Down the Stream of Stars

Starstream #2

by Jeffrey A. Carver

A great interstellar migration has begun, down the gateway known as the starstream. Remnant of the Betelgeuse supernova, the starstream is a grand, ethereal highway deep into the Milky Way. It is also a living entity: born of the merged souls of the once-living star and the other beings who died in its creation. Who could have predicted the wonders of the starstream, or the perils it unleashed? Among the perils is a terrifying race known as the Throgs--shadowy beings that live in the n-space of the starstream. Entire worlds have died, destroyed by the Throgs. But life goes on, and colonists continue to settle new worlds. Colony-bound aboard the starship Charity are one Claudi Melnik, a child of uncommon talents--and an AI named Jeaves, who has his own interest in an encounter with Throgs. When the unthinkable occurs, Claudi must face alone the challenge from beyond space and time. And no one, not even Jeaves, could have predicted the final confrontation, or imagined where unexpected friendship would be found. DOWN THE STREAM OF STARS, triumphant sequel to the bestselling FROM A CHANGELING STAR, is a daring journey across the gulf between human and alien, to the heart of consciousness itself.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1990

Reviews

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a few years have passed since Willard Ruskin and his companions merged with the dying star Betelgeuse and helped open the gates to the galaxy for humanity and its neighbors. As humans and others use the starstream to reach new worlds to colonize, it's a boon but also a danger: In the starstream are the Throgs, seemingly incomprehensible beings who have destroyed ships and even whole worlds, when they are able to follow a fleeing ship out of the starstream.

Most ships get through safely, though, and Charity is carrying colonists bound for a new colony world. Among those on board Charity are Claudi Melnick, age eight, Sheky Hando, age six, and Jeaves, AI age two hundred or so--the same Jeaves who was a very mixed blessing for Willard Ruskin. Jeaves still has his own agenda, and it involves the Throgs.

It also, as he observes Claudi and Sheky, comes to involve the children, who are seeing and experiencing things that most of the adults, and most of their fellow children, are not. Things like the still-distant Throgs.

Things like the multiple-consciousness being that was once Ruskin, Alimaxim, the assassin Gantz, and Bright (Betelgeuse's own name for herself.)

Claudi and Sheky are bright, sensible, but real children, with real personalities and limitations. Their youth may be part of why they are open to what's happening around them; they also struggle to make sensible and responsible decisions beyond their experience--especially as they come to realize they may be the only ones who can avert disaster on this voyage down the starstream.

Carver has done a great job in portraying real kids, real adults, real relationships among them, as well as a fast-paced and enjoyable adventure.

Recommended.

I borrowed this book from a friend.

[Kori Weiser · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think perhaps that it was the narrator that ruined the book for me. The woman who read this DID do a decent job, but it came out sounding like a young reader's book than anything I ever would have read on my own.

In particular, the most annoying thing about the narrative was that there were many "zoo animals" that had the power of speech, several of which, the main character, Claudi, was capable of understanding; when the narrator read out the sounds of the animals, it was both interesting and utterly ridiculous.

This is the sticking point where I found credibility stretched beyond believability and I lost my ability to suspend my disbelief at that point.

Older readers may want to read the book without the narration, otherwise, it may become silly to you as well. But, I do think that young teens who are headed for a science career (which most children should be anyway!) might find this something that they enjoy, but there will be things that you, as a parent will need to help them understand (in particular, the transition of souls (not religious) from one dimension to another, and get ready to prepare your children for the new quantum mechanical ideas of "the multiverse and pan-dimensional thoughts, since this is the direction that science is now heading anyway.

[Mike Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Carver book was the first book in his Chaos Chronicles which it turns out is actually a loose sequel to the Starstream duology of which this is the second. It is interesting that the Chaos Chronicles have a fairly modern feel to them whilst the first Starstream book, From a Changeling Star, had a much more '80s feel. This second book in the Starstream Chronicles has that more modern feeling again and is all the better for it. An interesting speculative hard science fiction story (if that isn't an oxymoron) that takes a number of modern physics theories (like cosmic strings) and pushes them out about as far as they can be pushed. One quirk of this book is that it is written from the perspective of an 8-year-old girl. This give it a bit of an Ender's Game feel, though without the guilt, which might have been a little off putting but in fact worked very well. It also presents a neat first contact dilemma where one side doesn't even realise that the other is actually life at all, never mind intelligent life.

[Kat Heatherington · Rating 2 out of 5]

i think i'm about to wander off and give up on this. disappointing, as a sequel to the really-quite-good From a Changeling Star. the narrator here is an 8 year old child (a white kid, of course), and the text reads in a childish way -- it is not a YA novel, apparently, but it reads as though it is attempting to sound like one. it lacks the sophistication of a truly good child narrator, like Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series. the alternate narrator is a condescending and 99% narratively-unnecessary computer, also poorly written. i'll try something else of Carver's, but this story is simply disappointing.

[Rhane · Rating 4 out of 5]

High adventure in n space

This is a great read. A grand adventure with children heroes, adult Herod and very advanced AI systems. This is a future I might want to live in.

[Sophia Keen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like Jeffrey A. Carver is highly underrated. I love the universes he builds and the characters he fills them with.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story , really good narrator. Nice Space adventure, creative.

[Michael McCormack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fever dream of galactic hordes

Ok that might make it sound more exciting than it was.

The intragalactic superhighways is open for business. There’s only one problem, it goes both ways and somewhere along the highway is an on ramp for the mass murdering black ghost hordes that wipe out planets for fun. Turns out the superhighway is also haunted by Willard. This dude
Just
Won’t
Die.

The captain is beset with nightmares of what could have been (spoiler: he should have died too) the passengers are along for the ride, with plenty of time to build cabins and see the circus while dodging marauding ghosts.

The children are here to save the galaxy or at least sentient life as we know it. Will the hordes of ghosts get them while they exist in Kspace, or will the children make us realize it was all a misunderstanding? Ohh and don’t forget the sentient ai robot Jeeves!

Very pulpy, fun to read, but ultimately it’s not a stand out.

[Mrklingon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery and wonder among the stars!

I'd read Carver in years past, but picked him up recently thanks to some e- and audio book promotions. His books are intriguing and refreshing - I'm glad to have them in my library!

This is space opera, of a sort - a very different from the action of Starstream #1 - I enjoyed this (and the rigger universe stories) simply because they are so different than other stories. He's created a vast history and universe to explore, and I'm enjoying all of them. Will there be a #3?

[kenneth h. robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

ACTION - THOUGHTFULNESS - INACTION

And a child shall lead them - some children are exceptional, really exceptional, and it behooves adults to be wise enough to pay heed. This tale progresses both outside and inside the minds of kids being taken from one planet to another.

[Ungelic_is_us · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over and over as a kid, but its been more than five years since I read it last and I really need to take another look at it.

[Miramira Endevall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. Quite the garage-sale find, Morgan. :-)

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blast

I enjoyed this Starstream novel. I could have done without so much unending reticence on the part of the children, but it was engaging and fun.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Different, but a little too far out for me.