Book Review: The Demon Star by Jesse Aragon

4.5/5 stars. Thanks to #NetGalley for the eARC of this debut novel set on a distant planet featuring scifi, fantasy, and horror elements that all come together in a very satisfying reading experience. The story centers around mythology, self-discovery, the conflict between ‘gods,’ and what that means for the culture of the planet. There are several characters that bear mentioning, Ysira Naktis – a woman sent to be ‘harvested’ by the gods, but who returns stronger than she imagined she could be, Jacen Kheris - a priest of the Church of the Black Sun who betrayed his first novitiate and now drinks to forget, Neri Semira – the boy who is chosen by his father to take on a demon, and Seth Semira – Neri’s uncle who tries to save Neri from a fate worse than death.


The mythology of this planet, the characters, and the gods are reminiscent of many older stories from the 70s and 80s but take on a life and a story all their own with Aragon’s deft writing. The main conflict takes a turn very quickly from general planet politics into something much deeper and darker as our main characters discover more about the history of the planet and the true existence of their gods.


If you enjoy epic, mythic science fiction or fantasy on a scale like those written by Frank Herbert, Dan Simmons, C.S. Friedman, Steven Erickson, or Christopher Ruocchio, then I highly recommend checking out this debut novel. Deeply engaging science fiction! #TheDemonStar

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