What do you think?
Rate this book
The Stars Within
A dying star always shines brightest.
Thomas fights to beat cancer. Colette fights to save the human race.
A colonial miner crippled with debt, Thomas must flee his home to cure his recurring cancer. With his health declining at an alarming rate, his options are limited. Spend his last days surrounded by his loved ones or leave them behind for a slim chance to live. The choice is impossible, the prospect grim, and not for him alone.
A pragmatic military hero, Colette enrolls in a mission to thwart an alien invasion. She always gets the job done… unless Mia’s involved. She must then put her feelings aside as always or risk jeopardizing her assignment for the woman she once loved.
Two battles. Two realities. For one to succeed, the other must fail.
Thomas fights to beat cancer. Colette fights to save the human race.
A colonial miner crippled with debt, Thomas must flee his home to cure his recurring cancer. With his health declining at an alarming rate, his options are limited. Spend his last days surrounded by his loved ones or leave them behind for a slim chance to live. The choice is impossible, the prospect grim, and not for him alone.
A pragmatic military hero, Colette enrolls in a mission to thwart an alien invasion. She always gets the job done… unless Mia’s involved. She must then put her feelings aside as always or risk jeopardizing her assignment for the woman she once loved.
Two battles. Two realities. For one to succeed, the other must fail.
- GenresScience Fiction
177 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 18, 2022
2 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 30, 2022
I don’t often compare books to other books because I struggle so much to remember details and tell people why I feel that way. This time, I clearly feel The Song of Kamaria, The Last Gifts of the Universe, Wind Tide, and, most of all, Sanda from The Protectorate vibes.
There are two POVs in every chapter that are both really well done. I love how quickly the author was able to make me feel attached to both of these MCs as well as several supporting characters despite the short amount of time I spent with them. I mean, I felt for them so much within 2 or 3 chapters already. That doesn’t happen often. I also liked how different they both felt in the beginning. One was more of a slow build up to action with a peak in the middle that then slowed a bit again towards the end while the other was action through and through. Calling the one POV slow though isn’t a negative. That one just focused more on the emotions while the other focused more on actions, which was a really great mix.
It did have moments that I felt were a bit convenient, which probably would’ve benefited from more detail in a longer book, and the ending, I’m sad to say, went over my head. I think it was trying to do something complicated and probably really profound, but I personally needed a bit more detail there as well to understand the connection of the two POVs.
Overall though, I am really impressed by the author’s ability to draw me in so quickly and be able to tell this big of a story in such a short amount of time. I think they have a lot of creativity that just needs a little more fine tuning with details. I am really looking forward to reading more from them.
There are two POVs in every chapter that are both really well done. I love how quickly the author was able to make me feel attached to both of these MCs as well as several supporting characters despite the short amount of time I spent with them. I mean, I felt for them so much within 2 or 3 chapters already. That doesn’t happen often. I also liked how different they both felt in the beginning. One was more of a slow build up to action with a peak in the middle that then slowed a bit again towards the end while the other was action through and through. Calling the one POV slow though isn’t a negative. That one just focused more on the emotions while the other focused more on actions, which was a really great mix.
It did have moments that I felt were a bit convenient, which probably would’ve benefited from more detail in a longer book, and the ending, I’m sad to say, went over my head. I think it was trying to do something complicated and probably really profound, but I personally needed a bit more detail there as well to understand the connection of the two POVs.
Overall though, I am really impressed by the author’s ability to draw me in so quickly and be able to tell this big of a story in such a short amount of time. I think they have a lot of creativity that just needs a little more fine tuning with details. I am really looking forward to reading more from them.
November 24, 2022
The Stars Within is exactly the type of sci-fi that I like. It’s gripping, emotional, thought-provoking and absolutely packs a punch. This might be a short read, but it will undoubtedly linger on in your mind and soul long after turning the last page.
This story revolves around two characters, both of whom are fighting against incredible odds to survive. Thomas is a colonial miner who is about to become a first-time dad, but his life is turned upside down when he gets the news that his cancer has come back for the second time.
Colette is a middle-aged military hero who is given the arduous task of saving humanity from an alien threat, but her complicated feelings for an old flame are jeopardising her mission.
And while their storylines never blatantly intersect, their fates are more entwined than you could ever imagine.
I absolutely loved how personal and intimate this story felt, and I was invested in both of these storylines within just a couple of pages. The author really has a gift for quickly establishing realistic and sympathetic characters with complex, believable relationships, which made for an incredibly compelling and emotionally gripping read. Colette’s storyline did take me a bit longer to feel grounded in, but only because there were a couple of unfamiliar terms which kinda threw me off. The world building isn’t too well explained, but then that’s also not really necessary for this story to hit home, so there’s that.
Each chapter switches between these two POVs and the pacing was just top-notch. The action scenes might not be the main focus of the story, but whew, did they keep me on the edge of my seat! The stakes continue to increase for both of these characters, but so does their will to fight and survive. This whole story is just so beautifully, painfully human, and I loved how it continuously pulled on my heartstrings.
Now, I have to admit that I was a bit frustrated at first when I couldn’t seem to find any link between the two separate storylines, but I should’ve just trusted the author. I highly encourage you to just sit back and allow this story to take you where it wants, because I personally think it was incredibly rewarding and satisfying to see how everything tied together in the end. No, this book doesn’t give you all the answers, but instead it invites you to speculate and ponder on questions of life, reality, humanity and the impact we have on the world and people around us.
If you are looking for an emotional and character-driven sci-fi story that will not only keep you hooked with its great action, but also make you think about humanity and the purpose of life, then this is the book for you. Highly recommend!
This story revolves around two characters, both of whom are fighting against incredible odds to survive. Thomas is a colonial miner who is about to become a first-time dad, but his life is turned upside down when he gets the news that his cancer has come back for the second time.
Colette is a middle-aged military hero who is given the arduous task of saving humanity from an alien threat, but her complicated feelings for an old flame are jeopardising her mission.
And while their storylines never blatantly intersect, their fates are more entwined than you could ever imagine.
I absolutely loved how personal and intimate this story felt, and I was invested in both of these storylines within just a couple of pages. The author really has a gift for quickly establishing realistic and sympathetic characters with complex, believable relationships, which made for an incredibly compelling and emotionally gripping read. Colette’s storyline did take me a bit longer to feel grounded in, but only because there were a couple of unfamiliar terms which kinda threw me off. The world building isn’t too well explained, but then that’s also not really necessary for this story to hit home, so there’s that.
Each chapter switches between these two POVs and the pacing was just top-notch. The action scenes might not be the main focus of the story, but whew, did they keep me on the edge of my seat! The stakes continue to increase for both of these characters, but so does their will to fight and survive. This whole story is just so beautifully, painfully human, and I loved how it continuously pulled on my heartstrings.
Now, I have to admit that I was a bit frustrated at first when I couldn’t seem to find any link between the two separate storylines, but I should’ve just trusted the author. I highly encourage you to just sit back and allow this story to take you where it wants, because I personally think it was incredibly rewarding and satisfying to see how everything tied together in the end. No, this book doesn’t give you all the answers, but instead it invites you to speculate and ponder on questions of life, reality, humanity and the impact we have on the world and people around us.
If you are looking for an emotional and character-driven sci-fi story that will not only keep you hooked with its great action, but also make you think about humanity and the purpose of life, then this is the book for you. Highly recommend!
December 5, 2022
4.5/5 Stars Rounded to 5 Stars
A sci-fi with heart, action and leaves you wanting more. The Stars Within is a self-published sci-fi that accomplishes a lot in a short page count.
This follows two POVs from Thomas and Colette. Thomas strives to make a better life for his expecting wife. While he’s surrounded by supportive friends, his life on a mining planet has locked them into a bleak life. Thomas finds himself down at every turn and fighting cancer. Colette, a retired military hero is called back for one last mission to save humanity. However, she finds herself caught up in her feelings for an old flame, as she tries to focus on her mission.
This novel quickly builds characters that you feel for and relationships that you can’t help but love. There’s a great mix of character work and suspense that continues to build, all while pulling at your emotions. Creating a balance between these aspects is tricky and I feel like the author pulled it off.
We see characters who feel human. Their emotions and the impacts that has on their choices makes for a compelling read. The storyline is engaging and made this hard to put down.
For me, one read of this isn’t enough. I quickly wanted to dive right back in and reread it immediately after finishing. This is a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you thinking.
While there was a lot to love in this, there was one aspect I would have liked more time spent on near the start of the book. Regardless, this was a great read and one I will be saving for a rainy day to reread.
A fast paced sci-fi, with heart, great characters/relationships, action, and a story that will leave you philosophizing.
With such an impactful read from a debut author, I’m eager to read more from Alex Arch.
A sci-fi with heart, action and leaves you wanting more. The Stars Within is a self-published sci-fi that accomplishes a lot in a short page count.
This follows two POVs from Thomas and Colette. Thomas strives to make a better life for his expecting wife. While he’s surrounded by supportive friends, his life on a mining planet has locked them into a bleak life. Thomas finds himself down at every turn and fighting cancer. Colette, a retired military hero is called back for one last mission to save humanity. However, she finds herself caught up in her feelings for an old flame, as she tries to focus on her mission.
This novel quickly builds characters that you feel for and relationships that you can’t help but love. There’s a great mix of character work and suspense that continues to build, all while pulling at your emotions. Creating a balance between these aspects is tricky and I feel like the author pulled it off.
We see characters who feel human. Their emotions and the impacts that has on their choices makes for a compelling read. The storyline is engaging and made this hard to put down.
For me, one read of this isn’t enough. I quickly wanted to dive right back in and reread it immediately after finishing. This is a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you thinking.
While there was a lot to love in this, there was one aspect I would have liked more time spent on near the start of the book. Regardless, this was a great read and one I will be saving for a rainy day to reread.
A fast paced sci-fi, with heart, great characters/relationships, action, and a story that will leave you philosophizing.
With such an impactful read from a debut author, I’m eager to read more from Alex Arch.
January 17, 2023
The Stars Within is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. If you have ever had a loved one get diagnosed with cancer then you will connect and understand just how much of a gut punch the very first page of this book is and it continues through all the way to the end.
We get two unique POV’s in this book but each is fitting a battle that equals life or death in more ways than one.
First up we have Thomas, a blue collar miner and soon to be father who just can’t seem to catch a break. Instead of being excited about the birth of his first child he is left scrambling trying to figure out how to break the news to his wife, pay for his cancer treatments for the second time and more importantly looking for the will to fight and survive a second bout with cancer.
I personally appreciate Alex taking the time to write and show Thomas' vulnerability not only with his wife (which is expected) but with his co-workers / friends. As men we are often raised to suck it up and push through when faced with challenges. However Alex allows Thomas to break down and lean on his friends for help as he learns to accept his new reality. I hope we see more authors show this type of masculinity in books going forward because it's easy to stay quiet and figure it out on your own or at least attempt to do so. On the flipside in today's culture it’s extremely hard to accept help when it's offered for most men and it really shouldn’t be that way.
Our second POV is Colette, who is a middle-aged military hero who has been tasked with the challenge of saving the world from an alien threat. Sounds an awful lot like Indepence Day doesn’t it :) I promise you though this story arc is nothing like that one. Colette has one request when being asked and that is she gets to pick her crew.
As a result of Colette getting to pick her crew we get to see her personal battle she has been facing for years. Be loyal to the military she built her life/career around or be loyal to a previous love lost as she is reunited with her ex in an attempt to save humanity from destruction. As someone who at times struggles to find a good work / life balance I can connect and relate to some of what Colette is going through in this story.
Thomas and Colette never actually cross paths per but the outcome of their battles/actions are more entwined then I would have ever imagined while reading the book.
Alex did a masterful job of showing the impact of how a diagnosis of something like cancer can not only devastated a person but also have ripple effects all over within that person's community. I think Alex truly has a gift for creating characters that you can quickly establish an emotional connection to and as a result you quickly become invested in the story as a whole which makes for a great page turner.
