Falling Stars

Firestar #4

by Michael Flynn

In the early years of the 21st century humanity has advanced step by slow step into space, but has discovered through constant monitoring of the heavens that certain asteroids have changed their orbits and are headed for horrifying impact with Earth. Urgent action is required, but politics and a worldwide financial crash get in the way. The members of the van Huyten family, led by matriarch Mariesa who heads the vast space industry complex she has spent her life developing, the Pooles with their computer and security expertise, many political movers and shakers and dedicated pilots and space travelers of all stripes must pull together to save humanity from disaster. From the government offices and factories of Earth, to the Low Earth Orbit station, to manufacturing facilities on the moon, all of space-going humanity is united in an epic effort to save the planet from certain destruction and a new Dark Age, or perhaps even the extinction of all life on Earth.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space Opera, Near Future, Hard Science Fiction

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. Please see this page for the list of authors.

Michael Francis Flynn (born 1947) is an American statistician and science fiction author. Nearly all of Flynn's work falls under the category of hard science fiction, although his treatment of it can be unusual since he has applied the rigor of hard science fiction to "softer" sciences such as sociology in works such as In the Country of the Blind. Much of his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact.

Flynn was born in Easton, Pennsylvania. He earned a B.A. in Mathematics from LaSalle University and an M.S. in topology from Marquette University. He has been employed as an industrial quality engineer and statistician.

Library of Congress authorities: Flynn, Michael (Michael F.)

Reviews

[Jamie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flynn is an excellent writer, and this is a very nice conclusion to the Firestar series, which was begun in the 90's as near-future hard science fiction but is rapidly becoming alternate history. The books really need to be read in order.

In this final entry, space industry matriarch Mariesa Van Huyten's nightmare has come true with a twist that even she didn't imagine: not only is the planet endangered by an impact from an asteroid, but the evidence indicates that the object has been deliberately aimed at Earth. Largely thanks to her tireless efforts, mankind has the capability to possibly intercept it and avoid disaster.

The cast of characters now spans three generations: Van Huyten and her peers, who established a profitable, privately owned space program, and the test pilots who flew the first reusable spacecraft; "Mariesa's kids", graduates of her privately funded school who became engineers and pilots and code crackers and artists; and the young Academy graduates who have grown up with the now realistic dream of going into space.

I have to point out that the cover art is ridiculous. What's with those cartoonish spandex space suits with the clear bubble helmets? This book is set in 2017, not in 2517. They should be wearing suits not much different from what you see NASA astronauts wearing today. The artwork is disrespectful of the most compelling element of the Firestar series, its realism. Fans of the modern-day space program will be moved by the plausible alternate history established in these books and left frustrated that we don't have a real-life Mariesa Van Huyten to push, pull and prod mankind out into the solar system.

[Anatoly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than the previous book in the series and a fine conclusion.

Alas, even after this many books, the narrator, Malcolm Hillgartner, cannot pronounce any of the Russian phrases that are plentiful in this series, a shame.

[Darryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concluding novel is this series finally picks up the pace, though I felt like many of the characters were simply used as a means to move the story forward. I wish the focus had stayed on Marisa versus focusing on Jimmy Poole. There are many secondary characters in this series, and throughout the series they were given depth and backstories, yet once their purpose was served in the plot progression, they disappeared towards the end. Some of the major events that happen in the story also seem to take a backseat to character subplots/development.

Michael Flynn wrote a spanning future vision of how the industry and politics are intertwined with technology. I am interested to read more of Flynn's novels.

[Woolstar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the other three books a long time ago, so the characters and their conflicts weren't as recognizable; but there's enough reflecting in here between characters, that you are reminded of the past frequently.

The characters have grown up some, and the old guard seems to be relegated to window dressing mostly.

There's more action in space, and a bit of cowboy rescue, but Flynn likes writing tragedy, and this one is no different.

[Juan Sanmiguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mariesa van Huyten and her associates try to stop an asteroid from colliding with the Earth. The obstacles preventing this from happening are more political and economical than technical. There are some great moments such as the second Far Trip expedition and the resolution of the asteroid problem. This the end of the series for now. Flynn can continue if he wishes since there are still some unresolved questions. I hope he comes back to resolve them.

