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Shadowside Trilogy #1
Trion Rising
What would it be like if Jesus had come to another planet?
Oriannon is living the good life on the bright side of Corista, a small planet circling three suns. But things get crazy for the teen when a new music teacher arrives at her school with strange songs and even stranger ideas. Soon Oriannon is pressured to spy on her teacher, Jesmet, by using her powers to record everything she sees and hears.
Could Jesmet really be a faithbreaker, like Oriannon's friend Margus says? She's not so sure, but her life is turned upside-down when she loses her way on the dark side of the planet and is taken in by an odd, cliff-dwelling people. And when her new friends face a deadly threat, can the once self-centered Oriannon follow her heart. . . and save half the planet?
Program Summary
Those who live in lush comfort on the bright side of the small planet Corista have plundered the water resources of Shadowside for centuries, ignoring the existence of Shadowside’s inhabitants, who are nothing more than animals. Or so the Brightsiders have been taught. It will take a special young woman to expose the truth—and to help avert the war that is sure to follow.
Oriannon is living the good life on the bright side of Corista, a small planet circling three suns. But things get crazy for the teen when a new music teacher arrives at her school with strange songs and even stranger ideas. Soon Oriannon is pressured to spy on her teacher, Jesmet, by using her powers to record everything she sees and hears.
Could Jesmet really be a faithbreaker, like Oriannon's friend Margus says? She's not so sure, but her life is turned upside-down when she loses her way on the dark side of the planet and is taken in by an odd, cliff-dwelling people. And when her new friends face a deadly threat, can the once self-centered Oriannon follow her heart. . . and save half the planet?
Program Summary
Those who live in lush comfort on the bright side of the small planet Corista have plundered the water resources of Shadowside for centuries, ignoring the existence of Shadowside’s inhabitants, who are nothing more than animals. Or so the Brightsiders have been taught. It will take a special young woman to expose the truth—and to help avert the war that is sure to follow.
Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
About the author
Robert Elmer
90 books69 followersRobert Elmer is the author of more than fifty books, including contemporary novels for the adult Christian audience, nonfiction devotionals like Piercing Heaven and Fount of Heaven (Lexham Press), and seven series for younger readers. Among kids, he is best known for his historicals such as the Young Underground, Adventures Down Under, Life Behind the Wall, and Promise of Zion books. When he's not at the keyboard, he enjoys beachcombing and travel with his wife, and spending time with their three kids and families.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 5, 2017
Oriannon Hightower is an eidich - she sees something once and it's committed to memory. She lives on the Brightside of Corista, a small planet with three suns, where it's always light. She sleeps 2.2 hours each day. Her friend, the lowborn Margus Leek, gets into trouble taking her for a joyride - the incident inadvertedly reveals the sinister side of the theocratic Assembly to which her father belongs. The record of the joyride shows no sign whatsoever of Oriannon's presence.
Shortly afterwards, a new music mentor arrives at her school. A mentor with the ability to talk to wild animals and calm their savagery, with a talent of making food disappear and with the stunning gift of being able to heal people and even bring them back from the dead. Jesmet is the mentor's name and soon Oriannon is asked to spy on him. The terrifying thing for her is that, as an eidich, her words can be used as irrefutable testimony in a court of law. They are a good as a scanner camera - well, a normally operating scanner camera. Of which there are very few it seems in Corista. None of the many usually floating about seem to work properly near Mentor Jesmet.
Orders are given to harvest Oriannon's memories for evidence to convict Jesmet - during the dangerous procedure Margus tries to rescue her. With difficulty remembering who she is or very much about herself, she feels to compelled to follow Jesmet into banishment. She crosses the boundary from light into darkness, seeking him in the deathly cold and barren region of the Shadowside.
A nicely done sort-of allegorical speculative fiction. Although the story is obviously based on the gospel, it isn't heavy-handed. Thus very enjoyable.
Shortly afterwards, a new music mentor arrives at her school. A mentor with the ability to talk to wild animals and calm their savagery, with a talent of making food disappear and with the stunning gift of being able to heal people and even bring them back from the dead. Jesmet is the mentor's name and soon Oriannon is asked to spy on him. The terrifying thing for her is that, as an eidich, her words can be used as irrefutable testimony in a court of law. They are a good as a scanner camera - well, a normally operating scanner camera. Of which there are very few it seems in Corista. None of the many usually floating about seem to work properly near Mentor Jesmet.
Orders are given to harvest Oriannon's memories for evidence to convict Jesmet - during the dangerous procedure Margus tries to rescue her. With difficulty remembering who she is or very much about herself, she feels to compelled to follow Jesmet into banishment. She crosses the boundary from light into darkness, seeking him in the deathly cold and barren region of the Shadowside.
A nicely done sort-of allegorical speculative fiction. Although the story is obviously based on the gospel, it isn't heavy-handed. Thus very enjoyable.
April 19, 2016
What if there was life on another planet, and Jesus came to save the people there, too? In Trion Rising , author Robert Elmer gives us a glimpse of what this might have looked like.
I enjoyed the characters in Trion Rising , and especially found Oriannon's character growth believable and fascinating. Her friend Magnus had an interesting character arc as well.
Overall, I liked the world-building of Corista, Oriannon's planet. While reading, certain elements make you feel like you're on another planet: three suns, advanced technology, and people with superhero-like abilities. Corista, however, is similar enough to our world that the reader can relate to the characters and events depicted.
My only complaint is that I wish the Coristan's religious beliefs (and therefore Jesmet's role as Savior) had been developed more. Did they have a prophecy about a coming Redeemer? If so, how did Jesmet fulfill this prophecy? How/why was Jesmet to save the people? How exactly did His teachings differ from those of the Coristans? Much of the symbolism/Biblical allusions were clear, but I personally would have liked to see these questions explained in more detail, but maybe they will be in the other books.
Trion Rising does have many good themes: forgiveness, selflessness, faith, and courage. The book never shies away from the fact that Jesus is God and that He is the only Way.
I enjoyed reading Trion Rising , and I look forward to reading the sequel.
I enjoyed the characters in Trion Rising , and especially found Oriannon's character growth believable and fascinating. Her friend Magnus had an interesting character arc as well.
Overall, I liked the world-building of Corista, Oriannon's planet. While reading, certain elements make you feel like you're on another planet: three suns, advanced technology, and people with superhero-like abilities. Corista, however, is similar enough to our world that the reader can relate to the characters and events depicted.
My only complaint is that I wish the Coristan's religious beliefs (and therefore Jesmet's role as Savior) had been developed more. Did they have a prophecy about a coming Redeemer? If so, how did Jesmet fulfill this prophecy? How/why was Jesmet to save the people? How exactly did His teachings differ from those of the Coristans? Much of the symbolism/Biblical allusions were clear, but I personally would have liked to see these questions explained in more detail, but maybe they will be in the other books.
Trion Rising does have many good themes: forgiveness, selflessness, faith, and courage. The book never shies away from the fact that Jesus is God and that He is the only Way.
I enjoyed reading Trion Rising , and I look forward to reading the sequel.
February 16, 2016
**contains spoilers**
Elmer has created a convincing world where a theocracy controls the advanced civilization of the Brightside of Corista, but it is the strange inhabitants of Shadowside who seem to know their Maker.
This first volume of the Shadowside science fiction trilogy is packed with action, but it is the deeper level of meaning that stays with you after you close the book. As soon as Mentor Jesmet shows up at Oriannons school it is clear that he is either a cruelly manipulative deceiver or a misunderstood spokesperson for the right. When he begins telling stories that parallel the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, it becomes clear he is intended to be much more than a mere spokesperson. I had to smile at the scene that parallels Jesus confrontation with the religious leaders in John 8, and I loved it when Oriannon identifies Mentor Jesmet as the Makers Song in a scene reminiscent of Peters proclamation of Jesus as the Son of God and Johns calling him the Word.
If you have read the Gospels, you can guess many elements of the plot, but Elmers other-worldly setting makes for twists that will keep you turning the pages to the last and eager to go on to the second volume of this intriguing trilogy.
Elmer has created a convincing world where a theocracy controls the advanced civilization of the Brightside of Corista, but it is the strange inhabitants of Shadowside who seem to know their Maker.
This first volume of the Shadowside science fiction trilogy is packed with action, but it is the deeper level of meaning that stays with you after you close the book. As soon as Mentor Jesmet shows up at Oriannons school it is clear that he is either a cruelly manipulative deceiver or a misunderstood spokesperson for the right. When he begins telling stories that parallel the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, it becomes clear he is intended to be much more than a mere spokesperson. I had to smile at the scene that parallels Jesus confrontation with the religious leaders in John 8, and I loved it when Oriannon identifies Mentor Jesmet as the Makers Song in a scene reminiscent of Peters proclamation of Jesus as the Son of God and Johns calling him the Word.
If you have read the Gospels, you can guess many elements of the plot, but Elmers other-worldly setting makes for twists that will keep you turning the pages to the last and eager to go on to the second volume of this intriguing trilogy.
August 29, 2008
Trion Rising is the first book in Robert Elmer’s Shadowside trilogy. Oriannon Hightower of the Nyssa Clan is daughter to an elite member of Corista’s ruling assembly. As such, she’s always obeyed her father and the Codex, which is Elmer’s Bible for his fictional world. But when a new music teacher, Master Jesmet, arrives and teaches them a new way to look at things, the assembly panics, banishing the so-called Faithbreaker for his law-breaking ways.
Oriannon follows Master Jesmet to Shadowside and meets the Owling people who live there. She’s always been taught nothing but animals live on the dark side of Corista, where the city’s water supply comes from, but now that she knows the Owling people, she must do all she can to stop the assembly from destroying the Owlings.
I enjoyed the unique analogies Elmer uses to tell this tale. Corista’s modern conveniences make the story of Jesus easier to relate to for teens growing up in a world closer resembling one with reporters, lev-scooters, ear buds, and stun batons. Oriannon is a relatable character who makes a lot of good choices but is big enough to ask for forgiveness when she makes wrong ones.
Recommended.
Oriannon follows Master Jesmet to Shadowside and meets the Owling people who live there. She’s always been taught nothing but animals live on the dark side of Corista, where the city’s water supply comes from, but now that she knows the Owling people, she must do all she can to stop the assembly from destroying the Owlings.
I enjoyed the unique analogies Elmer uses to tell this tale. Corista’s modern conveniences make the story of Jesus easier to relate to for teens growing up in a world closer resembling one with reporters, lev-scooters, ear buds, and stun batons. Oriannon is a relatable character who makes a lot of good choices but is big enough to ask for forgiveness when she makes wrong ones.
Recommended.
January 2, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. Good science fiction. It's the first in a 3 part series, so a lot of questions are left unanswered at the end. Definite religious undertones, but it doesn't seem to smack you with them. I enjoyed the main character. When she lost her memory I found it harder to connect but that was quickly resolved.
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Excited to read book 2.
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Excited to read book 2.
August 7, 2018
This book fulfills the 2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge for A book set on a different planet.
July 23, 2021
great book love oriannnon
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January 29, 2013
Such and amazing story. If there are other planets with human life on them, Would Jesus have to die for them too? The Answer this novel.
Oriannon Hightower is an Edrich. She has complete Memory with total recall. She has the Codex memorized to the last verse but even she seems to miss the signs when a Stranger comes into her life talking about living the Codex, Knowing the Maker and loving your neighbor. And she can't understand why her father and other Elders are so offended by a simple teacher from the North. But once she comes to realize the level of control the Elders have over an oppressed people she needs to decide if she will help them keep it or stand up and help wrest it from them.
Oriannon Hightower is an Edrich. She has complete Memory with total recall. She has the Codex memorized to the last verse but even she seems to miss the signs when a Stranger comes into her life talking about living the Codex, Knowing the Maker and loving your neighbor. And she can't understand why her father and other Elders are so offended by a simple teacher from the North. But once she comes to realize the level of control the Elders have over an oppressed people she needs to decide if she will help them keep it or stand up and help wrest it from them.
September 24, 2010
Quite interesting; had lots of action in it and it was really creative. It kept you wanting you turn to the next page.
It could get rather confusing at times - like, I really, didn't understand what the "Seer Codex" thing is for exaaaactly, but then, I suppose I do get confused easily :D :D
Lol, anyway, this book was good :) :) Not the BEST best, I suppose, but I would recommend it if you want an interesting read :) :)
It could get rather confusing at times - like, I really, didn't understand what the "Seer Codex" thing is for exaaaactly, but then, I suppose I do get confused easily :D :D
Lol, anyway, this book was good :) :) Not the BEST best, I suppose, but I would recommend it if you want an interesting read :) :)
gave-up-on
November 27, 2011This is one of those books I started a while ago and haven't quite finished. I am hoping to finish it so it isn't sitting around all the time. It is pretty long and somewhat monotonous, but since I am already about halfway, I am trying to finish it.
June 2, 2008
such an awesome book! it was so interesting and great with it's mysteries...and action sequences.
can hardly wait for book2....The Owling.
can hardly wait for book2....The Owling.
July 5, 2013
Actually enjoyed this book. Interesting angle and parallels. Looking forward to book two, Owlings.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews