Inspiring Young Readers
posted on 24 Feb 2019
Star of Hope by Moira McPartlin
When I received this final volume of The Sun Song Trilogy to review, and read the opening few pages, I knew that I needed to set aside my housework for a few hours. As with the previous ones in the series, this one, set in the not too distant future of 2089, promised to be another action-packed, roller coaster read that demanded my full attention.
Although they have overcome many difficulties, life is never easy for the two main characters, Sorlie and Ishbel who need to make one last attempt to free the native population of Esparaeo from State slavery. Sorlie’s father, known as The Prince, is the charismatic leader of the revolutionaries, but has suffered ghastly injuries in a recent conflict which means that he is physically dependent on his son until he can be ‘repaired’:
‘It was like watching a toddler walk on glass. Pa on blades. Plastic straps tied them to what was left of his legs’.
He entrusts Sorlie with a secret and very dangerous mission entitled ‘Star of Hope’ to seek out and recruit a man named Skelf, who had been responsible for the great ‘Switch-Off’ many years ago when all the technology was stopped and civilisation collapsed. The reason behind this drastic decision was because there had long been concerns about increased government surveillance which restricted ordinary people’s freedom. This is just one example of many echoes of current real world politics throughout this dystopic novel that adds to the chilling atmosphere. Once the machines were disabled, all the many benefits of sophisticated technology were also lost as a result:
‘He pulled the plug on everything and sent the world back to the dark ages’.
The Prince is convinced that it must be possible to turn back the clock to reinstate the technology, with the right expertise and a more caring, compassionate government in command with him at the helm. Ishbel is also charged with the same task by The Prince, but coming from a different angle and so the story swings back and forth between the perilous adventures of the two plucky main protaganists, until they converge for the final surprising denoument.
McPartlin is a writer who manages to include plenty of painful personal experiences with instances of hope and reflection. Reinya’s story is one that was particularly memorable as she survives the stillbirth of a child who was conceived through rape when she was on the Prison Ship in a previous volume. This fierce young woman is the grand-daughter of Scud, who continues to influence and inspire Sorlie. At first Reinya is understandably consumed with grief and revenge for her many troubles, but, as one of Sorlie’s fellow travellers, she eventually proves herself to be central to the success of the mission. The well- drawn characters are just one feature of this memorable novel. There are also several tender evolving relationships that are carefully revealed and many visceral descriptions of various horrors along the way such as escaping by swimming through a sewage pipe:
‘I closed my eyes, my mouth, my nose and jumped in. It wasn’t too deep, just above my ankles but the stench made my eyes water and the feel of the lumps bumping into my legs make me boak’.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the many complicated characters because, as with the previous two novels, I found that I was fully engaged with their various struggles. At times this was quite exhausting because this is a harsh world where there is very little time for anyone to relax and to be able to trust individuals. I can see the trilogy being dramatized as a thrilling TV series that would be packed with the requisite twists and turns plus cliff hangers. Not an easy read, but one that I would strongly recommend.
Karen Argent
February 2019
Other reviews of the trilogy: