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Firebird #5
Daystar
Times have changed for the telepathic Sentinels in the realm of the Federate Whorl. Persecution sends these genetically altered people fleeing to their sanctuary world, but a shipboard disaster exposes High Commander Brennen Caldwell to fatal radiation. Medical student Meris Cariole ends up stranded, an unwelcome outsider, at a sanctuary she never meant to invade. On another world, wrongfully imprisoned Sentinel Jorah Caldwell receives a supernatural visitor. For generations, the Sentinel kindred has anticipated Boh-Dabar, the prophesied Word to Come. The visitor hails Jorah as Boh-Dabar. Can he believe the news? Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger arrives at the sanctuary world, also claiming to be Boh-Dabar. Brennen and Firebird Caldwell, Meris, and Jorah are caught in a tangle of interstellar incidents that threaten the Sentinel kindred's very existence. And no one-anywhere-has anticipated the events that will shake the interstellar Federacy. In the "Firebird" alternate universe, humankind has gone to the stars. The messianic bloodline has been genetically altered, and instantaneous communication links the settled worlds. Still, God's character has not changed, nor have his promises failed. Daystar brings the saga to a conclusion that rocks the galaxies.
638 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2012
12 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Tyers
33 books237 followersShe is the first child of Dr. H.C. Moore, an accomplished dentist and jazz musician who had served during WWII as a test pilot, and Barbara Putnam Moore, flutist with several California orchestras.
Kathy attended Montana State University in Bozeman, where she received a degree in microbiology, married, performed widely on her flute, and then became certified as a K-12 classroom teacher. After teaching primary grades for three years, she retired to start a family. Her only son took long naps and enjoyed playing alone, so in 1983 she set her electric typewriter on her kitchen table and started writing a book. Shortly after finishing the first draft, she joined a writers group, where she learned to critique and self-edit. First novel FIREBIRD was published by Bantam Spectra books in 1987, followed by FUSION FIRE, CRYSTAL WITNESS, and SHIVERING WORLD.
In 1993, her Bantam Spectra editor asked if she’d like to be a Star Wars © writer. THE TRUCE AT BAKURA hit the bestseller list, and life got hectic, exciting, and generally crazy for a while.
After one more novel for Bantam Spectra (ONE MIND’S EYE), Kathy took a sabbatical to deal with family issues. Targeting the Christian Booksellers Association market, she attended several writers conferences before concluding that no CBA publisher was interested in science fiction. She made three attempts to write a contemporary women’s novel, then turned back to her secret passion, which was to revive the unfinished FIREBIRD series. A year later, she connected with Steve Laube of Bethany House Publishers. Laube, a science fiction fan, was willing to take a risk on the project. Rewritten to enhance their underlying spiritual themes, FIREBIRD and FUSION FIRE reappeared in 1999 and 2000, followed in 2000 by a third Firebird novel, CROWN OF FIRE. Meanwhile, the call to write Star Wars came again, this time from Del Rey Books. NEW JEDI ORDER: BALANCE POINT was also a 2000 release.
In 2001, Kathy received the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference’s Pacesetter award for her efforts in the growing Christian science fiction genre. However, during the years that followed, worsening family troubles forced another sabbatical. Another SF novel was started but shelved. Bethany House asked for a new edition of SHIVERING WORLD, which Kathy completed while working at a retail greenhouse.
Kathy was widowed in 2004 and returned to school in 2006. Also in 2006, she completed working with classical guitarist Christopher Parkening on his autobiography, GRACE LIKE A RIVER. She has received a Diploma of Christian Studies from Regent College in Vancouver, BC, and she is working on toward a Master’s degree, mentoring several apprentice writers through the Christian Writers Guild, and drafting a new science fiction novel. Her Canadian experience includes worshipping at a marvelous Anglican church with stained-glass windows, kneeling rails, and challenging Scriptural preaching.
In October 2014 Kathy married William Thomas Gillin.
Kathy attended Montana State University in Bozeman, where she received a degree in microbiology, married, performed widely on her flute, and then became certified as a K-12 classroom teacher. After teaching primary grades for three years, she retired to start a family. Her only son took long naps and enjoyed playing alone, so in 1983 she set her electric typewriter on her kitchen table and started writing a book. Shortly after finishing the first draft, she joined a writers group, where she learned to critique and self-edit. First novel FIREBIRD was published by Bantam Spectra books in 1987, followed by FUSION FIRE, CRYSTAL WITNESS, and SHIVERING WORLD.
In 1993, her Bantam Spectra editor asked if she’d like to be a Star Wars © writer. THE TRUCE AT BAKURA hit the bestseller list, and life got hectic, exciting, and generally crazy for a while.
After one more novel for Bantam Spectra (ONE MIND’S EYE), Kathy took a sabbatical to deal with family issues. Targeting the Christian Booksellers Association market, she attended several writers conferences before concluding that no CBA publisher was interested in science fiction. She made three attempts to write a contemporary women’s novel, then turned back to her secret passion, which was to revive the unfinished FIREBIRD series. A year later, she connected with Steve Laube of Bethany House Publishers. Laube, a science fiction fan, was willing to take a risk on the project. Rewritten to enhance their underlying spiritual themes, FIREBIRD and FUSION FIRE reappeared in 1999 and 2000, followed in 2000 by a third Firebird novel, CROWN OF FIRE. Meanwhile, the call to write Star Wars came again, this time from Del Rey Books. NEW JEDI ORDER: BALANCE POINT was also a 2000 release.
In 2001, Kathy received the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference’s Pacesetter award for her efforts in the growing Christian science fiction genre. However, during the years that followed, worsening family troubles forced another sabbatical. Another SF novel was started but shelved. Bethany House asked for a new edition of SHIVERING WORLD, which Kathy completed while working at a retail greenhouse.
Kathy was widowed in 2004 and returned to school in 2006. Also in 2006, she completed working with classical guitarist Christopher Parkening on his autobiography, GRACE LIKE A RIVER. She has received a Diploma of Christian Studies from Regent College in Vancouver, BC, and she is working on toward a Master’s degree, mentoring several apprentice writers through the Christian Writers Guild, and drafting a new science fiction novel. Her Canadian experience includes worshipping at a marvelous Anglican church with stained-glass windows, kneeling rails, and challenging Scriptural preaching.
In October 2014 Kathy married William Thomas Gillin.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 27, 2024
Note: I listened to this on audio. Please excuse any misspellings of names or places
Wow. That was amazing. Such a large book, but I never felt like any of it was unnecessary. A well-told story, intellectually stimulating as a theological what-if, while also bringing together all the threads from the previous books into one place.
In book 4 I was a little sad that Firebird and Brennan barely got cameos even while I enjoyed getting to know their adult twins, but that wasn’t an issue with this book. Everybody was together and had things to do here. I also liked (even as I was occasionally frustrated by) the new character, Maryn. (Spelling?) The reason I liked her even while getting frustrated with her is because I liked the contrast she brought to the story. She was a friend of one of the Firebird’s grandchildren and, after getting disowned by her parents, her friend invited her to travel on a Sentinel vessel to get where she needed to go to start over. However, an emergency caused the ship to go to the Sentinel planet instead, and it was interesting seeing the Sentinel culture thought the eyes of someone who followed a different (false) religion.
The reason I got frustrated with her was, I believe, the reason I was SUPPOSED to get frustrated with her: Because her new age-like belief system basically brainwashed her and she couldn’t even consider the idea that the leader of her false religion might not be the wonderful person she thought he was, even when the truth was staring her in the face because that very same man was trying to lie about and wipe out an entire race of people. Even then, I appreciated that Maryn wasn’t turned into a caricature, she was still a human with strengths and weaknesses and an ability to learn and change, like anyone else. I especially enjoyed her interactions with the Boh-Dabar himself and how he clearly knew and loved her even when she didn't believe in him.
Even our Sentinel characters weren’t perfect. I liked how Tyers showed that even the people we love can make mistakes and have imperfect beliefs that need to be confronted. When the Boh-Dabar made himself known I truly loved how the reactions of the Sentinel’s reflected what I’ve learned about how the Jewish people reacted to Jesus when He announced Himself. Some believed easily while others, even the religious leaders who were steeped in the Scriptures daily, struggled to believe or even thought He was a false prophet. Others believed but didn’t quite have the correct understanding of what, exactly, Christ came to Earth to do. We see all of that on display here with the Sentinels, even amongst Firebird and Brennan’s family.
Now, if you know the story of Jesus’ time on Earth, there are parts of this story that you’ll be able to predict, but I still enjoyed seeing it afresh and seeing how Tyers handled it in the scifi setting.
I won’t spoil things (please note that my content advisory does include spoilers by necessity, so unless you’re concerned about content, it’s probably better to skip that if you want to avoid spoilers) but I truly enjoyed how all of it was handled. As Tyers herself said, it’s just a really interesting and imaginative exercise in “what if.” I also ADORED how it ultimately brought Firebird’s story to a conclusion. Even though the story wasn’t about her and was only partially from her perspective, Tyers didn’t forget the one who started this series and the end was just so beautiful. To paraphrase the story, the girl who was meant to die not only lived, but lived to become part of the story of the Boh-Dabar. Gah, I just loved it so much!
I’m so glad to have finally read this series and that I enjoyed it so much. This was such a wonderful and truly epic conclusion and I absolutely see why it’s one of the books that set the bar for quality Christian scifi.
If you haven’t heard, Kathy Tyers has now signed with Enclave Publishing to write a NEW trilogy set in the world of Firebird! I have no idea what she’s going to do next, but whatever it is, I know it’ll be amazing and that I can’t wait to read it!!!
Content Advisory:
I recommend this book (and the series overall) for older teens and adults. At the least, the spiritual themes and symbols in this book especially would likely go way over the heads of younger children and certain other things might be strange or frightening for them.
Language:
None besides some made-up phrases and I don’t even remember any being present here.
Romance/Sexual
This is adult fiction and there are hints of sensuality, but never anything overly descriptive.
Married couples kiss and it’s hinted now and then that they spent intimate time together, but such intimacy always occurs completely off the page.
A non-Sentinel woman who feels attracted to a Sentinel man wants to “comfort” him after he experiences a loss but he explains what she already knows which is that the Sentinel people believe God intended intimacy to be enjoyed within marriage only.
Violence:
As with the previous books, there are lots of threats of violence but most of the actual occurrences of violence in this book happen off the page. For example, someone is stabbed through the heart with a lightsaber-like device but we only find out about the death when the person’s spouse in another location goes into “bereavement shock”.
Someone has a vision in which he sees from the perspective of one of the sacrificial animals (a version of the sacrifices in the Old Testament of the Bible) when its throat is cut. Pain and blood are briefly described.
A mummified body is described.
A character is implied to have been shot to death with a laser gun.
Crucifiction isn’t done in the world of the book so the Boh-Dabar’s sacrifice occurs in a different way.
Drug/Alcohol:
Mainly just mention of medical drugs, however there are some instances where the villain forces drugs on certain Sentinels (they’re rendered unconscious and given the drugs) in order to kill off that organ in their brain that gives them their Jedi-like power.
Spiritual/Magic:
This series is Christian fiction and there are many faith themes. Some characters pray and some hear the voice of God either in their hearts or with their ears.
Once character follows a belief system that feels a bit like New Age-ism with its meditations and tenants that she repeats to herself about being “a spark of undying light” and self empowerment, and all that. The issues with her beliefs slowly crop up, especially when she realizes that her belief system’s focus on self and self empowerment may well have “empowered” her own parents to disown her when it became convenient to them.
As in the previous books, Sentinels are Jedi-like individuals with Force-like abilities to move things without touching them and read the minds of others. However, where Star Wars Jedi have the supernatural “Force” as their power source, Sentinels got their abilities because of genetic experimentation.
