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Starstuff #1
Starstuff
Abandoned and deprived of his legacy, one boy must cross the galaxy to save the father he never knew…
Petrick longs for a life outside his backwater orphanage. In his parentless prison, even talking with his friends about the science that spurred space travel and colonization is forbidden. When Petrick sleeps at night and dreams, he envisions lessons from the most famous scientist of the fringe worlds: his father.
On one fateful night, the lessons turn into cries for help, and it’s up to Petrick, his dog, and his friends to escape and find his father. But the worlds beyond their home planet are more treacherous than they ever could have imagined. On their quest, they encounter space pirates, advanced androids, and growing unrest that could tear the galaxy apart.
As he moves closer to finding his father, revelations arise that could put the entire journey in jeopardy. The success of his quest may lie in discovering that blood isn’t the only thing that determines your family…
Starstuff is an epic space opera perfect for readers of any age. If you like imaginative new worlds, plucky heroes, and adventures of galactic proportions, then you’ll love Ira Heinichen’s action-packed tale.
Read Starstuff today to take a journey you’ll never forget!
Petrick longs for a life outside his backwater orphanage. In his parentless prison, even talking with his friends about the science that spurred space travel and colonization is forbidden. When Petrick sleeps at night and dreams, he envisions lessons from the most famous scientist of the fringe worlds: his father.
On one fateful night, the lessons turn into cries for help, and it’s up to Petrick, his dog, and his friends to escape and find his father. But the worlds beyond their home planet are more treacherous than they ever could have imagined. On their quest, they encounter space pirates, advanced androids, and growing unrest that could tear the galaxy apart.
As he moves closer to finding his father, revelations arise that could put the entire journey in jeopardy. The success of his quest may lie in discovering that blood isn’t the only thing that determines your family…
Starstuff is an epic space opera perfect for readers of any age. If you like imaginative new worlds, plucky heroes, and adventures of galactic proportions, then you’ll love Ira Heinichen’s action-packed tale.
Read Starstuff today to take a journey you’ll never forget!
- GenresScience Fiction
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2017
51 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Ira Heinichen
12 books13 followersIra Heinichen is a writer / professional thumb wrestler living in Los Angeles. He is currently writing about himself using the third-person, pretending that it’s someone else, like he’s so important and busy that he needs other people to write these things for him (he doesn't). He’s also pretending about the “thumb wrestler” part of that first sentence. The writer part is true…but he’s probably blown that credibility already with the afore-mentioned mistruths.
I write SciFi books, I journal daily on my website, I host a podcast called “Film School,” and I live in Los Angeles with my amazing wife and my more-amazing dogs (sorry, Bear) Cooper, Joy, and forever in my heart, Coco (2014-2023).
I really hope you enjoy my stories 🙂
I write SciFi books, I journal daily on my website, I host a podcast called “Film School,” and I live in Los Angeles with my amazing wife and my more-amazing dogs (sorry, Bear) Cooper, Joy, and forever in my heart, Coco (2014-2023).
I really hope you enjoy my stories 🙂
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 13, 2017
If you are a fan of space opera and epic adventure stories like Star Wars, Star Trek, Stranger Things and the like, "Starstuff" is right up your alley. It has all the elements of what makes great sci-fi story appealing: a sense of grand adventure, drama, characters and cultures where traditional rules, norms and conformity of 'human life' dont apply and you are guided only by your imagination.
The book's protagonist is the young and intelligent Petrick. He is joined by a duo of friends, a cute dog and a handy android that provides comic relief as well as being very handy in tight situations. They go on an amazing and epic adventure in search of Petrick's father and a mysterious substance that is key to all power in the universe: simply called 'starstuff.'
Yet - at its core, this book is about friendship. Its about longing for family and a sense of purpose. Its about a child searching for meaning in his life and a father he has never met, yet feels like he knows intimately. Its unclear if the visions he has of his father whilst he dreams every night are real, a figment of his imagination, or some cruel / clever Artificial Intelligence planted in him by a mysterious force to guide him to seek his true purpose in the universe. That is the ultimate mystery of this book and its going to keep me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one.
If you are young, or just young at heart - you'll love Starstuff. But this is not a children's or YA book. Yes, its heroes are children on an epic space adventure featuring wonderful creatures, species and amazing technology. But the troubles and challenges our heroes face together are all too real. Its one of those rare books that can be enjoyed by young and older readers.
The book's protagonist is the young and intelligent Petrick. He is joined by a duo of friends, a cute dog and a handy android that provides comic relief as well as being very handy in tight situations. They go on an amazing and epic adventure in search of Petrick's father and a mysterious substance that is key to all power in the universe: simply called 'starstuff.'
