Flight

The Starlore Legacy #2

by Chuck Black, Elena Karoumpali (Illustrator), Reese Black (Illustrator)

Ancient prophecies promise a future of hope, but who dares face the wrath of a powerful tyrant?

Daeson seeks the counsel of the oracle that propelled him into a life of ruin and terrifying adventure. But the ruthless Chancellor Lockridge offers no quarter to his life-long friend turned traitor. Lockridge's thirst for revenge spills the blood of thousands of innocent Rayleans, and Daeson bears the burden of global calamity. Rejected by all except the spirited Raviel, Daeson struggles to carry on. When the whispers of the Immortal Ell Yon beckon Daeson to a remote moon of the planet Mesos, he must find the courage to face his deepest fears. Can Daeson trust the words of an ancient Immortal and inspire the slaves of Jypton to rise up? Not only does the future of his people hang in the balance, but the entire galaxy as well!

Genres: Christian Fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Young Adult, Audiobook, Romance

260 pages, Paperback

Published April 3, 2020

About the author

Chuck Black first wrote Kingdom’s Edge to inspire his children to read the Bible with renewed zeal. This captivating expanded parable led him to write the Old Testament allegories, Kingdom’s Dawn, Kingdom’s Hope, Kingdom’s Call, and Kingdom’s Quest. Chuck's currents works include the Knights of Arrethtrae series, Call to Arms, and his series in progress, Wars of the Realm.

Chuck is a former F-16 fighter pilot and currently works as an engineer for a firm designing plastic consumer products and has coinvented eleven patented construction products now being sold internationally. He has a degree in electrical and electronic engineering and served eight years in the United States Air Force. Chuck and his wife have six children and live in North Dakota.

It is Chuck’s desire to serve the Lord through his work and to inspire people of all ages to study the scriptures in order to discover the hope and love of a truly majestic King and His Son.

Reviews

[ChrissiesPurpleLibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The scope of this book is wild! High stakes and action packed! By far one of the best biblical allegories I’ve read. Up next Lore 🤩🤩🔥🔥🔥😂😂💀💀Because I NEED TO KNOW!

Just call me Chrissie Cliffhanger now because Chuck got me HANGING 💀💀💀💀🫨🫨🫨🤩🤩🤩

[BooksNCrannies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adventure across the galaxies that climbs to new heights of intrigue and suspense.

✏️ Review ✏️

Once again I found myself thoroughly enjoying the continuing tale of the Starlore Legacy. Strengthening the battle between good versus evil and delivering more depth to the biblical allegory, Flight doesn't waste any time beginning another galactic adventure, with riveting action entering the story quite quickly. I couldn't help but feel the tension of the clashing conflicts!

"This was a time of great tearing — hearts, families, friendships, governments, and even worlds were all being torn apart."

Character development definitely improves with this book. Daeson is more firmly rooted in his leadership role for Book 2.

"A mighty, unstoppable, unquenchable, uncontainable force in his life burned with a fierce mission that demanded action."

Daeson's emotions resonate a lot better and his internal struggles become more personal for the reader.

Although the fast-paced romance was a point of complaint in my review for Nova (The Starlore Legacy #1), I feel like there is more realistic progression of the romance between the MMC and the FMC as opposed to Book 1.

The way Flight ended was totally unexpected for me. Like if Chuck Black doesn't resolve that tragic 😥 event at some point in the series, then I shall be greatly disappointed! Signing off for this review now....

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📊 A Quick Overview 📊

👍🏼 What I Liked:
•The deeper character development.
•The plot — a lot of action and surprises.
•(I'll say it again in this review as well.) The space world setting (I love astronomy so I was absolutely thrilled to read about new [although fantastical] space concepts and destinations).
•The multi-level conflict — greatly enhances the suspense and overall story.

👎🏼 What I Did Not Like:
•Some minor parts of the writing. There are a few grammatical errors and some word choices could be better.

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📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 4/5)
~Fundamentals: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📈 Plot: 4/5
— 📝 Writing: 3.5/5
— 👥 Characters: 4/5

~Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)

— 🤬 Language: 0/5

— ⚔️ Violence: 2/5

•Contains action adventure violence including some scenes of fighting, war maneuvers, and peril.

— ⚠️ Sexual: 0/5

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📣 Random Comments 📣

•A few scenes of kissing are present in this book. It's nothing descriptive and is handled appropriately for the book's audience.

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💬 Favorite Quotes 💬

•"Every person is like this coin... spinning and trying to figure out upon which side to land. It will not spin forever. It will fall in one side or the other — there is no other option for the coin, just as there is no other option for us." (p. 16)

•"True freedom is costly when the grip of evil is firm." (p. 128)

[Lovely Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

(Trying to keep this vague as it is a sequel)

Christian YA Sci Fi

Daeson is being forced to live out his new beliefs as the hostility from the g..? explodes in response to what Elyon has called Daeson to do. Raviel and Daeson take a leap of faith together only to then have their choices tested.

The first one had very subtle Moses retelling vibes, but this second book had a lot more parallels.

A lot of the time, I felt the story go over my head and felt the scenes might’ve lingered a bit to long in one spot, but overall, another enjoyable read!

[Reese Songbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great continuation of the series, and definitely had a cliffhanger!!! And ripped my heart out. I don’t really cry in books but I almost did. That was just absolutely painful. If it doesn’t get resolved somewhere….I’m going to cry.

[M.L. Milligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

*hyperventilates* ACK!!

Ok, slow down. Breath.

I'm still not over the ending, y'all. In case you can't tell. XD

Oh, this series is getting good. GOOD good. Daeson still had stuff to learn, but MAN did Flight have me on the edge of my seat!! It's a good thing I have Lore and Oath right next to me cause binge reading the first four book is the only way I'm going to survive what's going on. I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to wait for book #5!! *screams*

Ok, chill. About the book. *clears throat*

I originally thought this whole entire series was just Moses. Yeah, I know you're shaking your head at me, cause come to find out, it's expanded a bit more than that. ;) I find it an interesting challenge to pick out certain events and people and go "Ok, that's this place/that person/this event in the Bible." That's just fun for me and makes it so much more meaningful in my opinion. And the way Chuck Black writes Ell Yon. . . I seriously get goose bumps sometimes. Needless to say, this book certainly has inspired me as a believer and a follower, and now I'm gonna go fly through Lore cause THAT ENDING!!!!!! *sobs* I need answers!!!!

Past events in futuristic settings?? So much cooler than I'd ever thought.

[Celestria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half was a little boring at times, but the second half and the end was better. The cliffhanger!!

[alittlebitbookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!! Ahh I definitely got to see more of Deason and Raviel!! My reader heart is content. AND THEY GOT MARRIED!! BUT THAT ENDING!!! RAVIEL DISAPPEARED AND OUT OF THIN AIR?!?!?!?! I ABSOLUTELY NEED LOREEEE!!!😭😭🥺🥺💙💙

[Morgan Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sad turn from the first book . . .

A lot of reviewers before me have voiced the issues I have with this book, so to avoid repetition, I'll just say that I greatly agree that the predictable and obvious allegory of this one really destroyed the enjoyment of this book. Unlike the previous one where the allegory was subtle and therefore made the story unique, the allegory in this book was obvious--even more so than Black's fantasy series. It felt like Pharaoh and Moses with sci-fi. Literally. The villain/Pharaoh character was also extremely cliche and had the most cardboard dialogue Black's ever written. Finally, the four-five chapter pause we had to have right at the start of the book to merely info dump the allegorical history of how evil came into the universe was disappointing and flat out unnecessary. What with everything Black had already set up and the understanding that this was an allegory, the "fall" of this sci-fi world was completely understood; we didn't need half a book of unnecessary backstory.

I will say I am also questioning how many female characters Black has as generals and commanders in this one . . . I understand it's supposed to be allegorical as soldiers for Christ but still . . . *arches eyebrow*

I've heard the third one takes a better turn. Let's hope so.

[Kelsey Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first, but this series is so fun! The audiobooks are almost a 10/10! If they didn't give the Rayleans a southern accent, it would be perfection. lol. I can't decide if I should recommend the audiobooks with the amazing sound effects and score or the books with the stunning covers and illustrations of the ships and weapons. If your young reader enjoys books about space, get both!

(I would recommend for 12+ personally)

[Genevieve Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one as much as Nova! Similar to the story of Moses, it is a skillfully written redemption story and I can't wait to read more!

[Anna Galicinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flight felt a bit more predictable than Nova, just because the allegory was so strong in this book. I will say, I’ve read all of Chuck’s books except the Starlore Legacy, so I thought it was cool how he could bring his fighter pilot perspective into it.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment to this series. I think my favorite aspect of this one was the perspective it gave of the humanity of familiar Bible characters, and the vast scope of the spiritual side of our story. Can't wait for book 3!!

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable and good story. I thought it was a step above book one. Looking forward to the next one now. Note: both stories (book one and two) stop on a cliffhanger...

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually write reviews, but felt compelled to do so for this title as most of the reviews I've seen for it are all positive and none really fleshed out any cons. When I started the first novel of this series (Nova) I didn't realize the author was a Christian. Once I did, being a Christian myself, I was excited because I knew this series would be clean and I hoped fun. But it wasn't until I started the second book that I realized this is Moses in Space.

Yes, you read that correctly. This whole series is a retelling of Moses and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt - in space - in an unspecified future - on an alien planet presumably colonized by humans at one point in his history.

Chuck Black's writing style isn't bad. It's engaging and interesting enough. My complaints against this series are:
- The storyline feels rushed. Characters conveniently come to the "right conclusions" so the storyline can advance. And where other books take time to world build, this one throws the world at you and asks you to grab it and keep up with the plot.
- Mr. Black falls prey to the same thing most Christian fiction/fantasy/science fiction writers do: this story is cliché and painfully predictable. So predictable, in fact, I knew exactly, word for word, what certain characters were going to say before they said it (ex: "I knew this day would come!" from book 1) Add on top of that the fact that anyone even remotely familiar with the Biblical account of Moses knows exactly what's going to happen next, so there are literally no surprises or plot twists in the whole book.
- People call this book an allegory. My understanding of allegory, however, is that it's a plot or story which contains an moral or political meaning. Aslan in C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, for example. This story, however, is not an allegory, as it straight up borrows pages from the Bible to tell the story. The Bible was written long enough ago that our modern day laws of plagiarism don't really apply, but if they did, this would be a prime example of an author taking a story, changing all the names of people, places, and even changing the setting, and calling it their own. Now, I don't really think Mr. Black is guilty of plagiarizing, because it's very obvious his source and I think he even touches on the subject in the forward or something in the book. He's not claiming this story is anything other than an "allegory" of Moses' story. But the reason I found this irksome is that, for me, it seems to trivialize the inspired Word and Story from the Bible and could easily be taken by others (namely those outside of the faith) to "prove" that the stories in the bible are just that: made up or embellished accounts of perhaps some actual historic events, but manipulated to say what the author wanted. This among a few lesser reasons, make the story cringe-y.
- Did I mention the predictability? Oh. Well, it's really predictable.

As mentioned above, this book and series has glowing reviews from multiple platforms (goodreads, audible, amazon), so I know there are many who enjoyed the story. I would even say this would make a great series for young, christian readers, ages 10-15 or so. I'm not sure if that actually is the targeted audience, but for me, it fell far, far short of the mark. I won't be reading any more books in this series, and though I like Mr. Black and appreciate his writing style, his works aren't for me.

[J. Scott Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

FLIGHT, Book Two in the Starlore Legacy, is the funnest installment of Chuck Black’s allegorical science-fiction tale yet. Daeson’s story continues as he is called by Ell Yon to liberate the Rayleans from their bonds of servitude. This allegory of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt is so fun. Chuck crafted this story so well, creating a world which inspires awe and intrigue, and keeps his readers interested in continuing the story. I had so much fun reading Flight. In many ways, this series is my first dive into galactic sci-fi, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Following the command of Ell Yon, Daeson’s path leads him back to Linden, now proud Chancellor of Jypton. The rivalry is stronger than ever, and Linden refuses to free the Rayleans—which kicks off a series of cataclysmic events that seek to crush Linden’s obstinance to make way for the liberation of Daeson’s people.
Once again, I was swept away by Chuck’s story, and his ability to spin a good one that hints at Biblical truth while remaining in a category all its own. It kept me interested and made me want to keep reading. It’s so funny, too, that I kept getting flashbacks of Charleton Heston in “The Ten Commandments,” pointing his finger, and Yul Brynner glaring back at him. The dynamic felt the same between Daeson and Linden… and (spoiler alert) Xandra turned out to be a great Nefritiri character too. Chuck did well, though, in telling the story in a brand new light, with interesting and intriguing ideas.
I listened to the audio drama of Flight, and I loved having different voice actors for the different characters. They were all good at their job, and made it easy to visualize what was going on in-scene, as if it were happening right in front of you.
Overall, I’d give Chuck Black’s Flight a 4.5 out of 5 stars. It was a cool story, I loved it and would certainly recommend it to my friends.

[Terrance Niedziela Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chuck Black picks up where he left off in his epic science fiction series. He continues to scatter information in the beginning of his chapters and does an amazing job of revealing the ancient history of the Aurora Galaxy without bogging down the story. Chuck Black is a master storyteller and I never get tired of his dogfighting spacecraft and biblical allusions. Another great job!

Chancellor Linden Lockridge, Daeson's former friend turned bitter enemy, seeks to destroy Daeson and anyone who challenges his power. Daeson seeks answers about his mysterious past and in the process struggles to stay one step ahead of the bloodthirsty Lockridge. After a near-death experience on some floating islands he flies to Galeo, the largest moon of the planet Mesos and comes face to face with the Sovereign Ell Yon. Ell Yon informs Daeson that he has been chosen to free the Rayleans from Jyptonian domination and he will lead them to the new world Ell Yon has chosen for them. Daeson is given a piece of Immortal technology and discovers the terrible truth that all the humans in the Aurora Galaxy are under the domination of an evil Immortal named Dracus. Only the Rayleans are free of his evil influences and for that reason Dracus led the Jyptonians to enslave them. Daeson is trained by the Commander, a super-warrior who also happens to be Sovereign Ell Yon's Son. Daeson returns to Jypton and experiences the ups and downs associated with trying to free over three million people from a sociopathic dictator.

The audiobook is another home run and I have listened to it multiple times. I never get bored with it.

[Esther Filbrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun sequel to the first book in the series! I wouldn’t say that it’s my favorite—I think Nova was better—but it carried along in much the same vein as the first.

My favorite part of this book was the allegorical side. It was fascinating to see how that played out realistically in this story world, but beyond that, I loved seeing this new perspective on how God protected and helped the Jews back in their early history. It was also interesting to ponder the results of allowing anger and hatred to take over your life—rather a sobering thought.

I enjoyed the romance in this story—there wasn’t much of that, but the little that was there was lots of fun. And the twist at the end! I can’t wait to read book three and find out what happens there.

This was a fast-paced read, and even though it was slow in places (I felt like the flashback scenes, while necessary, were somewhat distracting to the rest of the plot), I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series. Recommended to mid-teens on up, because of the amount of violence and warfare in the story.

[Garrett Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first series from Chuck Black I’m reading and so far - it’s okay. The impression I got initially was that this was an allegory and I was wondering from the first book if Daeson was supposed to represent Moses, but this second book really solidified that yes indeed he is, but more than that. That this is actually just ‘Exodus in space.’ It’s almost completely a one-to-one substitute from the biblical stories to this series. I’m not sure that this is what you’d call an allegory? It’s predictable because it follows the same narrative yet also feels cheap because it’s just riffing off the actual stories. I think I’m going to keep reading these anyway, but hope that Black’s other books aren’t like this.

[Abby Cleek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment in the Starlore Legacy! Even though I'm usually not a sci-fi fan, I flew through the first two books in this series in about 48 hours. Once again, the book contained a great biblical allegory and was impossible to put down. I felt that both books in this series so far were better written than the Kingdom Series (although I still thoroughly enjoyed that series and would highly recommend it as well). I love that I never have to worry about any language or questionable content in any of Mr. Black's books, and even my 10-year-old brother grabbed this book as soon as I finished it and was glued to it for the rest of the day! Over all, this was an excellent read I would recommend without hesitation.

[Josh Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent retelling of the story of Moses from a sci-fi perspective! I love what Chuck Black has done thus far in the Starlore Legacy series. As a fan of his "Kingdom Series," I am enjoying his new venture into science fiction.

I must say that I am impressed with the level of imagination that Black has employed for this series. Several times, I had flashes of "Star Wars" settings as I traversed through the book. However, the story of Daeson (Moses) and the power of Ell Yon (God) to deliver His people shined through. A great analogy!

[Bekah Mims · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you thought the first book was good, just wait until you read this one!!! So much had happened.

I love how Chuck Black incorporates Christian truths throughout his books, and this one is no different. The character development is crazy! I am loving watching each person discover their hearts and who they’re meant to be. I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been back and forth between 3 and four star ratings for 2-4th books in the series; but as I read these fairly quickly and then was away for a while, I don't remember my full thoughts.

I will say, the parallels between these stories and Scriptural accounts have become more obvious as I read... And there are both pros and cons to this.

[Cheryl Birch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story by Chuck Black. I'm a Christian fantasy and sci-fi fan and his books are some of the best I've read in the genre. This is book two of a series. Must say it kept me up late finishing it and I am looking forward to book three to find out what happens!

[A.B. Swinborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored every aspect of this book! It kept me engrossed the entire time! I thoroughly enjoyed following the characters journey into this next book. This story has so much depth, and gave such beautiful images of God's love! I'd absolutely recommend it!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flight is the second installment in the The StarLore Series by Chuck Black, as you can see in the description. I really enjoyed this read, and would recommend it to anyone looking for an adventurous book, with camaraderie, Christian values, and a dash of romance.

[Mathias · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing. I have read the Bible story so it was interesting how the events were represented in the Sci-Fi theme. Also, I loved the character development between Deason and Raviel. I also love all the nerdy terminology used.

[Joy Burkholder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chuck Black never ceases to amaze. His stories pack a powerful punch that will leave you gripping your chair. The heartfelt truth behind the story, the life lessons learned. And not to adding any spoilers, but this one will leave you in tears.

[Wollschlager J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Chuck Black books. The new series started off a little slow for me, but once it got moving I enjoyed the plot line. You can clearly see the Biblical connections.

[Florence Witt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the starlore series, and I loved it! It is really one of those types of books that you just can't put down.