[Myo Denis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Gem from Michael Flynn

I have somehow missed the other volumes of the "Firestar Saga", but if I needed any encouragement to look them up, there's plenty here. This is first-rate space opera, with a good dose of hard science, and served to confirm my high estimation of the author. I am looking forward to whatever is next.

[Kieran Nurmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disappointing climax to an engaging series. While the world building remains solid, the character development and story have suffered. Characters feel hollow with chase and Jimmy being the only ones who get fleshing out. I'd have liked to have seen another book in this series to see where the consequences of this one resulted in, but the epilogue just ends on 'the adventure continues'

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fitting conclusion to a flawed gem of a series. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a near-future hard-scifi epic that can put up with generally well written characters that occasionally get involved in poorly written romantic entanglements.

[Lisa Liel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful finish to a wonderful series.

[Tyson Diener · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing end to the series!

[Guido]

Why you might like it: Conclusion with systems consequences. Rubric match: not yet scored. Uses your engineering/rigor/first-contact/world-building rubric. Tags: near-future, space-program

[Noah Rosenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to say bravo, while the writers name may resemble a monsters, I believe they are separate people. Even if both of the Mike Flynns be the same, these books were good. Some out dated language for sure, but I think the stories stand as an extraordinary and epic story, that was complex and supple. Hard to predict and beautifully written with one of the best descriptions of what alien intelligence would be if we ever met it. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and thank the writer for their work.

[Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Near future SciFi has seldom been done better. Flynn takes us on an epic journey only hinted at in the humble beginnings of the first book. A millionairess has a hidden fear, almost an obsession. She is afraid that an asteroid has the potential to wipe out humanity by striking the Earth. While her fear is no doubt well founded, it takes extreme expressions in her, and she uses her fortune to build up a huge aerospace industry. The series consists of:

* Firestar
* Rogue Star
* Lodestar
* Falling Stars

What really makes this series great is the variety and richness of the many characters (from the second book, a Dramatis Personae is thankfully provided). The antagonisms and alliances flow over decades as Flynn deftly describes human nature, and the many things which make up its facets. Many novels have (too) many characters, but in almost all cases the majority are not fully fleshed out and threedimensional. Flynn’s wonderful character are these things. They have a past, motivations, goals and aspirations.

It is also quite remarkable how Flynn manages to weave together the many strands of his story into one whole, making this more than just a massive work of Science Fiction. It is, in fact, a story about ordinary people who, each in his or her own way, faces extraordinary personal and professional challenges in a changing society.

My only, very small, gripe with the series is how it loses a bit of steam in the third book. However, seen as a whole, the entire story is outstanding.

And yes, the last two covers are horrible and have very little to do with the books. Pah!

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=175

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Falling Stars" is book 4 of the series by Michael Flynn. If you have read this far you know that this isn't necessarily a space adventure. It's an alternate history of the space program if it had been driven mostly by the private sector.

The Story: It is clear that "The Bean" is headed toward Earth and if it hits it seems likely that this will be the end of Earth. If not, their are others lined up to hit them, all set up by some ancient Visitor as a test.

Any problems with this book? If you've stuck with the series this far then no. No problems. The main characters have mellowed a lot as they've become older but some of the conflict seems forced. Nevertheless the ending seems reasonable if not particularly satisfying for me. There is one more sequel but I'm going to stop now. They wound up most of the threads set in the first book. I'm going to give it a rest.

I'm glad I read the series. I had a bad opinion of the author early on due to reading another of his books but this series as reasonably satisfying.

I hope that wasn't damnation with faint praise. I really am glad I read the series. If anyone is interested in the series, read the first book "Firestar". If you like it, keep going, but it's going to be more of the same throughout. Just so you know.

[Max Savenkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful conclusion to a very good series. I just wish Flynn told us a bit more about the future that comes after this book or wrote the fifth book.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 4th in the series, ending with a hopeful note even after all the sacrifices and drama in this first contact scenario. Politics still endangers the effort to intercept the Bean and either stop or redirect it and it's sister asteroids heading towards the Earth. Nonetheless, a second team lands and discovers what is left of the alien control room and maintenance system, but seemingly can't overcome the old commands and stop it from pummeling humanity. Tommy Poole sails a new tech ship to rescue the day and then he and Chase Coughlin overcome their teen rivalry and save the day after some harrowing challenges like being marooned. Plausible science (the author notes that several ideas had already come into being before the publishing process was over) and enough action, drama, and personal introspection give this an old-fashioned air like many of the classic novels that gave science fiction it's name.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like Lodestar, I enjoyed this story but its flaws were pretty distracting. Falling Stars also suffered from feeling overly drawn out and contrived. As well, each of the books in this series seem to end at the middle of the climax, then skip forward a few years to obliquely reference only enough of the conclusion to get a vague idea of the resolution. I found this irritating and disappointing. The Firestar series is well written and covers a variety of different aspects of the society in the story (science, politics, music, poetry, fashion, etc) in order to provide a fuller exploration of the culture represented. Yet, I found much to be overly contrived and as I have mentioned in earlier reviews - some aspects of the plot I find dangerous and disturbing, namely that deranged Plutocrats will make the difference to save and improve mankind.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last book in the four book Firestar series.

This was an extremely satisfying series that is a near-future look at space travel. I enjoyed it both for the solid science and ideas behind it and also for the characters. The series follows a core group of people of a couple of generations and has added to this group throughout the novels. I like the character-centric feel of Flynn's books that make you feel more like you are reading an in-depth biographical history than a science-laden story. The growth and the changes in the characters over the decades provides much of then tensions in the story. Yet also as SF novels they are very fulfilling. Just a great and worthwhile series.

[Sabion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this series when it was originally published in the 90's and thought then that it could have been a road-map to the future of space exploration. I never finished the final book then and it looked like the future of space was uncertain. When I finally got back to these books (listing to all 4 at Audible) if find that Mr. Flynn was more prescient than I had even hoped in 1997. From the beginning of Firestar I could not help but replace the "Rich Lady" with Elon Musk and his grand dreams for space. Advance the plot of these novels 15 years and I think that they are still giving us a glimpse of the future that lays before us.

[John (JP) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic ending to this 4 book saga. Flynn brings this saga to a truly satisfying end. There was a good balance between action, character development, and political intrigue. I found that I enjoyed the perspectives of the female leading characters and that their place in the story did not come at the expense of the male characters. Each of the main characters has their moment of crisis and given a chance for redemption. The technology seem believable and a natural out growth of previously mentioned tech.My only gripes about this series is that we never hear from the aliens who are sending the asteroids toward Earth and that unlike other first contact novels this series was too short.

[Joanne Pascoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last book in the Firestar series. Lots of action. Mariesa's "children" have matured, and are propagating her vision. There are hints of a future, without leaving the reader hanging.

[Loraxe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit that I have not read the other books in this series, so I am not sure how that would change my rating, but I did enjoy the book more than much modern sci fi. The Science seemed well thought out, and the world itself was well created but the plot was fairly thin and the ending fizzled.

I wanted to like the characters but they would have been more believable had the author stopped telling us what they were like and just showed us.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 3 out of 5]

And this concludes my re-reading of the series ... I think I have to agree with many other reviewers that the series started well but ... the ending was unsatisfying.

[Paul, · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book and a worthy conclusion to a good series. It does not have the novel ideas of Firestar, but the characters make the reading worth the time.

[Keith B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great end to the series. Each book is over 500 pages so takes some time to get through but well worth it. Nuggets of wisdom and insight through character development.

[Shaft · Rating 4 out of 5]

The actual ending was a little disappointing and felt strangely out of place but the book itself was another great instalment of a compelling story. I am sad that it is at an end.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the slang and a lot of the political and international developments that Flynn projects make the book seem dated and a bit silly. But the story was satisfying and the characters engaging.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long series, good character development and plotting. I only wish real tech development went as smoothly.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, fine roundup to this excellent series. Time for a reread?

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong conclusion to the series. I love how the author pushed the character development and made leading characters out of what at first were shallow individuals, showing deeper layers. I would live to see more though, and find out about the alien threat.