Yet - at its core, this book is about friendship. Its about longing for family and a sense of purpose. Its about a child searching for meaning in his life and a father he has never met, yet feels like he knows intimately. Its unclear if the visions he has of his father whilst he dreams every night are real, a figment of his imagination, or some cruel / clever Artificial Intelligence planted in him by a mysterious force to guide him to seek his true purpose in the universe. That is the ultimate mystery of this book and its going to keep me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one.
If you are young, or just young at heart - you'll love Starstuff. But this is not a children's or YA book. Yes, its heroes are children on an epic space adventure featuring wonderful creatures, species and amazing technology. But the troubles and challenges our heroes face together are all too real. Its one of those rare books that can be enjoyed by young and older readers.
July 26, 2018
I’m a fan of startrek, Star Wars, stargate sg1, and it’s my first time with a sci-fi book, and loved it so very much. The Characters are stunning. I just loved the action scenes were well described. Amazing. Now I have to say goodbye, book 2 is awaiting.
December 6, 2017
Now this was a book I really enjoyed! Way to go, Ira Heinichen, I rarely write gushing reviews, and I am a hard man to impress.
This book was a sleeper for me. It was recommended by a science-fiction author that I really respect and enjoy. The reviews sold me, and I am really glad that I bought it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it left me greedily wanting for more, so I can't WAIT for The Red Tower, the second book in the series to come out.
I usually steer away from YA (young adult) books, even when they are in a favorite genre like S-F, but in this case, based upon the description of the book and the strength of the reviews, I went for it. I sucked this one down like a Hoover run amok! Gosh, I loved it! This was the one that I couldn't wait to get home and get to my reading time for. This was the one where I just HAD to stay up way too late and read as much as I could (just one more page... well, it's already so late, just one more chapter...)
Why did I love it so much? A few reasons. The first is that it is REALLY good, solid, first rate professional writing. There were very very few grammar, language, repeat/missing/wrong word due to spell checker issues. I mean darn few. Not even enough to annoy me. If the author cares enough to proof or get it proofed at a professional level, he goes up a notch in my esteem and respect. You got a lot of points there Ira.
Next, the characters: I mean, Suzy, Barry, and Petrick (not Patrick?!) And Haber the android? With a human name? And Clarke the android dog that acts 100% like a real dog? You would think that these were really very primitive characters, and not ones you would find on Mother Indacar. But there they were. And they were so well written, so believable, so likeable, so charismatic, they got me hook, line and reading budget (I am badly overdrawn on the reading budget. And sleep deprived). There was no stage direction, there were no props sticking out, no poor paint jobs. Just solid, consistent, real characters. Where did Barry get all those juice boxes? It just cracked me up. Balta the (not) pirate. Slink, the slithering reptile of a deputy. All of them were good, so good that I awarded this book 5 stars. And I don't do that often.
Thirdly, the story line, plot and action, the flow of the book was phenomenal. It hung together, it went from scene to scene, it had great flow, and it kept me turning the pages wanting to know more, wanting to know what would happen next.
In a way, Starstuff follows the paradigm of the mythic hero; there are good guys and villains, politically motivated, greedy and ignorant, religiously pious and plenty of virtual reality. And some of the tongue in cheek of calling FTL fuel "starstuff" just tickled my funny bone. A very irreverent quality in a fully G rated package. I really loved the book. Good going, Ira! Please would you deliver more as soon as possible?
For those of you on the fence; I am not a gushing man, I am not a flatterer, and as stated I am hard to impress. I have had my own professional writing and editing career and I am a perfectionist. That won't get you far in the universe of startup indie authors.
So my suggestion is invest. Invest in the author, invest in the entertainment of an excellent book, and of course invest in yourself. And buckle up for a wild ride!
This book is suitable for pretty much any age reader above about 10, tweens and teens included, and as I am an officially middle-aged man it works for adults too. Don't judge the book by it's genre! Buy it! Read it! Trust me, you'll love it! I put my money where my mouth is, I have already pre-ordered the next one!
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Geoff
This book was a sleeper for me. It was recommended by a science-fiction author that I really respect and enjoy. The reviews sold me, and I am really glad that I bought it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it left me greedily wanting for more, so I can't WAIT for The Red Tower, the second book in the series to come out.
I usually steer away from YA (young adult) books, even when they are in a favorite genre like S-F, but in this case, based upon the description of the book and the strength of the reviews, I went for it. I sucked this one down like a Hoover run amok! Gosh, I loved it! This was the one that I couldn't wait to get home and get to my reading time for. This was the one where I just HAD to stay up way too late and read as much as I could (just one more page... well, it's already so late, just one more chapter...)
