Istara's Tale

by ARS Nipun

It all begins when Jimmy turns on a device given to him by his friend Tom. Not expecting the device to do anything more than a little flash and blink, Jimmy gets the surprise of his life when the device transports him to a distant superearth called Istara. Tempted by the sights around him, Jimmy decides to explore this strange, new world. However, tragedy soon strikes and he loses the device and, now, he must go on a dangerous journey to recover it.
Will Jimmy survive his perilous adventure? Or will the wondrous beasts and deadly phenomena of the strange planet foil him? And what all will he learn about the people of Istara? Why are they stuck in the age of discovery as they go on about their lives through day, night and a daypause?

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2022

Reviews

[Book Nerdection · Rating 4 out of 5]

Istara’s Tale is primarily a story aimed at young people, as experienced and older readers may not find it that interesting unless they like adventure and fantasy stories. Regardless, it’s a fun story full of adventures and new things to discover in another world only found in fantasy stories.

The author may be a bit inexperienced, but the story is told in a beautiful way that will carry the reader along. A new world is pictured in this tale where creatures are conjured and skilfully made part of the journey.

Oblivious to this stranger visiting their world, the creatures go on with their lives as they did for millennia. The author casts a fresh new perspective on what might be and new possibilities of other worlds that may or may not exist.

Overall, Istara’s Tale is a fun story to read and an exciting way to escape into an imaginative world filled with adventure. Readers will get a high level of entertainment with the excitement of not knowing what is waiting for the main characters around the next corner.

Istara’s Tale is a story to enjoy – a real fantasy adventure!

[Aron Reina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, short read. Very reminiscent of A Wrinkle in Time, though modernized.

There is a great deal of expansion that would be possible with the brief world building done here. I could see this storyline being expanded into a live-action series. And, that would be somewhere between Land of the Lost, Lost in Space, A Wrinkle in Time, and light-fantasy novels. Some of this feels heavily influenced by the writings of Brian Sanderson.

If you need a brief read, or if you have a 3rd to 6th grader looking for an entry-level fantasy/sci-fi novella, this has potential!

[Amy J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Istara’s Tale was such an enjoyable read! Nipun has a gift for weaving myth, adventure, and emotion into a story that feels both timeless and fresh. I loved how Istara’s journey blends personal struggle with larger themes of destiny and choice—it made me root for her from the very first chapter. The worldbuilding was vivid without being overwhelming, and the pacing kept me turning pages late into the night. A beautiful mix of heart, imagination, and storytelling craft.

[Veronica M C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads for a free copy of this book for an honest review.
Honestly, I'm not enjoying it so it'll probably take me forever to actually finish it. The story is very simplistic so far and appears to be written for a young audience. If I had a child to read it to, I might be more interested.
Although the vocabulary is mostly for a young audience, every once in a while, they'll throw in a word like bifurcates.

[David Pospisil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mediocre sci-fi novella.

[Sissy Bumpus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Children's Book

Meh....won this book in a Goodreads raffle. Fantasy story for children ages 10-12. Main character goes on a time travel adventure to another world.