Stargate

'"I close the Gate of Fallan," she called. "Henceforth neither mortal nor immortal, Maker nor Messenger nor any created thing may enter here. The stars re forbidden to the people of Fallan, and Fallan is forbidden to the people of the stars."' -Falia, Sun-Lord of the world of Fallan, Stargate (p.17)

Stargate is the story of the universe when the worlds were open to each other, when sun-lords ruled alongside their kin, the suns, and mortals were innocent and able to hold the history of their ancestors in their minds as if it were their own memories. On the world Danar all the thousands of sun-lords would gather with the Worldmaker, laughing, traveling between their worlds, and protecting their mortals. But the Worldmaker grew greedy and one by one the sun-lords had to close their gates to keep the Unmaker out of their worlds. The book begins with the closing of the Gate to the world of Fallan, leaving only four worlds left open and they are no longer safe from corruption. This is the story of their fight against the Unmaker and the falls they all face in the battle.

When I began the book I will admit it seemed a little slow moving to me and I wondered if I would ever finish it. But as the story progressed I became interested in the story of the sun-lords and their plights. This turned out to be an interesting story, well written, with a wonderful ending. While my feelings for the characters were not nearly as strong as they are for other books, I think that is ok because these are gods I was reading about, one actually admits being unable to care as mortals do, so it is only right that I not be able to feel for them as much, right? Yet at the end of the book, when the sun-lord Danarian feels closer to mortals I felt closer to him, even feeling a little sorrow for his final moments in the story, and that is the sign of a good book.

I would love to recommend this book to everyone, but I cannot. You have to be a fan of science fiction in order to enjoy such a novel, or maybe you just have to be willing to see stories outside of our world. This is an amazing story but you will miss it if you cannot open mind and heart to other beings. So if you think you can do that, pick up this book. Imagine a world where people can know all the history of their people because they are connected to their ancestors through innocence, yet they cannot understand why a man laying next to the road will not answer and has no need for air. Take a look at what happens when a Maker looks at his creation and wants it to serve him as slaves because they owe him. See how terribly wrong things can go when a sun-lord gets a glimpse into the future but does not understand what he sees. It is a story that may change the way you look at the world.