Why did I love it so much? A few reasons. The first is that it is REALLY good, solid, first rate professional writing. There were very very few grammar, language, repeat/missing/wrong word due to spell checker issues. I mean darn few. Not even enough to annoy me. If the author cares enough to proof or get it proofed at a professional level, he goes up a notch in my esteem and respect. You got a lot of points there Ira.
Next, the characters: I mean, Suzy, Barry, and Petrick (not Patrick?!) And Haber the android? With a human name? And Clarke the android dog that acts 100% like a real dog? You would think that these were really very primitive characters, and not ones you would find on Mother Indacar. But there they were. And they were so well written, so believable, so likeable, so charismatic, they got me hook, line and reading budget (I am badly overdrawn on the reading budget. And sleep deprived). There was no stage direction, there were no props sticking out, no poor paint jobs. Just solid, consistent, real characters. Where did Barry get all those juice boxes? It just cracked me up. Balta the (not) pirate. Slink, the slithering reptile of a deputy. All of them were good, so good that I awarded this book 5 stars. And I don't do that often.
Thirdly, the story line, plot and action, the flow of the book was phenomenal. It hung together, it went from scene to scene, it had great flow, and it kept me turning the pages wanting to know more, wanting to know what would happen next.
In a way, Starstuff follows the paradigm of the mythic hero; there are good guys and villains, politically motivated, greedy and ignorant, religiously pious and plenty of virtual reality. And some of the tongue in cheek of calling FTL fuel "starstuff" just tickled my funny bone. A very irreverent quality in a fully G rated package. I really loved the book. Good going, Ira! Please would you deliver more as soon as possible?
For those of you on the fence; I am not a gushing man, I am not a flatterer, and as stated I am hard to impress. I have had my own professional writing and editing career and I am a perfectionist. That won't get you far in the universe of startup indie authors.
So my suggestion is invest. Invest in the author, invest in the entertainment of an excellent book, and of course invest in yourself. And buckle up for a wild ride!
This book is suitable for pretty much any age reader above about 10, tweens and teens included, and as I am an officially middle-aged man it works for adults too. Don't judge the book by it's genre! Buy it! Read it! Trust me, you'll love it! I put my money where my mouth is, I have already pre-ordered the next one!
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Geoff
February 3, 2019
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I started Starstuff - I know the author through social media and I read his blog so I originally set out reading it to be supportive. Fortunately I discovered a story that was rich with ideas, wonderful characters and an engaging cracking story.
I didn't realise that it was going to be a YA novel which is absolutely fine for me as I really enjoy the genre. The ideas in here were interesting and a universe is being developed that I look forward to revisiting in the future.
If you dig YA science fiction then I highly recommend.
I didn't realise that it was going to be a YA novel which is absolutely fine for me as I really enjoy the genre. The ideas in here were interesting and a universe is being developed that I look forward to revisiting in the future.
If you dig YA science fiction then I highly recommend.
March 19, 2018
Charming novel. Might've been slightly more interesting had it not been shackled with the constraints of being "YA," but the characters, setting and action was all very well constructed. Nicely integrates real science with imaginary concepts. Definitely something I would recommend to a kid.
November 17, 2018
Starstuff is an incredibly good book with an engaging story line that is refreshingly different. The intriguing plot takes you on a wild ride through the galaxy with three kids, a dog, two robots, and a grouchy overweight space pilot. The imagination of Ira Heinichen is extraordinary. His characters are well-developed and very real. The story is original and exciting with unexpected twists and turns that keeps the reader captivated from first page to last. He does an excellent job of world building, the imagery and settings are superb, making the reader feel as if he or she were there and a part of the action. Not only is this a fun and marvelous sci-fi book filled with robots, spaceships, and spine tingling action, but also is thought provoking, and filled with love and loyalty to family. Love and loyalty to not only traditional family but also to those wonderful people we meet in life that become our family. Those that we care for and love because of who they are, not because of blood ties. Starstuff is an outstanding book that can be read and enjoyed by everyone, young and old alike. Ira Heinichen may be a young new author, but he definitely has what it takes to become a best selling author for many years to come. He has become one of my favorite authors and I am impatiently waiting for his next book in this extraordinary series.
April 6, 2023
OK in Some Parts, Weird in General
This turned into something quite unexpected, and not all that pleasant. While out protagonists survive, the rising death toll doesn’t improve the story and the plot is rather nebulous and vague. Eventually I just wanted it to end.
This turned into something quite unexpected, and not all that pleasant. While out protagonists survive, the rising death toll doesn’t improve the story and the plot is rather nebulous and vague. Eventually I just wanted it to end.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews