
In Star Song, author Thomas Macy takes us on a journey across the galaxies to a new home, forty-one light years from earth. A group of committed Christians have discovered and utilised the power of Dark Energy and use it to travel, at almost the speed of light, to Gillead, a moon, with qualities similar to earth. Determined to begin a new society, without the demons form earth, this clandestine group travel the massive distance in just over a month, whilst forty one years have passed, on earth. Simon’s girlfriend, Nora is part of the “chosen” group, but Simon believes she is entangled with a Christian cult and while trying to rescue her, unwittingly stows away on the spaceship, as it blasts off from earth. With little hope of ever returning, Simon, Nora, their friends and the ubiquitous Elders, who run this community, must not only face the challenges of living on a new planet, but also some of the same forces that caused so much strife for them on Earth. Transplantation, it seems, has not conquered the human frailties of ego, the thirst for power, and the desire to be an individual, in a collective society. The dangers of space travel and colonisation of a new world will bring the inherent risks of loss, home to this hardy band of explorers.
Thomas Macy has brought us a thrilling sci-fi adventure, in Star Song that does a wonderful job of explaining and analysing some of the base behaviours that make us inherently human but also make us inherently unique, as individuals. With a nod to “Lord of the Flies”, I thoroughly enjoyed the factions and differences of the many individuals that went on this trip. Although couched as a Christian book, it is important to note that, at its core this is a science fiction, action/adventure and can be read as such. The author has chosen to put a Christian slant to it and that is just fine. It, in no way, overpowers or diminishes the story of a group of space travellers/colonisers seeking a new beginning away from the prejudices and destructive natures of their previous societies. I particularly enjoyed the discussions centred around the type of society the colonisers were seeking to develop for themselves. The old adage of “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, kept coming to mind when addressing the Elder David and the differences between his visions for the community and other settler’s views. The love stories were beautifully handled and the tragedies, incurred by the settlers, were both sad and poignant. This is a wonderful sci-fi adventure and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to all.