Review of Stellar Heir

[Jaidyn Taylor]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Stellar Heir" by Scott Killian.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Combining elements of famous sci-fi epics such as George Lucas’ Star Wars and Frank Herbert’s Dune, Scott Killian gives us Stellar Heir, a thrilling novel filled with space adventures, a mysterious and magical artifact, and a looming darkness that threatens the lives of everything in the galaxy.

Stellar Heir begins aboard a scavenger ship as Jael and his alien companion Goni discover an ancient relic that grants mysterious powers. The mysterious relic, a bracelet, attaches itself to Jael. Along with the bracelet's sudden healing and self-defense abilities, Jael begins having visions of his past and a mysterious woman beckoning him to an unknown planet. Not only must Jael and Goni discover the artifact's origins, but they must do so before those hunting for the artifact find them first.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I especially loved the relationship between Jael and Goni. Goni’s wit and humor add the perfect comedic flair to the story, while Jael remains grounded and serious. They are a perfect duo.
The details in the landscape were perfect. They created a clear mental vision of the world and helped draw me into the story; the same is true of the alien creatures. Scott Killian wrote clear descriptions that gave a vivid image.

While the world-building was on point, some of the characters could have been fleshed out more, specifically the support characters. During one of the tragic incidents, I didn’t feel as devastated as the author probably intended, and I think this is due to a lack of reader-to-character connection. If there was a better chance for the reader to get to know the characters on a deeper level, that would have allowed for a stronger connection. For example, just as we were about to learn something new about a character, or they were opening themselves up mentally, they were thrown into an action scene. There wasn’t enough “downtime” for the characters to truly develop or for the readers to understand them.

I wish we had more scenic details on the “big bad,” the Profane. We only get vague descriptions or memories of this great menace to the galaxy, so I don’t feel a true sense of urgency about its threat to return.

Despite my issues, this was a great read. There were some grammatical errors, but nothing detracted from the story. I am awarding Stellar Heir 4 out of 5 stars. This would have been a perfect book if the characters had been more fleshed out.

Fans of epic science fiction will enjoy this book. It contains only light sexual content—such as kissing—and infrequent swearing, so it would be suitable for young adults and older.

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Stellar Heir
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[Hills Christopher Albert]

This sounds like a fun mix of adventure and mystery! I love a strong character duo, and Jael and Goni sound like a great team. I do wish more time had been spent developing the side characters and villain, but it still seems like an exciting read for sci-fi fans like me!

[NetMassimo]

I'm glad older readers can appreciate this novel because I'm attracted to this space adventure with a mix of drama and humor. Despite the flaws you pointed out, this seems like an epic science fiction story I can enjoy. Thank you for your great review!