale for reluctant readers is sharply articulated and deeply felt, but neither the sketchy plot nor the far-fetched premise will invite much, if any, buy-in from readers. Plucked from a prison for orphans and trained by the heartless IRIS Corp to be a Raider and harvest the energy of entire suns, 17-year-old Destin's fear of losing his job and being cast back is at war with his regret over what the theft does to each star's planets. His dilemma reaches a tipping point when, following a brief visit to the surface of one such doomed but supposedly uninhabited planet, a white-haired, tan-skinned, golden-eyed girl named Calla comes out of hiding to demand that he turn his spacecraft around and return what he took. That deed accomplished, he blows up his ship and settles down to an idyllic future, exchanging hugs and kisses with his barefooted new companion. The decision to pitch the tale in accessible language doesn't excuse the near absence of credible action or science. Most characters are not physically described. Inner conflicts may be worth discussing, but the story is too thin to lift off. (Science fiction. 12-18)

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February 1, 2023

Gr 6-10-Destin is on a routine run as a Raider, searching the galaxy for stars so he can drain their energy for his employer, the hated corporation IRIS. He's not supposed to visit the planets that are destroyed by the collapse of their suns, but this time he breaks protocol, pausing to take in the trees and grass and blue water. Back on board his starship, Destin saps the sun and stores its energy for transport. He realizes he's picked up a stowaway, Calla, a girl about his age. Calla begs him to return the energy to her sun before it fades out and leaves her home cold, dark, and, ultimately, dead. This is bad news for Destin, who fears being caught by Captain Juno and returned to "the hub," a hellish prison for orphans he escaped only by training as a Raider. After evading hot pursuit by fellow Raiders and a disorienting trip through a wormhole in space-time, Destin commits to restoring Calla's sun and returning to her planet. Though from different worlds, both characters appear human. Calla is described as having golden freckles and curly white hair. The book is written at a first to second grade reading level. VERDICT Light speculative fiction with a vague hint of romance, this is a secondary selection.

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