Distantly Falling Stars is a unique romp through Bronze era history with rich prose, compelling characters, and an unforgettable story that will stick with you long after you're finished reading.
Seti is a lowly scribe in Ancient Egypt that gets pulled into a meeting with the High Priestess that he feels he definitely shouldn't have been privy to. After witnessing some very strange things, he becomes enmeshed in political and religious issues that are beyond his understanding or control. When he's sent on a mission to retrieve a cluster of meteors from the Babylonians, Seti realizes that his intended role is not what he's actually meant to do or be, and there are greater forces at work than he ever would have imagined.
In typical BronzePunk style, Distantly Falling Stars is heavy on the technology and gives a really cool surrealist feel to the Ancient Egypt setting that the author has crafted here. Between water clocks and solar fans and all number of contraptions, there's lots to feast the brain on that lends to the fantastic imagery surrounding the story. The setting is richly described and made me feel as if I were right there with him, experiencing all that the world had to offer.
The characters are incredibly strong here, with clear voices and unique personalities. In the beginning I enjoyed the dynamic between Seti and his wife Seshat, they have a very relatable relationship and their back-and-forth is very organic and sweet. Later, his interactions with the team he's dispatched with make for some interesting scenes with even more punchy conversations. I found the dialogue to be a nice blend of a formal style with a little bit more progressive cadence. Especially between Seti and Seshat, it almost could have been a conversation happening in our time, while still being believable that it was Ancient Egypt. This is the magic of BronzePunk, and the author crafts this very well.
The overarching plot and themes, while I don't want to spoil them, are very deep. There are a lot of fun easter eggs throughout for any Bronze era buffs, and a lot of the second half delves into Ancient theology. This isn't to say that those not intimate with Ancient Egyptian lore won't enjoy the novella anyway, because the story is crafted in such a way that Seti's journey is clear despite what's between the lines.
All in all, Distantly Falling Stars is one of those gems that pops up very rarely in literature, and it's no wonder that it won not only the OpenNovellaContest II but snagged second place in the intense judging rounds of The Historical Awards over at HistoricalFiction. I can't recommend it enough, if you're looking for an incredibly well-written and well-crafted tale to suck you right in and not let you go.
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