Review: Starfall by Chris Quinton

This review can also be found at Three Dollar Bill Reviews.

I've read and enjoyed all of Chris Quinton's Manifold Press books and so I was keen to read this offering from Silver Publishing. I have to admit I was a little put off when I began reading the book because of the large amount of info-dumping at the start which nearly lost me within the first few pages. I found it a little difficult to keep track of the number of names, places and facts we are given at first. In the end I was glad that I pressed on through it because there was still much to like about the story.

The story is a mix of contemporary and science fiction and begins with two agents, Conn and Faye, who work for a private investigation company. Their job is to find a runaway young woman, Angi, and persuade her to return home for the reading of her grandmother's will. Conn and Faye have an uneasy relationship at present after an ill-advised bout of sex and the hope is that this assignment will help to mend the bridges in what had been a good team. When they arrive in Vermont, the pair meets Ash, a bartender and general handyman at the bar where the runaway now works. What neither of them realise is that Ash is an alien being who has come to Earth in search of his lost sister. Further complications arise from a rival gang of bikers in the small town, and the general mistrust of the local people.

In the end I had a mixed response to this book. The parts that I liked linked to the science fiction theme. The hints from Ash's past and his determination to find his sister, made Ash a strong and sympathetic character. I also liked the physical differences between him and the human Conn. There was enough to make him unique but not so much that he seemed weird and unsexy. The fact that Ash is part aquatic was another interesting difference. It was in the descriptions of Ash, his life as an alien and the way he is trying to integrate with Earth society which held and kept my interest through the story. In many ways the book is worth reading for this aspect alone.

Another part that worked well was in Conn's slow emergence from the closet. At the beginning he has made a terrible mistake in sleeping with his partner and the ramifications of this ripple through the story. His attraction to Ash is immediate but all the way through he is holding something back of himself until finally circumstances lead his to make that bold step forward. Things are further complicated by his self-image as a tough PI, especially as he finds it difficult to show weakness. I liked Conn and sympathised with his struggles with his attraction to Ash, and his fears of revealing himself to Faye. Conn's romance with Ash is another highlight and I found them an engaging and attractive couple.

What didn't work as well for me was the theme of the retrieval of Angi and the war between the bicycle gangs. The whole thing seemed out of place in a small sleepy tourist town and reminded me more of the 1950's than modern day. If the book had been set in the city then this would have seemed a little more realistic. Maybe I'm just ignorant of these things and small towns in out of way places in the US are filled with gangs of teenagers or young adults trashing the local businesses, although I can't say I noticed any when I toured Vermont a few years ago. It doesn't happen in Britain, that's for sure. As it is I was left scratching my head a little over why the whole plot with the biker gangs needed so much page space and a little irritated when it took me away from the parts I really wanted to read such as Ash and Conn's developing romance and the finding of Ash's sister.

So overall, there were parts of this story which really worked and those that didn't, hence the reason for my grade of 'Good'. The story leaves us with an epilogue which could possibly lead to further stories. I'm hoping so because I liked Conn and Ash a great deal and would happily read more about them.

Buy this book HERE.