Like in the previous book, there is a character here who is possessed by a “Shadow” (aka a demon) and this is, again, handled in a biblical manner.
SPOILER:
In this book, the prophesied Boh-Dabar (this world’s version of Christ) appears. The story shows how different people, believers and unbelievers alike, react to this and choose to believe or not believe. As the author states in her note at the end of the book, this is a big “what if” exercise imagining how, if Jesus had waited to come until the space age, specific events may have played out differently but God’s character remains the same always. The end of the book combines Tyers stated that she doesn’t intend this to be a prediction or anything like that. It’s just a big, fictional exercise in “what if.”
Wow. That was amazing. Such a large book, but I never felt like any of it was unnecessary. A well-told story, intellectually stimulating as a theological what-if, while also bringing together all the threads from the previous books into one place.
In book 4 I was a little sad that Firebird and Brennan barely got cameos even while I enjoyed getting to know their adult twins, but that wasn’t an issue with this book. Everybody was together and had things to do here. I also liked (even as I was occasionally frustrated by) the new character, Maryn. (Spelling?) The reason I liked her even while getting frustrated with her is because I liked the contrast she brought to the story. She was a friend of one of the Firebird’s grandchildren and, after getting disowned by her parents, her friend invited her to travel on a Sentinel vessel to get where she needed to go to start over. However, an emergency caused the ship to go to the Sentinel planet instead, and it was interesting seeing the Sentinel culture thought the eyes of someone who followed a different (false) religion.
The reason I got frustrated with her was, I believe, the reason I was SUPPOSED to get frustrated with her: Because her new age-like belief system basically brainwashed her and she couldn’t even consider the idea that the leader of her false religion might not be the wonderful person she thought he was, even when the truth was staring her in the face because that very same man was trying to lie about and wipe out an entire race of people. Even then, I appreciated that Maryn wasn’t turned into a caricature, she was still a human with strengths and weaknesses and an ability to learn and change, like anyone else. I especially enjoyed her interactions with the Boh-Dabar himself and how he clearly knew and loved her even when she didn't believe in him.
Even our Sentinel characters weren’t perfect. I liked how Tyers showed that even the people we love can make mistakes and have imperfect beliefs that need to be confronted. When the Boh-Dabar made himself known I truly loved how the reactions of the Sentinel’s reflected what I’ve learned about how the Jewish people reacted to Jesus when He announced Himself. Some believed easily while others, even the religious leaders who were steeped in the Scriptures daily, struggled to believe or even thought He was a false prophet. Others believed but didn’t quite have the correct understanding of what, exactly, Christ came to Earth to do. We see all of that on display here with the Sentinels, even amongst Firebird and Brennan’s family.
Now, if you know the story of Jesus’ time on Earth, there are parts of this story that you’ll be able to predict, but I still enjoyed seeing it afresh and seeing how Tyers handled it in the scifi setting.
I won’t spoil things (please note that my content advisory does include spoilers by necessity, so unless you’re concerned about content, it’s probably better to skip that if you want to avoid spoilers) but I truly enjoyed how all of it was handled. As Tyers herself said, it’s just a really interesting and imaginative exercise in “what if.” I also ADORED how it ultimately brought Firebird’s story to a conclusion. Even though the story wasn’t about her and was only partially from her perspective, Tyers didn’t forget the one who started this series and the end was just so beautiful. To paraphrase the story, the girl who was meant to die not only lived, but lived to become part of the story of the Boh-Dabar. Gah, I just loved it so much!
I’m so glad to have finally read this series and that I enjoyed it so much. This was such a wonderful and truly epic conclusion and I absolutely see why it’s one of the books that set the bar for quality Christian scifi.
If you haven’t heard, Kathy Tyers has now signed with Enclave Publishing to write a NEW trilogy set in the world of Firebird! I have no idea what she’s going to do next, but whatever it is, I know it’ll be amazing and that I can’t wait to read it!!!
Content Advisory:
I recommend this book (and the series overall) for older teens and adults. At the least, the spiritual themes and symbols in this book especially would likely go way over the heads of younger children and certain other things might be strange or frightening for them.
Language:
None besides some made-up phrases and I don’t even remember any being present here.
Romance/Sexual
This is adult fiction and there are hints of sensuality, but never anything overly descriptive.
Married couples kiss and it’s hinted now and then that they spent intimate time together, but such intimacy always occurs completely off the page.
A non-Sentinel woman who feels attracted to a Sentinel man wants to “comfort” him after he experiences a loss but he explains what she already knows which is that the Sentinel people believe God intended intimacy to be enjoyed within marriage only.
Violence:
As with the previous books, there are lots of threats of violence but most of the actual occurrences of violence in this book happen off the page. For example, someone is stabbed through the heart with a lightsaber-like device but we only find out about the death when the person’s spouse in another location goes into “bereavement shock”.
Someone has a vision in which he sees from the perspective of one of the sacrificial animals (a version of the sacrifices in the Old Testament of the Bible) when its throat is cut. Pain and blood are briefly described.
A mummified body is described.
A character is implied to have been shot to death with a laser gun.
Crucifiction isn’t done in the world of the book so the Boh-Dabar’s sacrifice occurs in a different way.
Drug/Alcohol:
Mainly just mention of medical drugs, however there are some instances where the villain forces drugs on certain Sentinels (they’re rendered unconscious and given the drugs) in order to kill off that organ in their brain that gives them their Jedi-like power.
Spiritual/Magic:
This series is Christian fiction and there are many faith themes. Some characters pray and some hear the voice of God either in their hearts or with their ears.
Once character follows a belief system that feels a bit like New Age-ism with its meditations and tenants that she repeats to herself about being “a spark of undying light” and self empowerment, and all that. The issues with her beliefs slowly crop up, especially when she realizes that her belief system’s focus on self and self empowerment may well have “empowered” her own parents to disown her when it became convenient to them.
As in the previous books, Sentinels are Jedi-like individuals with Force-like abilities to move things without touching them and read the minds of others. However, where Star Wars Jedi have the supernatural “Force” as their power source, Sentinels got their abilities because of genetic experimentation.
Like in the previous book, there is a character here who is possessed by a “Shadow” (aka a demon) and this is, again, handled in a biblical manner.
SPOILER:
In this book, the prophesied Boh-Dabar (this world’s version of Christ) appears. The story shows how different people, believers and unbelievers alike, react to this and choose to believe or not believe. As the author states in her note at the end of the book, this is a big “what if” exercise imagining how, if Jesus had waited to come until the space age, specific events may have played out differently but God’s character remains the same always. The end of the book combines Tyers stated that she doesn’t intend this to be a prediction or anything like that. It’s just a big, fictional exercise in “what if.”
April 24, 2014
Five stars just aren't enough for Kathy Tyers remarkable conclusion to the Firebird series. It's been a long time since I read a novel that was so engrossing and so encouraging. I'm not one for reading lengthy books, but in this case I ploughed through the pages, barely even noticing the six hundred plus pages. In fact, the only complaint that I have about Daystar is that it ended at all. Having finished the Firebird series I can only cling to the solace that I do own all of the Firebird books and can reread them anytime.
September 8, 2022
The Whorl has turned against the Sentinel people. Fearing their mental abilities and not trusting them to hold to their codes, the Federates have begun a cure for the telepathic race. Little do the Feds realize, however, just how close the Caldwell prophesies are to being fulfilled. When a stranger appears at the Sentinels’ sanctuary world, claiming to be their long-awaited Boh-Dabar, will the chosen people follow him, or will they fall into history along with the rest of the Whorl?
Years have passed between the end of Wind and Shadow and the beginning of Daystar. Sometimes this much of a time jump during a series doesn’t work well, or rubs the reader the wrong way. In this case, however, such a leap forward is necessary to the story. The nature of the Caldwell family prophesy necessitates that the characters in Wind and Shadow have offspring of their own that have entered adulthood, so of course the story would have to jump ahead many years.
This book is possibly the best of the Firebird series. Certainly it brings many things together from the past installments, and also finally gets to the heart of the concept of the series: the speculation of how things might have happened if the Messiah hadn’t come when He did in human history, but rather had waited until mankind had expanded into space. That being said, in my mind I was picturing the book as a retelling of the story of Christ; however, that is not correct. There are certainly similarities in this story to that laid out in the Gospels, but as the author states at the end of the book, this story is told based on the assumption that God would not necessarily do things the same way as He did them, were He to do them at a different time and place.
This is not in any way a detriment to the story; rather, there are elements that I was not looking forward to that are not actually present in Daystar, because the author is speculating in the story, not retelling the same story as if it took place in space. This makes the book that much more enjoyable.
The story starts out a little slow; or rather, it takes a little bit of time to really get into it. But once that point happens, the rest of the story pulls the reader in. There may be major spoilers present from here on out in the review, in order to properly cover the book. Daystar draws out in its readers that longing for everything to be set right, for justice to be done, for humanity to be reconciled to its Creator. Of course, not everyone in the real world desires this, and that tragedy is also depicted in this book. One of the primary characters rejects the Boh Dabar, even going so far as thinking that being in a place away from his presence would be preferable to being in his presence.
That being said, most of the characters do side with Boh Dabar, which makes the ending of this book incredibly satisfying to read. There is such a sense of hope and excitement present at the end, a longing for the age to come. Along with Arena by Karen Hancock, Daystar is the best book I’ve read recently. Both of these books draw the reader toward a more holy life, a desire to live in a way that brings glory to our Creator, and enlivens the hope that I as a Christian have for life beyond this present world and all of its problems.
In some ways, I would liken this book to The Burning White by Brent Weeks. That book has a very good redemption arc to it, but in order to truly appreciate it, the reader has to slog through a morass. Daystar provides one with that same sense of fulfillment and redemption, but without having to wade through a cesspool to get there. If you want a story that draws you in, with characters you can really care about, and that has an underlying theme of restoration and hope, Daystar will not disappoint.
Years have passed between the end of Wind and Shadow and the beginning of Daystar. Sometimes this much of a time jump during a series doesn’t work well, or rubs the reader the wrong way. In this case, however, such a leap forward is necessary to the story. The nature of the Caldwell family prophesy necessitates that the characters in Wind and Shadow have offspring of their own that have entered adulthood, so of course the story would have to jump ahead many years.
This book is possibly the best of the Firebird series. Certainly it brings many things together from the past installments, and also finally gets to the heart of the concept of the series: the speculation of how things might have happened if the Messiah hadn’t come when He did in human history, but rather had waited until mankind had expanded into space. That being said, in my mind I was picturing the book as a retelling of the story of Christ; however, that is not correct. There are certainly similarities in this story to that laid out in the Gospels, but as the author states at the end of the book, this story is told based on the assumption that God would not necessarily do things the same way as He did them, were He to do them at a different time and place.
This is not in any way a detriment to the story; rather, there are elements that I was not looking forward to that are not actually present in Daystar, because the author is speculating in the story, not retelling the same story as if it took place in space. This makes the book that much more enjoyable.
The story starts out a little slow; or rather, it takes a little bit of time to really get into it. But once that point happens, the rest of the story pulls the reader in. There may be major spoilers present from here on out in the review, in order to properly cover the book. Daystar draws out in its readers that longing for everything to be set right, for justice to be done, for humanity to be reconciled to its Creator. Of course, not everyone in the real world desires this, and that tragedy is also depicted in this book. One of the primary characters rejects the Boh Dabar, even going so far as thinking that being in a place away from his presence would be preferable to being in his presence.
That being said, most of the characters do side with Boh Dabar, which makes the ending of this book incredibly satisfying to read. There is such a sense of hope and excitement present at the end, a longing for the age to come. Along with Arena by Karen Hancock, Daystar is the best book I’ve read recently. Both of these books draw the reader toward a more holy life, a desire to live in a way that brings glory to our Creator, and enlivens the hope that I as a Christian have for life beyond this present world and all of its problems.
In some ways, I would liken this book to The Burning White by Brent Weeks. That book has a very good redemption arc to it, but in order to truly appreciate it, the reader has to slog through a morass. Daystar provides one with that same sense of fulfillment and redemption, but without having to wade through a cesspool to get there. If you want a story that draws you in, with characters you can really care about, and that has an underlying theme of restoration and hope, Daystar will not disappoint.
February 27, 2021
It was a decent end to the series, but a bit underwhelming unfortunately. I think of the series I liked book 4 the best. If you are looking for explicitly Christian science fiction, I'd recommend this series but not to a general sci-fi fan. I appreciate what the author was doing though and thought that the series was helpful in bringing light to theological questions that aren't often explored in literature.
January 21, 2019
Tyers's tackling of a Messianic character is amazing. I have not seen this fully done except in allegory and was very excited to read this. As usual, Tyers offers compelling characters, an interesting world, and in-depth, interesting plotlines. Again, I am impressed with Tyers's bravery!
October 1, 2020
It was better than the previous book, but the characters were still very annoying. And parts of it were very hard to follow. As with the previous book, some editing would have gone a long ways to correct the grammatical mistakes and make it more enjoyable.
February 8, 2017
A good read, but not quite as crisp a read as the earlier novels in the series.
February 10, 2020
This series was intriguing and highly entertaining. However, the ending left me just a little dissatisfied because a couple of the story threads that I was interested in didn't go anywhere.
November 23, 2016
Great series, sad to see it end
I first read this series when I found the first book, Firebird. I really liked the first three books in the series; Firebird, Fusion Fire, and Crown of Fire. So when I saw there were two new ones available, I was excited to read them.
I was a little disappointed. After Kathy Tyres' earlier books, this one seemed boring, for most of the book. I found the character Kinnor Caldwell, while supposed to be the hero, very cold, calculating, and difficult to root for. Ditto in this book, but he shows some redeeming qualities at the end. Again, disappointing, because after reading about the birth of the twins Kiel and Kinnor, I was excited to read about what kind of adults they had turned into.
Nevertheless, I'm giving this five stars because this was still a great series overall, and the final book ties it all up nicely. As a writer myself, I realize that you can't please everyone, all the time. So I'm giving it five stars. I recommend reading the series from the beginning, it will make more sense to you.
I first read this series when I found the first book, Firebird. I really liked the first three books in the series; Firebird, Fusion Fire, and Crown of Fire. So when I saw there were two new ones available, I was excited to read them.
I was a little disappointed. After Kathy Tyres' earlier books, this one seemed boring, for most of the book. I found the character Kinnor Caldwell, while supposed to be the hero, very cold, calculating, and difficult to root for. Ditto in this book, but he shows some redeeming qualities at the end. Again, disappointing, because after reading about the birth of the twins Kiel and Kinnor, I was excited to read about what kind of adults they had turned into.
Nevertheless, I'm giving this five stars because this was still a great series overall, and the final book ties it all up nicely. As a writer myself, I realize that you can't please everyone, all the time. So I'm giving it five stars. I recommend reading the series from the beginning, it will make more sense to you.
April 23, 2012
I have been reading Kathy's books since I discovered the Firebird series in high school. To have her conclude this truly epic saga with Daystar is satisfying to say the least.
In Daystar, Kathy's strengths as a writer truly shine, while also venturing into more speculative ground. In a universe where mankind has developed space travel before the coming of the Messiah, the alternate history developed by Kathy is both thought-provoking and well rounded.
With Daystar being a more ensemble cast (of old characters and new!), this was still a well developed character story with fast paced plotting and marvelous conclusions. Her depiction of an alternate Jesus-timeline were both satisfying and challenging.
Possibly the only sour note is that this is the last book in the series -- and after spending years with these characters, saying goodbye is bittersweet.
I would highly recommend the Firebird series to Kathy. She doesn't disappoint, even to the very end.
In Daystar, Kathy's strengths as a writer truly shine, while also venturing into more speculative ground. In a universe where mankind has developed space travel before the coming of the Messiah, the alternate history developed by Kathy is both thought-provoking and well rounded.
With Daystar being a more ensemble cast (of old characters and new!), this was still a well developed character story with fast paced plotting and marvelous conclusions. Her depiction of an alternate Jesus-timeline were both satisfying and challenging.
Possibly the only sour note is that this is the last book in the series -- and after spending years with these characters, saying goodbye is bittersweet.
I would highly recommend the Firebird series to Kathy. She doesn't disappoint, even to the very end.
July 25, 2013
Daystar by Kathy Tyers definitely touches a spiritual cord, while taking the reader on a fast paced adventure to unknown galaxies. Even at a daunting 650 pages, the story maintained a great pace and was engaging throughout. There was enough pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo (which Sci-fi writers are famous for) to make the story seem plausible, yet not so much to overwhelm the reader. Her attention to detail was amazing (perhaps one reason for the length of the book) and her descriptions were very visual. Included in the book is a wide cast of characters that were very well developed and the story line was complex. There was romance, intrigue, sabotage - everything to make the book interesting. The book is a Biblical allegory, there is no doubt about that. Although this was fairly obvious early on in the reading, there were enough surprises and imaginative ways of presenting the analogies, that it remained fresh and unpredictable.
August 12, 2012
I have loved the Firebird saga for many years, and while I was looking forward to this final chapter in the series, I was also a little bit reluctant to read it. It is, after all, THE END.
But I have to say, since reading it, that it is the most satisfying ending I could hope for, and I couldn't imagine it finishing any other way.
I was also delighted to read the very last line of this book, bringing it full circle to the last line of Firebird (#1), itself. You'll know it when you see it.
It's an alternate universe retelling of the journey of faith. I am very familiar with the elements that were revealed, and drew the parallels quite easily, but even knowing how events were likely to unfold didn't stop me from feeling the emotion every step of the way.
I am now tempted to start from the beginning again and read it all again!
But I have to say, since reading it, that it is the most satisfying ending I could hope for, and I couldn't imagine it finishing any other way.
I was also delighted to read the very last line of this book, bringing it full circle to the last line of Firebird (#1), itself. You'll know it when you see it.
It's an alternate universe retelling of the journey of faith. I am very familiar with the elements that were revealed, and drew the parallels quite easily, but even knowing how events were likely to unfold didn't stop me from feeling the emotion every step of the way.
I am now tempted to start from the beginning again and read it all again!
January 27, 2015
A fabulous end to this renowned series. I was enthralled through every page and had tears in my eyes during the last. Kathy Tyers has truly created a masterpiece worth re-reading in the Firebird series, and Daystar is a rich, satisfying conclusion. UPDATE: Read through this a second time, and it was just as great as the first. If not more so since I read the whole series one right after the other, which helped me understand the characters so much better. I found myself almost tearing up at times as it's such a beautiful picture of the hope we have in Christ.
February 19, 2013
Can I have more stars? Five is not enough!!! This conclusion to all the stories of the Firebird universe is simply amazing. Once I got started, I couldn't put it down. Ms. Tryes draws in characters from far back in the series, from Tel Tellai to Rava, and shows us what happens to them. I may think of something later, but at this point, I can't think of a single character or plot line I wanted to know the end to that isn't dealt with here and satisfyingly concluded.
April 21, 2016
This fifth book in the Firebird series is a wonderful retelling of the Messiah story. But, because the whole story world is different, it allows the reader to appreciate it from a fresh perspective. The author's excellent storytelling skills really shine in this well-written, completely engaging read.
May 29, 2012
An excellent conclusion to an excellent series!
April 12, 2017
An amazing finale to the Firebird books.
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