Bob looked around. “Thank you, John. I remember being at the intro meeting a few months ago and you mentioned something like that. Let me start over in my own style.” He grinned and started to quip.
“Yeah. Yeah. HUH!” He put both of his hands up and started fist pumping to an imaginary beat.
“Uh, hello my name is Bob.” “I really don’t like dogs.” “I try not to breathe the smog.”
He stopped, shrugged, and grimaced.
“Uh. Okay, that’s not my style.” He tweaked his face and glanced around. Then he put on a heavy, country twang.
“Yeah, buddy!” He made a pistol with his hand and winked. “Hey ya’ll, Mah truck is tall.” “Better take mah call.” “Cuz’ we’re gunna have a ball.” “My middle name is Saul.”
He paused and yelled, “Git er dun!” with a slack jawed look on his face. Several people started laughing.
“Hmm. Nope, that’s not me either.” Bob looked up at the ceiling as if needing inspiration.
“I don’t come from the hood.” “I eat a lot of food.” He patted his rotund belly. “Especially when it’s flippin’ good.”
A pause. “Mmm-hmmm…”
“I work at 3-M. I am an engineer.” “Chemical substrates are my sphere.” “I like to drink the beer.” “I’m here because I fear,” “The future is unclear.” “On Earth, I volunteer.” “But on Proxima I’m a frigate pi-o-neer.”
Bob made a clicking noise and pointed his finger at Gilmore with another wink.
I tend to look at books as being on a scale of meat to candy. Candy is pure entertainment, easy to read, and I usually fly right through these stories. Meat might be difficult but has more substance, usually these are non-fiction. Ham is literally meat-candy, so it holds the center. While fiction is usually candy, Travel by Star has enough depth to push it toward the center. It is intelligent and thought-provoking while still being fun.
I picked up this indie fantasy book because I love to read independent author stories, the story seemed unique and interesting and I thought it might contain an underlying light in the darkness. I wasn’t let down. I don’t like spoilers, so this review will be intentionally vague.
First of all, this book is an epic fantasy through and through. The story covers a wide swath of well-built fictional world. It has a map, many characters, high-stakes outcomes, magic, and heroes. At over six-hundred pages, it reads like an epic and wraps up the main story pretty well.
It took a while for me to really get a sense of who the protagonist is, and I like that. Travel is a man that seems somewhat ordinary at first, though he comes from difficult times that have molded him into the hero that is needed. He reminds me of something my pastor says often: (paraphrasing) “God made you for this time. Be strong and courageous.” As I got to know this somewhat rough man, I encountered his depth and character. What makes Travel likable (to me at least) is his honor. He is a man of his word, someone reliable and strong. He is someone who will do the hard thing because it is the right thing. That’s the core of a hero.
The second protagonist is Nichole. At first she was interesting to me because she has issues. Not long into the book, I found that is special and designed for her unique task. It works, and her story unfolded over the course of time into a full purpose that I’m uncertain of in the end. I could not relate to her in any meaningful way.
With 600+ pages, there were a couple of times where I lost focus. The book contains a few side-stories, flashbacks, that support the world that is being built. Though added context can be useful, some of these might not be necessary, but they weren’t anything drastic, just a little side-track here and there.
What I loved about the story is the underlying theme: mankind’s fallen nature and need for redemption combined with available grace that is not scoffed at by the writer. There are layers of themes and meaning that are well applied and those who recognize them will appreciate them. The main theme always resonates with me, and is one of the main reason’s why I recommend this book. The story is clean, and I know that I could give it to a young teen to read. In this way it reminds me of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Being full of action and adventure yet lifting the reader’s heart to perpetual hope.
The writing style is very descriptive without being too verbose. The prose is easy to read and follow, nothing awkward or weird. It’s not written down to youth, but is accessible to anyone who is commonly reads fantasy. For a debut novel, it’s quite good.
I also enjoyed the world-building. Travel by Star is a new world with depth, variety, and an enjoyable western feel. It’s gritty and dangerous, and as a result, the people in it are hardened and tired yet they persist. Very relatable.
I come away thinking about West and the Shrian kingdom which reminded me a bit of George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire. I think the kingdom’s backstory would be pretty awesome.
Paul Grill says that he is writing a companion or a sequel, and I look forward to reading that when it comes out.