In the end The Stars Within is a story about willingness to protect the ones we love no matter the cost. So if you are looking for a quick Sci-Fi read that will truly pull on your heart strings and leave you questioning everything in the best way possible then look no further as this is the book for you.
We get two unique POV’s in this book but each is fitting a battle that equals life or death in more ways than one.
First up we have Thomas, a blue collar miner and soon to be father who just can’t seem to catch a break. Instead of being excited about the birth of his first child he is left scrambling trying to figure out how to break the news to his wife, pay for his cancer treatments for the second time and more importantly looking for the will to fight and survive a second bout with cancer.
I personally appreciate Alex taking the time to write and show Thomas' vulnerability not only with his wife (which is expected) but with his co-workers / friends. As men we are often raised to suck it up and push through when faced with challenges. However Alex allows Thomas to break down and lean on his friends for help as he learns to accept his new reality. I hope we see more authors show this type of masculinity in books going forward because it's easy to stay quiet and figure it out on your own or at least attempt to do so. On the flipside in today's culture it’s extremely hard to accept help when it's offered for most men and it really shouldn’t be that way.
Our second POV is Colette, who is a middle-aged military hero who has been tasked with the challenge of saving the world from an alien threat. Sounds an awful lot like Indepence Day doesn’t it :) I promise you though this story arc is nothing like that one. Colette has one request when being asked and that is she gets to pick her crew.
As a result of Colette getting to pick her crew we get to see her personal battle she has been facing for years. Be loyal to the military she built her life/career around or be loyal to a previous love lost as she is reunited with her ex in an attempt to save humanity from destruction. As someone who at times struggles to find a good work / life balance I can connect and relate to some of what Colette is going through in this story.
Thomas and Colette never actually cross paths per but the outcome of their battles/actions are more entwined then I would have ever imagined while reading the book.
Alex did a masterful job of showing the impact of how a diagnosis of something like cancer can not only devastated a person but also have ripple effects all over within that person's community. I think Alex truly has a gift for creating characters that you can quickly establish an emotional connection to and as a result you quickly become invested in the story as a whole which makes for a great page turner.
In the end The Stars Within is a story about willingness to protect the ones we love no matter the cost. So if you are looking for a quick Sci-Fi read that will truly pull on your heart strings and leave you questioning everything in the best way possible then look no further as this is the book for you.
February 11, 2024
7/10
I read The Stars Within on behalf of team Behind the Musings for the SFINCS contest.
The Stars Within is made up of two seemingly disparate story arcs.
One features Thomas, a miner of mythrium, who has contracted cancer from his work. His life is grim and he tries to provide for his expectant wife - but choices he made in the past have left him living a bleak life with barely any hope for the future. His story was an emotional one that was fairly slow paced, without much action. I did not connect as well with Thomas and his story as I did the other main character, Collette.
Collette is a spaceship commander sent on a mission to track down the home of hostile aliens and obliterate them with a bomb carried inside an invisible stealth ship. For me, this arc was more exciting to read, faster-paced and more action-packed.
I thought the characters were all very well-written and the relationships between them were believable and realistic.
Both stories were engaging but I found it difficult to figure out how they were going to converge until about three quarters of the way through where I got an inkling of what the link might be. From that point on I couldn’t put the book down as I wanted to see if I was right! The final quarter was the best part in my opinion with a faster pace and the loose ends getting tied up.
I read The Stars Within on behalf of team Behind the Musings for the SFINCS contest.
The Stars Within is made up of two seemingly disparate story arcs.
One features Thomas, a miner of mythrium, who has contracted cancer from his work. His life is grim and he tries to provide for his expectant wife - but choices he made in the past have left him living a bleak life with barely any hope for the future. His story was an emotional one that was fairly slow paced, without much action. I did not connect as well with Thomas and his story as I did the other main character, Collette.
Collette is a spaceship commander sent on a mission to track down the home of hostile aliens and obliterate them with a bomb carried inside an invisible stealth ship. For me, this arc was more exciting to read, faster-paced and more action-packed.
I thought the characters were all very well-written and the relationships between them were believable and realistic.
Both stories were engaging but I found it difficult to figure out how they were going to converge until about three quarters of the way through where I got an inkling of what the link might be. From that point on I couldn’t put the book down as I wanted to see if I was right! The final quarter was the best part in my opinion with a faster pace and the loose ends getting tied up.
August 20, 2022
The Stars Within by Alex Arch was an emotional and gripping read from start to finish.
Told from the point of view of two characters who are fighting distinct battles, but both fuelled by a desperate will to survive.
Thomas is a down-on-his-luck miner, who is fighting to make a better life for his family. Diagnosed with cancer, his world is thrown into turmoil. The relationships between Thomas, his wife, and his friends are filled with warmth and love, showing the best of humanity. I particularly loved how the male friendships are portrayed by the author.
The other main POV character is Colette, a former military hero who is brought back to carry out an impossibly difficult mission, to save humanity from annihilation from an alien threat. The action and relationship between Colette and her crew is also great, especially her relationship with Mia and how this impacts the mission and her decisions.
At its core this is a very human story - a battle and will to survive; to protect the people we love at all cost.
The plot is driven along through the perilous circumstances of the two main characters, whose stories run parallel to one another.
The pacing is perfect. With short chapters, dove-tailing between the two POVs, they get much snappier as the intensity and jeopardy increases towards the end.
And then there's the ending. I absolutely love how the author brought it all together. The ending left me with so many questions. The kind of questions you want to have from good science-fiction stories - philosophical questions about, life, purpose, reality, and how we impact the world and people we interact with.
I enjoyed this story so much. For me, science-fiction is about exploring the many aspects of our existence and what makes us human. This book is an excellent example of that.
Told from the point of view of two characters who are fighting distinct battles, but both fuelled by a desperate will to survive.
Thomas is a down-on-his-luck miner, who is fighting to make a better life for his family. Diagnosed with cancer, his world is thrown into turmoil. The relationships between Thomas, his wife, and his friends are filled with warmth and love, showing the best of humanity. I particularly loved how the male friendships are portrayed by the author.
The other main POV character is Colette, a former military hero who is brought back to carry out an impossibly difficult mission, to save humanity from annihilation from an alien threat. The action and relationship between Colette and her crew is also great, especially her relationship with Mia and how this impacts the mission and her decisions.
At its core this is a very human story - a battle and will to survive; to protect the people we love at all cost.
The plot is driven along through the perilous circumstances of the two main characters, whose stories run parallel to one another.
The pacing is perfect. With short chapters, dove-tailing between the two POVs, they get much snappier as the intensity and jeopardy increases towards the end.
And then there's the ending. I absolutely love how the author brought it all together. The ending left me with so many questions. The kind of questions you want to have from good science-fiction stories - philosophical questions about, life, purpose, reality, and how we impact the world and people we interact with.
I enjoyed this story so much. For me, science-fiction is about exploring the many aspects of our existence and what makes us human. This book is an excellent example of that.
Read
November 29, 2023RTC
You may see plenty of surprising novella picks in my TBR in the next few months.
I’m on one of the judging teams for The Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS)
👇
sfincscompetition.Wordpress.com
#indiebooks #fantasybooks #scifibooks
You may see plenty of surprising novella picks in my TBR in the next few months.
I’m on one of the judging teams for The Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS)
👇
sfincscompetition.Wordpress.com
#indiebooks #fantasybooks #scifibooks
November 13, 2022
4.5
There is a very emotion-packed story. It’s a real slice of life that includes tragic events.
I’m not a big fan of sci-fi, but this really gripped me. So much was packed into this novella. The friendships, loves, and loyalties were particularly strong.
By the end you were left with real questions about life. How do you handle yourself when you know the end is near? What really matters the most in life? It’s certainly not possession but relationships and memories.
I think we all hope to have a life well-lived.
There is a very emotion-packed story. It’s a real slice of life that includes tragic events.
I’m not a big fan of sci-fi, but this really gripped me. So much was packed into this novella. The friendships, loves, and loyalties were particularly strong.
By the end you were left with real questions about life. How do you handle yourself when you know the end is near? What really matters the most in life? It’s certainly not possession but relationships and memories.
I think we all hope to have a life well-lived.
November 6, 2022
This is half sci-fi, half emotional narrative.
I liked it overall, but it wasn't completely for me. Sci-fi storyline was more action packed and because of it more interesting to me, premise of it was intriguing and made me read, so in comparison other storyline felt more passive.
I like concept behind this story, but twist was too smart for me to figure out without help so my initial perception of it left me confused. But because of it, it has good rereadability potential.
I liked it overall, but it wasn't completely for me. Sci-fi storyline was more action packed and because of it more interesting to me, premise of it was intriguing and made me read, so in comparison other storyline felt more passive.
I like concept behind this story, but twist was too smart for me to figure out without help so my initial perception of it left me confused. But because of it, it has good rereadability potential.
August 11, 2022
Reminds me a bit about Mass Effect 2 and that impossible mission to the Collector base, very intense!
Collette is an absolute badass <3
Collette is an absolute badass <3
November 26, 2022
(3.5/5 rounded up)
Some aspect of THE STARS WITHIN did not work as well for me as it did for others, but I still had a good time reading through this short, contemplative piece of science fiction that might actually appeal to people who aren't normally fans of the genre.
CHARACTERS
There are two main characters in this story: Thomas and Colette. The perspective changes between them in every chapter, though it won't be immediately obvious how their stories are connected. Each of them has a supporting cast of characters around them and while there are a couple of standouts, a lot of the secondary characters (mostly on Thomas's side) either fell flat or were just exceptionally kind without there being any explanation for their generosity in a world where things seem pretty dire.
Thomas works for THE mythrium mining company which is simply known as "The Company." We learn right away that he has caught cancer (for the second time) from the hazardous dust that he is constantly exposed to because of his job. He is obviously in a pretty dark place due to this news, especially since his beautiful wife is expecting with their first child. While this is certainly a very dramatic way to begin a story, I think it also led to me having a hard time connecting with him. Perhaps I just need to work on my empathy for strangers (including fictional strangers), but I really wished that we could have perhaps gotten to know him a little before his diagnosis. Even though I fully understood why he would be very inward and have to contend with a storm of emotions, I couldn't help but think of him as being somewhat self-centered for a large part of the book. Even during a chapter where he tries to do something heroic, I couldn't help but feel like he was doing it for semi-selfish reasons.
Colette, on the other hand, is someone I found to be deeply compelling. She is recruited back into military service for a mission with the highest of stakes. She joins a motley crew aboard a high-tech craft and begins a journey across the stars to first find someone of importance to both her and the mission, then to get information about the mysterious race of aliens known as "Radiants," and finally to their home so that they can eradicate the aliens before they can massacre mankind again. Along the way, I really admired Colette's bravery not just in fulfilling her duties, but also in how she faces some of the things that she struggles with internally.
SETTING/WORLD
I would class this world (or universe, I suppose) as being something of a dystopia. The general premise is that Earth has been drained of it's resources and humanity has taken to the stars to colonize other planets. The catch with this space travel is that it requires the extensive mining of mythrium to be used as fuel. The Company has a monopoly on this industry and created a system where their employees essentially become slave labor and are even forbidden from leaving their planets unless they have somehow managed to pay down the massive debts they accrue through treatment they need when they get hurt or sick on the job. It's a rather grim scenario, but one that doesn't feel especially far fetched considering how greedy corporations are in the world today. One piece of world building that felt missing for me for most of the book was the true nature of the Radiants in terms of where they came from, what they look like, what they can do, and what they want, but that is eventually disclosed at the end. I understood this choice, I just felt like maybe dropping little nuggets here and there would have helped me since I had a hard time feeling fully invested in that conflict with the threat they posed being so vague.
PLOT/TONE
Even though the situations that both Thomas and Colette find themselves in are pretty grim, the overall tone of this story is relatively positive. For the most part, I think I appreciated this aspect, but I also had a hard time understanding why so many characters were so nice in a world that seems designed to step all over them all the time. This is probably a hypocritical complaint for me to make since I really hate the "grim dark" setup where every single character is kind of a scumbag. While I don't find those hyper-selfish characters to be particularly true to life, I also felt like the supporting cast of THE STARS WITHIN almost swing too far in the other direction. I wanted to better understand the comradery between Thomas and his friends, or feel a bit of the romance between him and his wife, or even get a little insight into why a character he meets toward the end is so willing to help him so extensively. There are also some distinct environmentalist overtones which I would not normally applaud (I don't enjoy it when any kind of overt messaging serves as the basis for a story regardless of whether I agree with the point or not), but I think in this case, I never got the sense that the author was being preachy or self-righteous and instead was just fictionalizing some perfectly reasonable concerns, especially when it comes to the greed of corporations and how that can impact individuals who are really just trying to do their best and have a good life. I feel like it is rare to see these (or any other) issues discussed in literature with any amount of subtlety or grace, so the fact that this book offers such a nuanced and interesting take on it is something I was quite impressed by.
It is very hard say anything more about the story without spoiling the book's ending, so I will keep all of that quite vague. I will say that Arch can write some rather exciting action sequences, both in space and on the ground. None of these are too lavish or distracting, but there are enough moments where characters find themselves in perilous situations to keep things interesting. I really appreciated the balance between developing the two main characters, building the world, and keeping the plot moving at a steady pace. I do think certain things could have been expanded a bit, particularly when it came to Thomas and his side characters or perhaps giving us a quick peak at the devastation The Radiants can cause, but there is also something to be said about keeping things lightweight in favor of keeping things moving, so a lot of this comes down to my personal preference. The ending also did not quite land for me. I admit I found it very clever and did not see it coming even though I was trying to predict how the two stories would come together the whole time, but I felt like some of my surprise was due to me being intentionally misled. While there are certainly some clues I can think of that hint towards the big twist, there were just as many little details that kind of make it not make much sense to me, even after letting it sit for a while. A big part of this might just be me overthinking it though.
THE eBOOK
While there is nothing special or crazy going on with fonts, formatting or anything, this is a polished eBook that feels well suited to reading on a Kindle. There are some heartfelt messages left by the author that were very sweet and I'd definitely recommend reading those (for me, the Kindle app always seems to jump straight into the first chapter so the author's note to readers can be missed and I had to make sure to go back and read it). It was also neat that the first couple chapters of another book from this publisher were included at the end.
While the prose was error free as far as I could tell, I felt as though it didn't always flow intuitively for me and I am surprised some of this was not cleaned up by the editor(s). The author has a rich vocabulary that I very much enjoyed, but if you're the type of person that doesn't like being constantly bombarded with new words, don't worry, Arch flexes his unique word choices sparingly which ultimately also heightens their effect in each moment.
CONCLUSION
This deeply personal and creative space adventure is something that I think could appeal to a much broader audience than most other science fiction. While not all aspects of it worked perfectly for me, I would still really recommend that people give it a chance, especially since it is so short.
(+) Colette and certain members of her crew were quite compelling and memorable.
(+) Exciting action sequences.
(+) A believable dystopian setting.
(+) Some awesome word choices that expanded my vocabulary by a couple of words.
(-) I found connecting with Thomas to be challenging sometimes (though I'm sure there are lots of people out there who will not have this problem).
(-) Some clunky sentences and conversations.
(-) Unclear character motivations for members of the supporting cast.
(-) A twist ending that didn't completely land for me even though I appreciated the creativity in how everything tied together.
Some aspect of THE STARS WITHIN did not work as well for me as it did for others, but I still had a good time reading through this short, contemplative piece of science fiction that might actually appeal to people who aren't normally fans of the genre.
CHARACTERS
There are two main characters in this story: Thomas and Colette. The perspective changes between them in every chapter, though it won't be immediately obvious how their stories are connected. Each of them has a supporting cast of characters around them and while there are a couple of standouts, a lot of the secondary characters (mostly on Thomas's side) either fell flat or were just exceptionally kind without there being any explanation for their generosity in a world where things seem pretty dire.
Thomas works for THE mythrium mining company which is simply known as "The Company." We learn right away that he has caught cancer (for the second time) from the hazardous dust that he is constantly exposed to because of his job. He is obviously in a pretty dark place due to this news, especially since his beautiful wife is expecting with their first child. While this is certainly a very dramatic way to begin a story, I think it also led to me having a hard time connecting with him. Perhaps I just need to work on my empathy for strangers (including fictional strangers), but I really wished that we could have perhaps gotten to know him a little before his diagnosis. Even though I fully understood why he would be very inward and have to contend with a storm of emotions, I couldn't help but think of him as being somewhat self-centered for a large part of the book. Even during a chapter where he tries to do something heroic, I couldn't help but feel like he was doing it for semi-selfish reasons.
Colette, on the other hand, is someone I found to be deeply compelling. She is recruited back into military service for a mission with the highest of stakes. She joins a motley crew aboard a high-tech craft and begins a journey across the stars to first find someone of importance to both her and the mission, then to get information about the mysterious race of aliens known as "Radiants," and finally to their home so that they can eradicate the aliens before they can massacre mankind again. Along the way, I really admired Colette's bravery not just in fulfilling her duties, but also in how she faces some of the things that she struggles with internally.
SETTING/WORLD
I would class this world (or universe, I suppose) as being something of a dystopia. The general premise is that Earth has been drained of it's resources and humanity has taken to the stars to colonize other planets. The catch with this space travel is that it requires the extensive mining of mythrium to be used as fuel. The Company has a monopoly on this industry and created a system where their employees essentially become slave labor and are even forbidden from leaving their planets unless they have somehow managed to pay down the massive debts they accrue through treatment they need when they get hurt or sick on the job. It's a rather grim scenario, but one that doesn't feel especially far fetched considering how greedy corporations are in the world today. One piece of world building that felt missing for me for most of the book was the true nature of the Radiants in terms of where they came from, what they look like, what they can do, and what they want, but that is eventually disclosed at the end. I understood this choice, I just felt like maybe dropping little nuggets here and there would have helped me since I had a hard time feeling fully invested in that conflict with the threat they posed being so vague.
