Daystar by Kathy Tyers

Daystar Reviews

• 
  Janelle

  Five stars just aren't enough for Kathy Tyers remarkable conclusion to the Firebird series. It's been a long time since I read a novel that was so engrossing and so encouraging. I'm not one for reading lengthy books, but in this case I ploughed through the pages, barely even noticing the six hundred plus pages. In fact, the only complaint that I have about Daystar is that it ended at all. Having finished the Firebird series I can only cling to the solace that I do own all of the Firebird books and can reread them anytime.
• 
  Andrew Miller

  The Whorl has turned against the Sentinel people. Fearing their mental abilities and not trusting them to hold to their codes, the Federates have begun a cure for the telepathic race. Little do the Feds realize, however, just how close the Caldwell prophesies are to being fulfilled. When a stranger appears at the Sentinels’ sanctuary world, claiming to be their long-awaited Boh-Dabar, will the chosen people follow him, or will they fall into history along with the rest of the Whorl?
  Years have passed between the end of Wind and Shadow and the beginning of Daystar. Sometimes this much of a time jump during a series doesn’t work well, or rubs the reader the wrong way. In this case, however, such a leap forward is necessary to the story. The nature of the Caldwell family prophesy necessitates that the characters in Wind and Shadow have offspring of their own that have entered adulthood, so of course the story would have to jump ahead many years.
  
  This book is possibly the best of the Firebird series. Certainly it brings many things together from the past installments, and also finally gets to the heart of the concept of the series: the speculation of how things might have happened if the Messiah hadn’t come when He did in human history, but rather had waited until mankind had expanded into space. That being said, in my mind I was picturing the book as a retelling of the story of Christ; however, that is not correct. There are certainly similarities in this story to that laid out in the Gospels, but as the author states at the end of the book, this story is told based on the assumption that God would not necessarily do things the same way as He did them, were He to do them at a different time and place.
  
  This is not in any way a detriment to the story; rather, there are elements that I was not looking forward to that are not actually present in Daystar, because the author is speculating in the story, not retelling the same story as if it took place in space. This makes the book that much more enjoyable.
  
  The story starts out a little slow; or rather, it takes a little bit of time to really get into it. But once that point happens, the rest of the story pulls the reader in. There may be major spoilers present from here on out in the review, in order to properly cover the book. Daystar draws out in its readers that longing for everything to be set right, for justice to be done, for humanity to be reconciled to its Creator. Of course, not everyone in the real world desires this, and that tragedy is also depicted in this book. One of the primary characters rejects the Boh Dabar, even going so far as thinking that being in a place away from his presence would be preferable to being in his presence.
  That being said, most of the characters do side with Boh Dabar, which makes the ending of this book incredibly satisfying to read. There is such a sense of hope and excitement present at the end, a longing for the age to come. Along with Arena by Karen Hancock, Daystar is the best book I’ve read recently. Both of these books draw the reader toward a more holy life, a desire to live in a way that brings glory to our Creator, and enlivens the hope that I as a Christian have for life beyond this present world and all of its problems.
  
  In some ways, I would liken this book to The Burning White by Brent Weeks. That book has a very good redemption arc to it, but in order to truly appreciate it, the reader has to slog through a morass. Daystar provides one with that same sense of fulfillment and redemption, but without having to wade through a cesspool to get there. If you want a story that draws you in, with characters you can really care about, and that has an underlying theme of restoration and hope, Daystar will not disappoint.
  
• 
  Dalen

  It was a decent end to the series, but a bit underwhelming unfortunately. I think of the series I liked book 4 the best. If you are looking for explicitly Christian science fiction, I'd recommend this series but not to a general sci-fi fan. I appreciate what the author was doing though and thought that the series was helpful in bringing light to theological questions that aren't often explored in literature.
• 
  Katie

  Tyers's tackling of a Messianic character is amazing. I have not seen this fully done except in allegory and was very excited to read this. As usual, Tyers offers compelling characters, an interesting world, and in-depth, interesting plotlines. Again, I am impressed with Tyers's bravery!
• 
  Stephen

  A good read, but not quite as crisp a read as the earlier novels in the series.
• 
  Sharon

  This series was intriguing and highly entertaining. However, the ending left me just a little dissatisfied because a couple of the story threads that I was interested in didn't go anywhere.
• 
  Annie Annie James

  Great series, sad to see it end
  
  I first read this series when I found the first book, Firebird. I really liked the first three books in the series; Firebird, Fusion Fire, and Crown of Fire. So when I saw there were two new ones available, I was excited to read them.
  
  I was a little disappointed. After Kathy Tyres' earlier books, this one seemed boring, for most of the book. I found the character Kinnor Caldwell, while supposed to be the hero, very cold, calculating, and difficult to root for. Ditto in this book, but he shows some redeeming qualities at the end. Again, disappointing, because after reading about the birth of the twins Kiel and Kinnor, I was excited to read about what kind of adults they had turned into.
  
  Nevertheless, I'm giving this five stars because this was still a great series overall, and the final book ties it all up nicely. As a writer myself, I realize that you can't please everyone, all the time. So I'm giving it five stars. I recommend reading the series from the beginning, it will make more sense to you.
• 
  Jamie Downer

  I have been reading Kathy's books since I discovered the Firebird series in high school. To have her conclude this truly epic saga with Daystar is satisfying to say the least.
  
  In Daystar, Kathy's strengths as a writer truly shine, while also venturing into more speculative ground. In a universe where mankind has developed space travel before the coming of the Messiah, the alternate history developed by Kathy is both thought-provoking and well rounded.
  
  With Daystar being a more ensemble cast (of old characters and new!), this was still a well developed character story with fast paced plotting and marvelous conclusions. Her depiction of an alternate Jesus-timeline were both satisfying and challenging.
  
  Possibly the only sour note is that this is the last book in the series -- and after spending years with these characters, saying goodbye is bittersweet.
  
  I would highly recommend the Firebird series to Kathy. She doesn't disappoint, even to the very end.
• 
  Tracy Krauss

  Daystar by Kathy Tyers definitely touches a spiritual cord, while taking the reader on a fast paced adventure to unknown galaxies. Even at a daunting 650 pages, the story maintained a great pace and was engaging throughout. There was enough pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo (which Sci-fi writers are famous for) to make the story seem plausible, yet not so much to overwhelm the reader. Her attention to detail was amazing (perhaps one reason for the length of the book) and her descriptions were very visual. Included in the book is a wide cast of characters that were very well developed and the story line was complex. There was romance, intrigue, sabotage - everything to make the book interesting. The book is a Biblical allegory, there is no doubt about that. Although this was fairly obvious early on in the reading, there were enough surprises and imaginative ways of presenting the analogies, that it remained fresh and unpredictable.
  
  
• 
  Airys

  I have loved the Firebird saga for many years, and while I was looking forward to this final chapter in the series, I was also a little bit reluctant to read it. It is, after all, THE END.
  
  But I have to say, since reading it, that it is the most satisfying ending I could hope for, and I couldn't imagine it finishing any other way.
  
  I was also delighted to read the very last line of this book, bringing it full circle to the last line of Firebird (#1), itself. You'll know it when you see it.
  
  It's an alternate universe retelling of the journey of faith. I am very familiar with the elements that were revealed, and drew the parallels quite easily, but even knowing how events were likely to unfold didn't stop me from feeling the emotion every step of the way.
  
  I am now tempted to start from the beginning again and read it all again!
  
• 
  C.J. Darlington

  A fabulous end to this renowned series. I was enthralled through every page and had tears in my eyes during the last. Kathy Tyers has truly created a masterpiece worth re-reading in the Firebird series, and Daystar is a rich, satisfying conclusion. UPDATE: Read through this a second time, and it was just as great as the first. If not more so since I read the whole series one right after the other, which helped me understand the characters so much better. I found myself almost tearing up at times as it's such a beautiful picture of the hope we have in Christ.
• 
  Della Loredo

  This fifth book in the Firebird series is a wonderful retelling of the Messiah story. But, because the whole story world is different, it allows the reader to appreciate it from a fresh perspective. The author's excellent storytelling skills really shine in this well-written, completely engaging read.
• 
  John Otte

  An excellent conclusion to an excellent series!
• 
  Elia Tyson

  An amazing finale to the Firebird books.