Two hundred years in the future the Earth has finally united and entered a peaceful Galactic civilization. While society as a whole has improved, the lust for individual wealth and power remains a formidable threat to the fragile peace. Throw in a dose of young love and an aching desire for revenge and you’ve got The Brighter the Stars by Bryan Prosek.
Plot Summary
Eight years after witnessing the death of his beloved Uncle Ben (perhaps a subconscious reference to Spiderman?) during an audacious commando attack, Jake Saunders is a member of the Legion. Operating as mixture of military and police, the Legion protects the Earth from galactic enemies. Together with his best friend, Cal Danielson, Jake is assigned as the escort for the new ambassador to Earth’s most trusted ally. The ambassador is Cal’s older sister Diane and the love of Jake’s life. The mission quickly becomes more complicated as the young trio become enmeshed in a conspiracy that threatens Earth. Can the three junior Legion members unravel the mystery and save the Earth?
Style
This is a classic tale of an inexperienced young trio pressing beyond the limits of their training to meet an unprecedented challenge. Prosek deftly avoids falling into the trap of providing unnecessary details about future society and technology. There are several world building lead-ins for early chapters, which may annoy some readers. From my perspective this was a quick and efficient way for Prosek to provide essential background without impeding plot development. While this is a science fiction story, the author understands that the setting plays a supporting role to the characters. Prosek’s understated approach to technology avoids inundating the tale with technical jargon. Instead of trying to remember invented technologies, readers can focus on the plot twists and challenges each character faces.
Rating
The Brighter the Stars is military action adventure for young adults. It contains numerous descriptions of space battles and individual combat. Much like his approach to technology, Prosek handles these sequences with a delicate hand. His narrative weaves enough specifics for readers to paint a detailed picture without getting bogged down in gratuitous particulars. While young love is a central aspect of the story, there are no sexually explicit scenes, nor is there any foul language or drug use. With that in mind, if Hollywood turned The Brighter the Stars into a movie and remained true to the author’s vision, it would receive a PG rating. While targeted at Young Adults, I believe older Middle Grade science fiction readers would also enjoy it. I recommend this action-packed tale to anyone interested in a plot-twisting space adventure.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.