PLOT/TONE
Even though the situations that both Thomas and Colette find themselves in are pretty grim, the overall tone of this story is relatively positive. For the most part, I think I appreciated this aspect, but I also had a hard time understanding why so many characters were so nice in a world that seems designed to step all over them all the time. This is probably a hypocritical complaint for me to make since I really hate the "grim dark" setup where every single character is kind of a scumbag. While I don't find those hyper-selfish characters to be particularly true to life, I also felt like the supporting cast of THE STARS WITHIN almost swing too far in the other direction. I wanted to better understand the comradery between Thomas and his friends, or feel a bit of the romance between him and his wife, or even get a little insight into why a character he meets toward the end is so willing to help him so extensively. There are also some distinct environmentalist overtones which I would not normally applaud (I don't enjoy it when any kind of overt messaging serves as the basis for a story regardless of whether I agree with the point or not), but I think in this case, I never got the sense that the author was being preachy or self-righteous and instead was just fictionalizing some perfectly reasonable concerns, especially when it comes to the greed of corporations and how that can impact individuals who are really just trying to do their best and have a good life. I feel like it is rare to see these (or any other) issues discussed in literature with any amount of subtlety or grace, so the fact that this book offers such a nuanced and interesting take on it is something I was quite impressed by.
It is very hard say anything more about the story without spoiling the book's ending, so I will keep all of that quite vague. I will say that Arch can write some rather exciting action sequences, both in space and on the ground. None of these are too lavish or distracting, but there are enough moments where characters find themselves in perilous situations to keep things interesting. I really appreciated the balance between developing the two main characters, building the world, and keeping the plot moving at a steady pace. I do think certain things could have been expanded a bit, particularly when it came to Thomas and his side characters or perhaps giving us a quick peak at the devastation The Radiants can cause, but there is also something to be said about keeping things lightweight in favor of keeping things moving, so a lot of this comes down to my personal preference. The ending also did not quite land for me. I admit I found it very clever and did not see it coming even though I was trying to predict how the two stories would come together the whole time, but I felt like some of my surprise was due to me being intentionally misled. While there are certainly some clues I can think of that hint towards the big twist, there were just as many little details that kind of make it not make much sense to me, even after letting it sit for a while. A big part of this might just be me overthinking it though.
THE eBOOK
While there is nothing special or crazy going on with fonts, formatting or anything, this is a polished eBook that feels well suited to reading on a Kindle. There are some heartfelt messages left by the author that were very sweet and I'd definitely recommend reading those (for me, the Kindle app always seems to jump straight into the first chapter so the author's note to readers can be missed and I had to make sure to go back and read it). It was also neat that the first couple chapters of another book from this publisher were included at the end.
While the prose was error free as far as I could tell, I felt as though it didn't always flow intuitively for me and I am surprised some of this was not cleaned up by the editor(s). The author has a rich vocabulary that I very much enjoyed, but if you're the type of person that doesn't like being constantly bombarded with new words, don't worry, Arch flexes his unique word choices sparingly which ultimately also heightens their effect in each moment.
CONCLUSION
This deeply personal and creative space adventure is something that I think could appeal to a much broader audience than most other science fiction. While not all aspects of it worked perfectly for me, I would still really recommend that people give it a chance, especially since it is so short.
(+) Colette and certain members of her crew were quite compelling and memorable.
(+) Exciting action sequences.
(+) A believable dystopian setting.
(+) Some awesome word choices that expanded my vocabulary by a couple of words.
(-) I found connecting with Thomas to be challenging sometimes (though I'm sure there are lots of people out there who will not have this problem).
(-) Some clunky sentences and conversations.
(-) Unclear character motivations for members of the supporting cast.
(-) A twist ending that didn't completely land for me even though I appreciated the creativity in how everything tied together.
October 15, 2022
Two separate stories that correlate to each other. Cancer in the body and cancer in the greed of people.
Thomas wanted to provide for his family and chose to mine on a planet. He and his wife are expecting their first child. All that glitters is not gold and Thomas found this out from being shackled in debt to The Company. The substance they had to mine caused cancer. Thomas beat it once but the medical assistance allowed by The Company would not be enough the second time. The miners were a close-knit family and would do anything to help each other. If you owed money to The Company, you could not leave. His friends found a creative way to get him to the home planet for treatment. Would he get there in time to be saved? And what he encountered on the way there, was it worth it? The cancer of The Company was utter greed as they needed this substance to fuel everything. Human life did not matter
Collette retired from the military but they called her back to action for a lucrative job. The Reliants were invading and they needed to be stopped before the human race was obliterated. When you want the best pilot for this mission, you get them against orders. Could their home base be wiped out? And where was their home base? Who could she trust when she found out the person giving her orders had arranged for the pilot she wanted to be killed? Could this mission be accomplished by following orders? Or should she go rogue and attempt to save the human race?
Thomas wanted to provide for his family and chose to mine on a planet. He and his wife are expecting their first child. All that glitters is not gold and Thomas found this out from being shackled in debt to The Company. The substance they had to mine caused cancer. Thomas beat it once but the medical assistance allowed by The Company would not be enough the second time. The miners were a close-knit family and would do anything to help each other. If you owed money to The Company, you could not leave. His friends found a creative way to get him to the home planet for treatment. Would he get there in time to be saved? And what he encountered on the way there, was it worth it? The cancer of The Company was utter greed as they needed this substance to fuel everything. Human life did not matter
Collette retired from the military but they called her back to action for a lucrative job. The Reliants were invading and they needed to be stopped before the human race was obliterated. When you want the best pilot for this mission, you get them against orders. Could their home base be wiped out? And where was their home base? Who could she trust when she found out the person giving her orders had arranged for the pilot she wanted to be killed? Could this mission be accomplished by following orders? Or should she go rogue and attempt to save the human race?