Now, you might see this post and think to yourself.
Self, this guy only wants money. He’s a dirty, money grubbing capitalist!! How dare he draw attention to himself.
You, sir, leave me no choice but to retort to your hypothetical (and dare I say, nonsensical) rant. I’ll have you know that I took a shower eight days ago! EIGHT DAYS! Back in the olden days that was like… a week and a day. It’s a tiny amount of time to not bathe. Plus, I did not carry on with a significant amount of manual labor during that week and a day…. A mere ditch, a foot deep and 45 feet long does not make one dirty. This accusation is pure poppycock!
As for money, well… I like it just fine and consider myself a capitalist, but I have never grubbed for it. The closest I came to money grubbed was an early season of Naked and Afraid where the only vehicle for eating a meal of fat and squishy grubs was a dollar bill I found in the mud. That doesn’t count.
What I want (you did ask, right) is for someone to notice that I spent seven years writing my first book, all while working full time and raising a family, in the snow, up hill both ways! I wrote it with my heart and my sweat and blood. I wung it…er I was winging it. To this day, I have lost a solid two handfuls of money writing this treasure of mine, and unlike a child that might some day allow me live in their garage while I glance longingly at the afterlife, the book will do no such thing.
Really though, being as I am so kind, I admit that I am doing this for you. You will enjoy it. If you like a tale about the injustices of life and a strong desire to exit the (solar) system, this book is for you. Also, I’m a couple hundred pages into the second book in the series which is tentatively titled “Into the Night” so… Ya know. If you enjoy the first, you might be curious what might happen on a 25 year journey from Earth to another planet, and in an ugly space ship shaped somewhat like the empire state building.
You’re welcome.
Check out Forsaking Home, It’s not perfect, but I’m proud of it.
Last week I put my life on pause and went to Western North Carolina to help with restoration. It was the fall of 2024 that Hurricane Helene dumped incredible amounts of rain and wind on the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. The result was significant damage and loss of life. I’m told around 260 people died, mostly on the western side of the continental divide where Interstate 40 crosses the border into Tennessee.
Where I visited, the town of Chimney Rock was completely demolished. Fast moving landslides threw tons of rocks, trees, and water down the valleys. Everything there converged on the town and wiped out everything in the way. This area is rural and remote, and one of many places still suffering a year later.
Driving in, the roads were still collapsed and limited to one lane with sharp drops toward the river. Houses hung on the river’s edge, their insides spilling out. Twisted vehicles lay upside down completely embedded with mud. Many houses were just gone while others floated downstream and became lodged amongst the trees.
They are volunteer driven and have rebuilt the town of Chimney Rock and are continuing to coordinate, build and repair far beyond this town in the name of Jesus. Hordes of Amish have volunteered along with many churches, companies, and individuals both religious and nonreligious.
I came with a few people from church. It was good to have a break from the stress of the desk job, get some manual labor under my belt, and serve God and fellow mankind. Monday, we went to work on a house, one of about ten that were washed away in a small stretch of the rural countryside. This is a solid 35 minutes from Chimney Rock and past Lake Lure (which is still being dredged every day for whatever was washed there).
One day it was raining, so we went into a Spokes of Hope warehouse that needs to be up fitted for future use. It had also gone through the ringer and water ruined everything that was previously inside it and the warehouse next door. We moved contaminated dirt, moved pallets of donated furniture, demoed inside, built walls, painted, installed insulation, windows, and doors, among various other tasks.
Another day we worked on an old house that had about five feet of water run through it, one of many such houses in the area. We replaced floor beams, created drainage, and installed underlayment. There are so many people still waiting for volunteers to slowly rebuild their houses for free. I’m sure many are still paying mortgages on their old houses as well.
I spent days with people that drive from far away every week or two and continue to serve. I come back knowing that the effort is larger than its parts, that God moves when people sacrifice in His name, and that the American culture of uniting on common ground is still alive and well despite the division that desperately tries to tear us apart.
Long past when the media moved on to all of the Next Thing, this area still needs a lot of help. Help and money are dwindling, and there is much to do.
This isn’t a call to action, its just a reminder.
We have pizza with the fire chief of Bat Cave, NC, Steve Freeman. He told us some amazing stories and so I’m including the videos below to provide those here as well.