October 23, 2022
The only reason I picked up THE STARS WITHIN was because Alex and I share the same publisher and my book also has the topic cancer. Our stories, however, are entirely different.
THE STARS WITHIN was a very interesting read, the title so perfectly fitting, the pacing increasing at the right moment and that’s not easy to achieve. Kudos. The challenges Tom and Collette are battling appear so unrelated, and about half way through I considered the what-if scenario. From that moment on, I was hooked because I wanted to know if I was right. Even when I thought I had it all figured out, and I wasn’t entirely wrong, the ending surprised me with a twist I didn’t see coming. I liked that the most about the book.
Like for me, Alex’s first language isn’t English but I think he mastered the language very well, using a broad vocabulary in a very clever way.
I think there would have been room for more world building and depth into the characters, resulting in a longer book, but that wouldn’t have hurt at all.
Overall, a very good debut novel which I highly recommend and I’m looking forward to his next hopefully just as surprising story. Well done.
THE STARS WITHIN was a very interesting read, the title so perfectly fitting, the pacing increasing at the right moment and that’s not easy to achieve. Kudos. The challenges Tom and Collette are battling appear so unrelated, and about half way through I considered the what-if scenario. From that moment on, I was hooked because I wanted to know if I was right. Even when I thought I had it all figured out, and I wasn’t entirely wrong, the ending surprised me with a twist I didn’t see coming. I liked that the most about the book.
Like for me, Alex’s first language isn’t English but I think he mastered the language very well, using a broad vocabulary in a very clever way.
I think there would have been room for more world building and depth into the characters, resulting in a longer book, but that wouldn’t have hurt at all.
Overall, a very good debut novel which I highly recommend and I’m looking forward to his next hopefully just as surprising story. Well done.
December 7, 2022
The Stars Within is a fast-paced sci-fi action thriller with a somber emotional backbone. You can expect all your classic 60s pulpy space opera ingredients - mining colonies, an evil corporation, stowaways on space ships, chases, firefights, and of course a big alien threat. And the way everything ties together at the end would make Rod Serling proud. A great debut!
February 18, 2024
Got to say that I wasn’t overly fond of this novella tbh. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the writing it’s just that I didn’t connect with it at all. I didn’t like the narrative style of the two separate stories, I didn’t feel hardly anything for the dual protagonists and I didn’t like the end.
August 6, 2022
I truly loved reading this book, I just couldn’t put it down. A very well written suspenseful and emotional story about two different worlds that will keep you hooked until you finally know how they are connected …and then you want to read it all over again.
Alex Arch
The Stars Within
Alex Arch
The Stars Within
November 13, 2022
Best book i’ve ever read. The characters are well design , the story is engaging and that ending is mind blowing. Congrats to the author , i can’t wait to read is next book!
July 18, 2022
A first work for Alex Arch, a first success.
From the beginning, we are absorbed by the story of the two characters who evolve side by side and it is through a very well tied up plot that we understand how the two are linked. I absolutely loved diving into the universe created by the author. The sustained rhythm that accelerates through shorter and shorter chapters makes us not want to stop until the end.
And the end! Mind blowing.
A strong novel, that we read in one breath and that we will remember for a long time.
From the beginning, we are absorbed by the story of the two characters who evolve side by side and it is through a very well tied up plot that we understand how the two are linked. I absolutely loved diving into the universe created by the author. The sustained rhythm that accelerates through shorter and shorter chapters makes us not want to stop until the end.
And the end! Mind blowing.
A strong novel, that we read in one breath and that we will remember for a long time.
July 15, 2022
ARC REVIEW
I will start by saying that Sci-Fi is not a genre I usually read, it just doesn’t interest me that much. That being said, my personal genre preference is not considered for this review.
Alex is a French Canadian, meaning English is his second language, but I honestly didn’t notice a difference. His writing is amazing and I loved how the descriptions of characters and the world building is incorporated directly into the story. The story itself is very interesting, it kept me curious and interested throughout the book to figure out the link between the two main characters and their story lines. I can’t compare it to other Sci-Fi books, but I definitely recommend this one!
I will start by saying that Sci-Fi is not a genre I usually read, it just doesn’t interest me that much. That being said, my personal genre preference is not considered for this review.
Alex is a French Canadian, meaning English is his second language, but I honestly didn’t notice a difference. His writing is amazing and I loved how the descriptions of characters and the world building is incorporated directly into the story. The story itself is very interesting, it kept me curious and interested throughout the book to figure out the link between the two main characters and their story lines. I can’t compare it to other Sci-Fi books, but I definitely recommend this one!
July 16, 2022
AMAZING! The story caught my attention right from the start. The chapters are short so I kept telling myself “just one more” and couldn’t put it down. I went through a whole lot of emotions (and even cried). The end was simply mind blowing. I wasn’t expecting that at all and it left me with a lot to think about…. It is the kind of book you can read more than once and still discover meticulously hidden details. I HIGHLY recommend it!
July 15, 2022
Not my usual reading type, I'm not a Sci-fi lover but for I really liked it ! It's Alex's first book and wow did he do a great job ! He was able to keep me curious throught all the book. At first I had a hard time keeping up with the book but the more I read the more I like it and understood the meaning of this book ! Alex I can't wait to see you grow as an author.
September 18, 2022
This book kept me up way too late at night. I just couldn't bring myself to stop. The story hooked me and the short chapters reeled me in. I finished it in one sitting and the ending did not disappoint! What a mind-bender.
January 12, 2023
Great quick read with a lot of sadness.
December 4, 2025
The Stars Within by Alex Arch may be a small book in terms of the number of pages but it packs a hearty emotional punch and is a book that I know I will find myself thinking about over the next few weeks.
The set up is deceptively simple, Thomas, a miner crippled by debt and living on a remote planet, is facing cancer for the second time, caused by his work. This time the medication does not seem to be working and his only hope is to try to leave the planet in search of more effective treatment. It is a slim hope at best and means leaving behind his wife and unborn child, with no certainty that he will ever see them again. Meanwhile our second point of view character is tough military veteran Colette who is effectively press ganged into leading a high risk mission to thwart an alien invasion along side her ex, and pilot extraordinaire Mia. Distractions like Mia could threaten not just the mission but the future of the world as we know it.
Two lovable heroes, each one I was rooting for BUT as we know from the book description only one can prevail, for one to succeed the other must fail. As I read this book I found myself flipping between which of the characters I was rooting for, because honestly I wanted both of them to win. However that was not to be, and without spoiling the ending I can safely say my heart was breaking as I read the last pages. Despite being a short book, there is some really strong character work and development , something I knew to expect given how much I enjoyed the other book I have read from this author. I read this book in two sittings and then immediately wanted to turn back to the beginning to start again, purely based on how it ended, because that ending is something I will be pondering for quite a while.
I read an ARC courtesy of the author, all opinions are my own.
The set up is deceptively simple, Thomas, a miner crippled by debt and living on a remote planet, is facing cancer for the second time, caused by his work. This time the medication does not seem to be working and his only hope is to try to leave the planet in search of more effective treatment. It is a slim hope at best and means leaving behind his wife and unborn child, with no certainty that he will ever see them again. Meanwhile our second point of view character is tough military veteran Colette who is effectively press ganged into leading a high risk mission to thwart an alien invasion along side her ex, and pilot extraordinaire Mia. Distractions like Mia could threaten not just the mission but the future of the world as we know it.
Two lovable heroes, each one I was rooting for BUT as we know from the book description only one can prevail, for one to succeed the other must fail. As I read this book I found myself flipping between which of the characters I was rooting for, because honestly I wanted both of them to win. However that was not to be, and without spoiling the ending I can safely say my heart was breaking as I read the last pages. Despite being a short book, there is some really strong character work and development , something I knew to expect given how much I enjoyed the other book I have read from this author. I read this book in two sittings and then immediately wanted to turn back to the beginning to start again, purely based on how it ended, because that ending is something I will be pondering for quite a while.
I read an ARC courtesy of the author, all opinions are my own.
August 26, 2022
[1.25/5.0]
Two uninteresting and extraordinarily boring pulp fiction storylines. Paper thin characters, utterly artificial dialogues, sloppy editing, and confusing language. Who is the target for this novel? It could be small kids, considering the oversimplified stories, but there’s too much swearing for that to be the case. It’s definitely not sci-fi fans, because the sci-fi elements are at a level most pupils surpass in their very first "write a story about space travel" assignment at school. It can't be those who like a moving and sentimental story, even though the author desperately tries to invoke feelings by spoon-feeding the poor reader with emotional instructions written in italics. The only positive thing about this novel is that it's short. And, ok, I admit it, the ending is rather neat (and thereby also the title).
Two uninteresting and extraordinarily boring pulp fiction storylines. Paper thin characters, utterly artificial dialogues, sloppy editing, and confusing language. Who is the target for this novel? It could be small kids, considering the oversimplified stories, but there’s too much swearing for that to be the case. It’s definitely not sci-fi fans, because the sci-fi elements are at a level most pupils surpass in their very first "write a story about space travel" assignment at school. It can't be those who like a moving and sentimental story, even though the author desperately tries to invoke feelings by spoon-feeding the poor reader with emotional instructions written in italics. The only positive thing about this novel is that it's short. And, ok, I admit it, the ending is rather neat (and thereby also the title).
December 20, 2025
An interesting and thought-provoking exploration of love, grief, pain, tenacity, survival against all odds, and the cost of survival.
February 17, 2024
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Stars Within
The Stars Within balances between an emotional plot line and an action-packed one. Colette’s team is on a mission to destroy the Radiants before they wipe out humanity. They are the last hope, yet they can’t seem to see eye to eye. Colette will have her hands full making the crew trust one another and act accordingly to succeed. Distrust runs rampant as past histories are revealed and treachery is found.
As Collete and her team search for the Radiants, Thomas’ story is told in parallel. Despite the fact he and his wife show up to work every day, debts continue to rise. And the outlook does not look good from Thomas’ cancer diagnosis. With a baby on the way, Thomas begins to regret the choices he made to work for The Company. They know full well cancer develops in their workers, yet do nothing to prevent the cause or help. Thomas will have to choose between staying to die with his family or leaving them behind in the hopes of finding treatment.
The character point of views seemed unrelated as the story developed. There were a few moments where readers could believe the two are beginning to meet, but these are cleverly placed misdirections. That being said there should have been a little more connection between the two as the story drew to a close. It took a little while for the pieces to line up before realizing the ultimate goal of both characters.
The Stars Within is a sci-fi story for those who also enjoy a healthy dose of emotion. Thomas’ struggle against cancer, and his desire to remain with his wife and soon to be born child is heartbreaking. Balanced alongside the emotions, are the close calls and intense moments for Collette and her crew.
The Stars Within balances between an emotional plot line and an action-packed one. Colette’s team is on a mission to destroy the Radiants before they wipe out humanity. They are the last hope, yet they can’t seem to see eye to eye. Colette will have her hands full making the crew trust one another and act accordingly to succeed. Distrust runs rampant as past histories are revealed and treachery is found.
As Collete and her team search for the Radiants, Thomas’ story is told in parallel. Despite the fact he and his wife show up to work every day, debts continue to rise. And the outlook does not look good from Thomas’ cancer diagnosis. With a baby on the way, Thomas begins to regret the choices he made to work for The Company. They know full well cancer develops in their workers, yet do nothing to prevent the cause or help. Thomas will have to choose between staying to die with his family or leaving them behind in the hopes of finding treatment.
The character point of views seemed unrelated as the story developed. There were a few moments where readers could believe the two are beginning to meet, but these are cleverly placed misdirections. That being said there should have been a little more connection between the two as the story drew to a close. It took a little while for the pieces to line up before realizing the ultimate goal of both characters.
The Stars Within is a sci-fi story for those who also enjoy a healthy dose of emotion. Thomas’ struggle against cancer, and his desire to remain with his wife and soon to be born child is heartbreaking. Balanced alongside the emotions, are the close calls and intense moments for Collette and her crew.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews