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Chronicle of the Dark Star #3
The Shores Beyond Time
The conclusion to Kevin Emerson’s epic, which Tui Sutherland, New York Times bestselling author of the Wings of Fire series, has called “perfect science fiction.”
It is Earth year 2256—but the fate of the few who even remember Earth is perilously in doubt. Mina Saunders-Chang and many of the surviving humans are stranded in the Centauri system, having barely survived their confrontation with the Telphon refugees. Now everyone—human and Telphon alike—is caught in the blast zone of the Centauri supernova. And yet there’s only one question Mina is asking:
Where are Liam and Phoebe?
Having barely made it through the battle at the Centauri system with their lives, Liam and Phoebe awake on a mysterious ship in the middle of a dead universe. The ship bears the markings of a human starliner that disappeared decades ago—but even more disturbing than that is the massive alien machine floating in the starless space before them.
A machine long abandoned but now showing signs of life. A machine that has begun speaking to Liam in a voice only he can hear. . . .
It is Earth year 2256—but the fate of the few who even remember Earth is perilously in doubt. Mina Saunders-Chang and many of the surviving humans are stranded in the Centauri system, having barely survived their confrontation with the Telphon refugees. Now everyone—human and Telphon alike—is caught in the blast zone of the Centauri supernova. And yet there’s only one question Mina is asking:
Where are Liam and Phoebe?
Having barely made it through the battle at the Centauri system with their lives, Liam and Phoebe awake on a mysterious ship in the middle of a dead universe. The ship bears the markings of a human starliner that disappeared decades ago—but even more disturbing than that is the massive alien machine floating in the starless space before them.
A machine long abandoned but now showing signs of life. A machine that has begun speaking to Liam in a voice only he can hear. . . .
504 pages, Hardcover
First published February 12, 2019
96 people are currently reading
621 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Emerson
40 books446 followersAuthor of sixteen novels for children and young adults, most recently LAST DAY ON MARS, BREAKOUT, and the ATLANTEANS series. His books have been published in ten different countries. Formerly a science teacher and a creative writing teacher, Kevin is also a singer and drummer. He has won a spelling bee, lost a beauty pageant, and once appeared in a Swedish TV commercial.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
July 6, 2019
“It has nothing to with heart. It is simply maths.”I’ve been following this series since the release of its first book. The idea of series is so good to read. But again, I observed the same thing and more this time. That is; concepts like these are little hard for middle grade readers in my opinion. I get it the main characters are 10 to 11 years old. But still I think this should not be sold out as middle grade. It’s possible my knowledge of MG is not that much. But I have read a good deal of them and they didn’t go into so much mind-numbing complexity like this series.
Anyways, as far as I’m concerned, I loved this series except for one thing I’ll tell in spoiler tag…😜😁
In the last book, Centauri A was about to go to supernova and Liam and Phoebe barely escaped that. This book continues from there. So, FINALLY!!! They landed on the DARK STAR! In the previous two books, I complained that the series is named after Dark Star and that name is barely mentioned in them. But this book is solely dedicated to this Dark Star. Actually, it’s a very huge machine, almost the size of a city, in another universe. And the fun thing is; it’s pretty much alive. It has mysterious intentions for our entire universes ( you heard that right, not just one universe) and another fun thing is; it’s talking to Liam.
RANDOM THINGS
--- Liam and Phoebe were my most favorite in the series. They are so brave and sometimes can be foolhardy. But I loved them anyways.
--- I also wanted Humans and Telphons to live together. But I agree it won’t be better for both species.
I wanted to DNF this book when I got to know about Dark Star. But I so wanted to see the ending of Liam and Phoebe. They were my only reason to finish this book...
The way this series has finished, I think author can still write from here if he wants. I request him to please do write another series to continue!!! PLEEEASE!
“He’d seen the future, seen the past, been in so many dangerous moments, and yet this felt somehow more dire than all of it: the end, a true end, of something he would never be able to get back.”
**3 July 2019**
December 23, 2023
re-read 2023:
how on earth do you come up with a plot like this. incredible.
original review:
This was a roller coaster of a ride that exceeded my expectations for the finale and that always had me guessing as to what would happen next.
From the beginning, I knew that the first scenes would connect to something later, but when we find out that But the suspense came from not knowing exactly what he was going to do. Also from the beginning, the countdown to dark star functionality at the start of every chapter was quite possibly the most ominous one possible. The first 2 books had countdowns to events we already knew about, but for this one it was kinda like "ok wtf is dark star".
Things just got really crazy really fast around the one third mark and from there nothing slowed down. Once Liam and Phoebe got to Dark Star and things actually started happening, everything just seemed way too convenient. But again, this increased the suspense because you never knew what was going to go wrong and when. So when
To continue:
1) I had not 1, but 2 existential crises during the course of this book
2) I was waiting for the word harvesting and finally got it yikes
3) that was something I actually never saw coming
4) I love Phoebe
And finally, the ending. It was just enough happy and sad to feel correct for this series. I think it's a good thing that the fates of I'm also glad that the
As a whole these books were super good and I would recommend them for anyone who enjoys sci-fi.
how on earth do you come up with a plot like this. incredible.
original review:
This was a roller coaster of a ride that exceeded my expectations for the finale and that always had me guessing as to what would happen next.
From the beginning, I knew that the first scenes would connect to something later, but when we find out that But the suspense came from not knowing exactly what he was going to do. Also from the beginning, the countdown to dark star functionality at the start of every chapter was quite possibly the most ominous one possible. The first 2 books had countdowns to events we already knew about, but for this one it was kinda like "ok wtf is dark star".
Things just got really crazy really fast around the one third mark and from there nothing slowed down. Once Liam and Phoebe got to Dark Star and things actually started happening, everything just seemed way too convenient. But again, this increased the suspense because you never knew what was going to go wrong and when. So when
To continue:
1) I had not 1, but 2 existential crises during the course of this book
2) I was waiting for the word harvesting and finally got it yikes
3) that was something I actually never saw coming
4) I love Phoebe
And finally, the ending. It was just enough happy and sad to feel correct for this series. I think it's a good thing that the fates of I'm also glad that the
As a whole these books were super good and I would recommend them for anyone who enjoys sci-fi.
February 24, 2023
Gotta be honest... the first two books weren't the best, but this book sure did make up for it. It was full of action, adventure, and suspense, and certainly binded the series together as a whole.
March 30, 2020
Update from one year later: Wow, my old reviews were CRINGE.
Actual Review:
It's about time I wrote one. It's not like I read this book in February, or anything...
Anyway.
This, in my opinion, was the best book in the series. Everything finally started to make sense (sort of), and, also, Iris was introduced. Iris is my new favorite character in this series, now. I like the way this toyed with the concept of the multiverse, and brought in some simulation-ish theories, because, well, that's kind of what happened with the Dark Star and everything.
Now, spoilers: Phoebe dies, but not in a bad way (though it still made me cry a little; a few tears were shed). Phoebe (a.k.a. Xela-8 (I think that was her name)) dies of old age, because she settled down on a new planet while Liam was on a ship in stasis, so she died at about age 100 while Liam was only seventeen (I think; who knows their ages anyway?).
But, like, Iris. She was a great addition to it. Also, she is the Dark Star. Also also, she is the narrator of this entire series. Iris is great. Iris needs more love.
I'm not really sure what else to add to this review as I've, well, read it in February.
Have a nice day.
Original "Review":
This was so...beautiful. I really think that this is the best book in the series. Iris is my favorite character. (What is it with me and liking AI characters? AIDAN from "Illuminae Files", the Thunderhead from the "Arc of a Scythe" series, Ezekiel, Myriad, and basically all of the lifelikes from "LIFEL1K3", and now Iris...) I am quite happy with the ending. There aren't many loose ends. I do hope, though, that there will be a spinoff series about how the humans adapt to life on Aaru-5. The last half of the book was pretty unexpected, actually. I am now half convinced that we are living in a simulation. Whelp, time to go get the tinfoil hat I conveniently keep under my bed. Goodbye, world, I'll see you again in a few days, after I finish writing all of my conspiracies about the government in my secret mountain bunker.
Have any of you noticed that you've never seen a baby pigeon? This must be the government's fault. Or aliens. Or both! I always knew that something is being hidden from me, and I am determined to find out exactly how many things are being kept a secret.
Now, where did I put my map?
Actual Review:
It's about time I wrote one. It's not like I read this book in February, or anything...
Anyway.
This, in my opinion, was the best book in the series. Everything finally started to make sense (sort of), and, also, Iris was introduced. Iris is my new favorite character in this series, now. I like the way this toyed with the concept of the multiverse, and brought in some simulation-ish theories, because, well, that's kind of what happened with the Dark Star and everything.
Now, spoilers: Phoebe dies, but not in a bad way (though it still made me cry a little; a few tears were shed). Phoebe (a.k.a. Xela-8 (I think that was her name)) dies of old age, because she settled down on a new planet while Liam was on a ship in stasis, so she died at about age 100 while Liam was only seventeen (I think; who knows their ages anyway?).
But, like, Iris. She was a great addition to it. Also, she is the Dark Star. Also also, she is the narrator of this entire series. Iris is great. Iris needs more love.
I'm not really sure what else to add to this review as I've, well, read it in February.
Have a nice day.
Original "Review":
This was so...beautiful. I really think that this is the best book in the series. Iris is my favorite character. (What is it with me and liking AI characters? AIDAN from "Illuminae Files", the Thunderhead from the "Arc of a Scythe" series, Ezekiel, Myriad, and basically all of the lifelikes from "LIFEL1K3", and now Iris...) I am quite happy with the ending. There aren't many loose ends. I do hope, though, that there will be a spinoff series about how the humans adapt to life on Aaru-5. The last half of the book was pretty unexpected, actually. I am now half convinced that we are living in a simulation. Whelp, time to go get the tinfoil hat I conveniently keep under my bed. Goodbye, world, I'll see you again in a few days, after I finish writing all of my conspiracies about the government in my secret mountain bunker.
Have any of you noticed that you've never seen a baby pigeon? This must be the government's fault. Or aliens. Or both! I always knew that something is being hidden from me, and I am determined to find out exactly how many things are being kept a secret.
Now, where did I put my map?
May 18, 2020
Doesn't quite answer all of my questions, but a nice ending nonetheless.
March 27, 2023
This last book in the series pulled the whole series together. It was better than the first two books but also it was more mind blowing than the first two books with all the time travel and AI and the multiverse.
October 20, 2020
It is so hard to read a whole trilogy of large books to only end up being sad with the ending. I realize that Liam and Phoebe were only children through all of this, but as we see in the end, Phoebe never forgot Liam and he was always a part of her. If they could have stayed together, they very well could have gotten married and had a life together. At the very least, they could have always been together as friends. You just get invested in these characters and then to have them split up in the end....it just didn't sit right with me. I get that it would have been tough given their whole situation with the Telphons vs. the humans, but I kept expecting the author to find a way around that somehow. And Phoebe was right, she would be long dead while Liam kept traveling to Telos for a hundred years. Phoebe got to live her life with the promise of knowing she would see Liam from time to time, but for Liam it was over in a matter of days. He got the raw end of the deal. I also would've liked to have seen things from Captain Barrie's perspective at the end. He said he "had to know". Know what? I didn't feel like that was answered. We never get to see Liam and his family make it to Telos, or Aaru, whatever you want to call it. This book was 500 pages and I was bored with some of it. I felt like more time could have been spent with an epilogue instead, showing the humans on their new planet, letting us know that all was well. We never even got to see Liam reunite with Shawn. I had really enjoyed this story, but this last book just fell flat for me. I was disappointed after all that reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2022
The further I get into this series the less interesting I find it. That’s kind of an unfortunate truth. It’s not that the explanations are bad or anything. This explains everything in a way that wraps it up neatly. It’s just that the elements I find least interesting are the ones at the center of the mystery. The time traveling watch was always going to be big, but it jumped waaay further than I expected it to (kudos for daring to be weird, I guess). Now they’re in a whole other universe with weird psychic computers and an ominously friendly AI. The stuff I found so interesting in the first book, Mars, the whole evacuation and how it was organized, future society, all of it has been getting less and less relevant as all the other stuff comes to the fore.
If, of course, that was the stuff you liked about the books in the first place then no doubt you’ll have a very good time. The story ties all the loose ends off in a very rational way while keeping a few emotional kicks in the teeth saved up to keep you reading to the end. I did find that very suitable and moving. I suppose I also found the explanation a bit mundane. The mystery box has something at the core. It’s just that I found it less interesting than the box itself.
Incidentally, I would be remiss if I didn’t say something about those beautiful covers. They were what really drew me to these books and they capture the sense of wonder and innocence that the books are aiming for.
If, of course, that was the stuff you liked about the books in the first place then no doubt you’ll have a very good time. The story ties all the loose ends off in a very rational way while keeping a few emotional kicks in the teeth saved up to keep you reading to the end. I did find that very suitable and moving. I suppose I also found the explanation a bit mundane. The mystery box has something at the core. It’s just that I found it less interesting than the box itself.
Incidentally, I would be remiss if I didn’t say something about those beautiful covers. They were what really drew me to these books and they capture the sense of wonder and innocence that the books are aiming for.
July 3, 2025
listen, it’s not a perfect book but my god does it hit hard. easily the best of the trilogy, i remember the epilogue made me cry when i first read it in middle school and i definitely teared up this time around. you spend so much time with liam and phoebe over the series that their inevitable goodbye really tugs at your heartstrings. what really frustrated me was how unseriously they were treated by their families, especially mina repeatedly teasing liam - which tells you just how invested in their relationship i was. i would absolutely love to see this series adapted into a 3-season-long, animated tv series. it would be so good and based on emerson’s writing, it’s clear he is already picturing this as a movie or show. animation would bring this to life! and i would love to see iris voiced by someone like cate blanchett on some del toro’s pinocchio shit. but as for the book itself, of course it’s amazing, all of the twists and turns and reveals about dark star near the end had me so hooked. captain barrie is such a menacing figure, i love the chronologists, and all the creative forms of storytelling used. also shoutout f.d.l., the sender, whoever you are. i loved that part. i do wish there was more jeff in this one, although he does have the most banger line that changes everything. the book as a whole is, yes, too long, and it takes more time than it needs to get where it needs to go (we don’t need >100 pages before they get to dark star nor do we need more than one chapter abt barrie’s backstory). even on a smaller level, some paragraphs and trains of thought go on too long to the point where its spelling out liam’s thoughts too explicitly. it could do with another round of editing. but i really can’t knock it all that much, it’s just beautiful and i love it.
September 18, 2019
Great science fiction trilogy. Time travel, aliens, space technology, AI, you name it these books have it. Reading them made me think of some of Greg Bear’s books. I know this is a trilogy I will read again.
January 4, 2026
This book was one of the most insane things I have ever read. But definitely intriguing.
January 18, 2025
Good series, with the last book being the best in my mind. That epilogue was just brutal though...wow.
October 15, 2019
Loved the entire series!
August 1, 2024
I've loved this series.
April 26, 2019
Parts of this book were a bit slow and too full of ponderings about humanity for my taste. The epilogue made up for it in the end, but I'd have liked Captain Barrie's character to be more fully developed and to have learned more about Dark Star.
August 31, 2022
I wanted to like this book. Having read the first two books and finding them fairly decent I had what I thought were reasonable expectations for this final book to tie things together. Unfortunately, the book left a lot of unresolved questions. Dark Star is portrayed as an essentially god-like omnipotent being but then gets tricked by Liam in such a dumb and obvious fashion? Why - and more importantly how - does that orange orb thingy that the chronologist owns even exist? The prospect of Dark Star being temporarily neutralized by some weird orange orb sounds ridiculous considering Dark Star could have made a universe without such an object being created (or could have prevented the creation of such an object through other means). That is if you even think such an object capable of neutralizing Dark Star even makes sense. (I don't!)
The other problem with this book (and series in general) is that I hate almost all the characters. That became more obvious to me as I gradually went through this series. Essentially every human character is awful and unlikeable (perhaps with the exception of Shawn but that's probably because he doesn't feature enough in the series for me to hate him). Mina is an annoying awful prick 90% of the time. And Liam isn't much better either. As for their parents... I honestly think they both should face punishment as war criminals/genocidal maniacs - whatever that punishment must be. Barrie is quite an odd and interesting character. If I ignored his anthropocentric shtick, I'd actually like him since he seems to be the crazy bad guy of a story where evil characters are the protagonists. As for the Telphons, I don't really like Xela/Phoebe either. She's become too affectionate to the humans for her to be likeable. She just reeks of the typical trope where one member of a conquered/colonized nation or race assimilates into the culture of the conquerors and shows more love to them than her own people.
Barro and Tarra are the only characters in this series I actually enjoyed. They have a good sense of humor and wanted to kick human ass. I think humanity deserved a rude awakening in this book. They didn't get one and somehow still bafflingly enough got to settle Telos. Horrible ending and not satisfactory for me. It's really a 1.5 star that gets half a star only because... well... I don't know. First two books of the series maybe.
The other problem with this book (and series in general) is that I hate almost all the characters. That became more obvious to me as I gradually went through this series. Essentially every human character is awful and unlikeable (perhaps with the exception of Shawn but that's probably because he doesn't feature enough in the series for me to hate him). Mina is an annoying awful prick 90% of the time. And Liam isn't much better either. As for their parents... I honestly think they both should face punishment as war criminals/genocidal maniacs - whatever that punishment must be. Barrie is quite an odd and interesting character. If I ignored his anthropocentric shtick, I'd actually like him since he seems to be the crazy bad guy of a story where evil characters are the protagonists. As for the Telphons, I don't really like Xela/Phoebe either. She's become too affectionate to the humans for her to be likeable. She just reeks of the typical trope where one member of a conquered/colonized nation or race assimilates into the culture of the conquerors and shows more love to them than her own people.
Barro and Tarra are the only characters in this series I actually enjoyed. They have a good sense of humor and wanted to kick human ass. I think humanity deserved a rude awakening in this book. They didn't get one and somehow still bafflingly enough got to settle Telos. Horrible ending and not satisfactory for me. It's really a 1.5 star that gets half a star only because... well... I don't know. First two books of the series maybe.
February 24, 2022
A solid ending to a solid science fiction story. I appreciate how everything wrapped up. Even though it wasn't the perfect 'happy' ending, it was a real ending, that fit.
Also (VERY minor spoiler) is 'FDL' a reference that should make sense? Does anyone know? I feel like this was a last minute in-joke but I'm tempted to reread the first book to see if there's a reference somewhere I've forgotten about.
Also (VERY minor spoiler) is 'FDL' a reference that should make sense? Does anyone know? I feel like this was a last minute in-joke but I'm tempted to reread the first book to see if there's a reference somewhere I've forgotten about.
June 20, 2023
I read this middle grade sci fi series at the persistent urging of Dylan (age 10). The first two books were good and I enjoyed them, more than I thought I would for middle grade books. This third one was just excellent - filled with emotion, adventure, unexpected twists and turns, and as always, any book that causes me to sob at the ending gets 5 stars!
April 1, 2019
I honestly have no idea how our author came up with most of the stuff in this story! We are on such a roller coaster with things constantly changing, evolving. New characters being introduced, and alliances built and broken. We begin to question whether we know WHO we’re talking to, WHEN they are talking and what’s going to happen.
It’s hard to believe and often so hard to remember that Liam and Phoebe are so young. Ten i believe when we started this journey with them. I know that they’ve theoretically aged decades throughout this series, but still, being in stasis wouldn’t give them the maturity that they exhibit throughout.
When we left this story at the end of book 2, we are teased with the notion that Dark Star is connected to the humans, to the Artemis somehow, and that’s scarier than the cliff hanger that we were left at the end of book one, realizing that Pheobe wasn’t who she said she was.
So we spend much of this installment in Dark Star, whatever that is, and trying to get a sense of what this place is, what the motivation is, and what’s caused the Supernovas to happen. What’s the end game.
As expected, we are taken on an insane ride – because it seems like the Captain has more information about things than he’ll let on, and that was teased during the prologue chapter that he was featured in back on Earth. The fact that he wasn’t going to abide by the social norms, and the expectations of those in his class, well, it means that he can’t be trusted.
The chronologist plays a key role here as well – at least one of the chronologists – the one who seems to have befriended this duo. He’s given them insight into things, broken a few rules and norms where it was necessary, however the twist that we learn at the end blows the roof off of everything that we thought we had read throughout the other installments.
Dark Star is something that I could never have imagined, and something that I would fear immensely. AI is something that’s on the technological horizon (even in the now), but this is something entirely different. Building a colony, a place where millions could inhabit it, and that poses endless questions.
The nice thing about this third story too is that we’re reunited with family. We knew that there was so much disaster that had hit the streamliner, and the notion that Mina and Liam were able to stay connected and find each other again, and Liam was able to save their parents – we to see another perspective to things that’s also intense. The dynamic between Phoebe and her parents carried consistency from book 2. There’s still so much pain and hate, this need for revenge and the difficulty that her parents have with being happy with her bond with Liam. That bond proves to be even more substantial than anyone realized, and is something quite amazing.
There are so many social and philosophical undertones throughout this series that are so relevant any time you read this. How can cultures that are fundamentally different co-habitate, and should they do it? Is it even possible? How do we continue to question and seek knowledge, thinking that we have this hunger for more, but know when to stop pushing and let the future just happen? There are so many companies out there that are looking to give people eternity, to elevate knowledge and awareness and consciousness, and there’s a perspective in this story that makes you continue to question.
It’s hard to believe and often so hard to remember that Liam and Phoebe are so young. Ten i believe when we started this journey with them. I know that they’ve theoretically aged decades throughout this series, but still, being in stasis wouldn’t give them the maturity that they exhibit throughout.
When we left this story at the end of book 2, we are teased with the notion that Dark Star is connected to the humans, to the Artemis somehow, and that’s scarier than the cliff hanger that we were left at the end of book one, realizing that Pheobe wasn’t who she said she was.
So we spend much of this installment in Dark Star, whatever that is, and trying to get a sense of what this place is, what the motivation is, and what’s caused the Supernovas to happen. What’s the end game.
As expected, we are taken on an insane ride – because it seems like the Captain has more information about things than he’ll let on, and that was teased during the prologue chapter that he was featured in back on Earth. The fact that he wasn’t going to abide by the social norms, and the expectations of those in his class, well, it means that he can’t be trusted.
The chronologist plays a key role here as well – at least one of the chronologists – the one who seems to have befriended this duo. He’s given them insight into things, broken a few rules and norms where it was necessary, however the twist that we learn at the end blows the roof off of everything that we thought we had read throughout the other installments.
Dark Star is something that I could never have imagined, and something that I would fear immensely. AI is something that’s on the technological horizon (even in the now), but this is something entirely different. Building a colony, a place where millions could inhabit it, and that poses endless questions.
The nice thing about this third story too is that we’re reunited with family. We knew that there was so much disaster that had hit the streamliner, and the notion that Mina and Liam were able to stay connected and find each other again, and Liam was able to save their parents – we to see another perspective to things that’s also intense. The dynamic between Phoebe and her parents carried consistency from book 2. There’s still so much pain and hate, this need for revenge and the difficulty that her parents have with being happy with her bond with Liam. That bond proves to be even more substantial than anyone realized, and is something quite amazing.
There are so many social and philosophical undertones throughout this series that are so relevant any time you read this. How can cultures that are fundamentally different co-habitate, and should they do it? Is it even possible? How do we continue to question and seek knowledge, thinking that we have this hunger for more, but know when to stop pushing and let the future just happen? There are so many companies out there that are looking to give people eternity, to elevate knowledge and awareness and consciousness, and there’s a perspective in this story that makes you continue to question.
July 5, 2019
Liam and Phoebe are working hard to stop the destruction of both their families and species. The latest supernova threatens to take out everyone they know and love. And if they do survive, the two species are still ready to take each other out in a war. Liam and Phoebe also know they need to explore the portal and finding out who is behind blowing up these stars and why. Liam is having a harder time staying in the present, when it is so comfortable to escape to the past. Can two preteens hope to save a couple universes?
It is really hard to summarize this book. Not only does it go forwards, backwards, and upside down in time, but there are so many turning point events that to go much beyond the first few chapters events will threaten spoiling much. Emerson has written one of the most complex scifi adventures for middle graders I’ve ever come across. Usually such complicated plotting and time travel is reserved for older readers, but it is very nice to find someone who trusts the imagination and reading abilities of middle grade readers (and older readers who enjoy some hard core scifi can also dip in and enjoy this). There’s also a good dose of philosophy, ethical debates, and tech based on stuff scientists are really playing around with right now. Lots to chew on beyond just enjoying the ride of the story. I can’t imagine how much time it took Emerson to plot this all out and keep it all straight in his own head, and not only that, he presents it in such a way so that readers can keep it straight too without getting overwhelmingly dizzy. That’s quite impressive. It also comes to a good conclusion. Too often writers fizzle out by the end of a series, but this one stays strong to the end. It is also open enough that if Emerson gets inspired, he could write a spin-off series, though the main plot points of this series are all resolved. I also like that there's lots of topics in here for readers to think on long after the pages have come to an end, from the struggles of peacekeeping to ethics of making decisions on behalf of a species without their input, and the struggle of being present when things are tough rather than escaping mentally. I have a couple students who found out this book arrived in a delivery the last week of school and have already put in requests to read it the first week back to school in August. It’s a great read for scifi fans, time travel fans, and those who like a bit more depth to their stories than is typical for middle grade (also good for those on the cusp of middle grade/YA). Highly recommended.
Notes on content: Maybe 1-2 mild swear words (I can’t remember for sure now). No sexual content beyond a little kiss. Destructions of entire planets of sentient beings, destruction of space ships with sentient beings on board, and a few on page life-threatening events. The gravity of the situations is conveyed without wallowing in gore (or describing much gore for that matter). The deaths are given weight, and mortality is seriously considered. The value of life is also given serious page time.
It is really hard to summarize this book. Not only does it go forwards, backwards, and upside down in time, but there are so many turning point events that to go much beyond the first few chapters events will threaten spoiling much. Emerson has written one of the most complex scifi adventures for middle graders I’ve ever come across. Usually such complicated plotting and time travel is reserved for older readers, but it is very nice to find someone who trusts the imagination and reading abilities of middle grade readers (and older readers who enjoy some hard core scifi can also dip in and enjoy this). There’s also a good dose of philosophy, ethical debates, and tech based on stuff scientists are really playing around with right now. Lots to chew on beyond just enjoying the ride of the story. I can’t imagine how much time it took Emerson to plot this all out and keep it all straight in his own head, and not only that, he presents it in such a way so that readers can keep it straight too without getting overwhelmingly dizzy. That’s quite impressive. It also comes to a good conclusion. Too often writers fizzle out by the end of a series, but this one stays strong to the end. It is also open enough that if Emerson gets inspired, he could write a spin-off series, though the main plot points of this series are all resolved. I also like that there's lots of topics in here for readers to think on long after the pages have come to an end, from the struggles of peacekeeping to ethics of making decisions on behalf of a species without their input, and the struggle of being present when things are tough rather than escaping mentally. I have a couple students who found out this book arrived in a delivery the last week of school and have already put in requests to read it the first week back to school in August. It’s a great read for scifi fans, time travel fans, and those who like a bit more depth to their stories than is typical for middle grade (also good for those on the cusp of middle grade/YA). Highly recommended.
Notes on content: Maybe 1-2 mild swear words (I can’t remember for sure now). No sexual content beyond a little kiss. Destructions of entire planets of sentient beings, destruction of space ships with sentient beings on board, and a few on page life-threatening events. The gravity of the situations is conveyed without wallowing in gore (or describing much gore for that matter). The deaths are given weight, and mortality is seriously considered. The value of life is also given serious page time.
February 18, 2019
Phoebe and Liam have escaped Mars just as the sun was about to explode; they’ve evaded the Drove, a group trying to destroy stars like the one they just escaped; they’ve discovered secrets about the other one that should put their life-long friendship at risk, and now they have just crossed into a portal that promises to be exactly what human-kind needs to survive.
“Perhaps the greatest talent of the human species is the ability to convince itself of nearly anything.”
As Phoebe and Liam discover new things about this portal, housing the Dark Star and the missing ship, Artemis, they are still searching for their families, hoping to lead them to the Dark Star and this new universe it has built. Building a universe from destroying another is what the Dark Star does.
“That sounds pretty coldhearted.” “It has nothing to do with heart. It is simply math.”
With the humans still at war with the Telos beings, Liam and Phoebe find themselves in the middle, especially when it comes to their parents. They cannot live on the same planet for biology and political reasons, so they begin to fear the end of their friendship as the two sides struggle to save and then escape the other.
“He’d seen the future, seen the past, been in so many dangerous moments, and yet this felt somehow more dire than all of it: the end, a true end, of something he would never be able to get back.”
As the Dark Star begins to reveal its plans for humankind, it is once more up to Liam and Phoebe to save everyone, but they are running out of time as Dark Star is gaining power.
“All he needed was hope, and the courage to believe in what he hoped for.”
Kevin Emerson has a brilliant ending to this trilogy; he has a way of creating this multi-faceted world with these characters that make you cheer for them and grieve with them. He mixes science, philosophy, friendship, resilience, and love into a perfect story. I literally shut the book, put my face in my hands and wept.
“Life can be long, even for a reasonably sentient, three-dimensional being. If you are lucky, there will be so many chapters, you will scarcely remember some of those along the way. If you are lucky, there will be some that you will never forget.”
“Perhaps the greatest talent of the human species is the ability to convince itself of nearly anything.”
As Phoebe and Liam discover new things about this portal, housing the Dark Star and the missing ship, Artemis, they are still searching for their families, hoping to lead them to the Dark Star and this new universe it has built. Building a universe from destroying another is what the Dark Star does.
“That sounds pretty coldhearted.” “It has nothing to do with heart. It is simply math.”
With the humans still at war with the Telos beings, Liam and Phoebe find themselves in the middle, especially when it comes to their parents. They cannot live on the same planet for biology and political reasons, so they begin to fear the end of their friendship as the two sides struggle to save and then escape the other.
“He’d seen the future, seen the past, been in so many dangerous moments, and yet this felt somehow more dire than all of it: the end, a true end, of something he would never be able to get back.”
As the Dark Star begins to reveal its plans for humankind, it is once more up to Liam and Phoebe to save everyone, but they are running out of time as Dark Star is gaining power.
“All he needed was hope, and the courage to believe in what he hoped for.”
Kevin Emerson has a brilliant ending to this trilogy; he has a way of creating this multi-faceted world with these characters that make you cheer for them and grieve with them. He mixes science, philosophy, friendship, resilience, and love into a perfect story. I literally shut the book, put my face in my hands and wept.
“Life can be long, even for a reasonably sentient, three-dimensional being. If you are lucky, there will be so many chapters, you will scarcely remember some of those along the way. If you are lucky, there will be some that you will never forget.”
March 26, 2019
I'm always on the lookout for new series of books. A good series mean that if I get my students hooked on one book, I can keep them reading for longer. They worry less about what the next book that they will read is and spend less time struggling to find one that they like. So I'm always happy when I can find a great one!
This is one of my favorite science fiction series that I've discovered this past year. It is the Chronicle of the Dark Star series by Kevin Emerson. I read the first book Last Day on Mars and The Oceans Between Stars, the second book, back in the fall but the third, The Shores beyond Time didn't come out until February 12th.
I had pre-ordered the book and it arrived in the mail last month. I already had several books in my "to-read" pile so I took it to school and gave it to one of my students who LOVED the first two books in the series. It was passed around to a few of my other students who had read the first two and then I finally got my hands on it again this week!
The series is about Liam Saunders-Chang, a young teenage boy who is one of the last humans left on Mars in Earth year 2213 after the human race fled to Mars. This is only a temporary solution while they prepare for a trip to a distant star in order to escape the sun which has begun the process of going supernova. Liam, along with his best friend Phoebe will be on the last star-liner to depart Mars before it is destroyed. On their last day on Mars, they make some enormous discoveries about the nature of time and space as the human race struggles to survive in the universe. The rest of the series follows their adventures as they seek out their new home.
Let me tell you, the second and third books only succeed in becoming more and more action packed. I found myself shocked and surprised at so many of the sudden twists that Emerson throws at his readers. Liam is also a very endearing character and I found myself cheering for him in his successes and his desire to discover and protect those that he loves. I really enjoyed this entire series and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great middle-grade science fiction series.
This is one of my favorite science fiction series that I've discovered this past year. It is the Chronicle of the Dark Star series by Kevin Emerson. I read the first book Last Day on Mars and The Oceans Between Stars, the second book, back in the fall but the third, The Shores beyond Time didn't come out until February 12th.
I had pre-ordered the book and it arrived in the mail last month. I already had several books in my "to-read" pile so I took it to school and gave it to one of my students who LOVED the first two books in the series. It was passed around to a few of my other students who had read the first two and then I finally got my hands on it again this week!
The series is about Liam Saunders-Chang, a young teenage boy who is one of the last humans left on Mars in Earth year 2213 after the human race fled to Mars. This is only a temporary solution while they prepare for a trip to a distant star in order to escape the sun which has begun the process of going supernova. Liam, along with his best friend Phoebe will be on the last star-liner to depart Mars before it is destroyed. On their last day on Mars, they make some enormous discoveries about the nature of time and space as the human race struggles to survive in the universe. The rest of the series follows their adventures as they seek out their new home.
Let me tell you, the second and third books only succeed in becoming more and more action packed. I found myself shocked and surprised at so many of the sudden twists that Emerson throws at his readers. Liam is also a very endearing character and I found myself cheering for him in his successes and his desire to discover and protect those that he loves. I really enjoyed this entire series and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great middle-grade science fiction series.
April 2, 2021
The Shores Beyond Time is the final book in the Chronicle of the Dark Star series. This was a great end to a good series. My thoughts on the series as a whole have not changed much because of the last book. I think the premise and story are amazing. The moral complexity of the characters and general plot was much appreciated considering this is a middle grade book. The characters did leave a bit to be desired. The main characters, Liam and Phoebe, were generally boring and basic though the author improved on that in this final book with more of a focus on some of the characters that were interesting. He also made Liam and Phoebe a little more interesting by making their relationship more complex.
It is difficult to write a satisfying ending to a story that is consistent with the rest of the story, yet still unpredictable and Emerson pulled that off in my opinion. I would like to see this series adapted to film or TV so that it can get exposure it deserves. This a great series for kids, young adults, and anyone into sci-fi. Five stars.
It is difficult to write a satisfying ending to a story that is consistent with the rest of the story, yet still unpredictable and Emerson pulled that off in my opinion. I would like to see this series adapted to film or TV so that it can get exposure it deserves. This a great series for kids, young adults, and anyone into sci-fi. Five stars.
June 13, 2019
The third and final installment of the Dark Star trilogy was unexpected and satisfying. I thought I knew what was happening, but turns out I HAD NO IDEA. There was such delicious creepiness in the last 25% of the book that I began to question my own reality.
There were moments when the series dragged, and a few musings that rambled on for a few too many pages, but as a whole this was a pretty great sci fi journey with interesting commentary on humanity, friendship, and our small part in the universe(s). I was a little disappointed at the elevation of the human species above other species, and I have lingering questions about some of the plot points, but I got teary eyed reading the epilogue, and felt a little sad when it came to an end, which is always a good sign.
Not my favorite sci fi I’ve read this year (that was Sanderson’s Skyward), but a solid contribution to YA sci fi with some fascinating explorations into time travel and AI.
There were moments when the series dragged, and a few musings that rambled on for a few too many pages, but as a whole this was a pretty great sci fi journey with interesting commentary on humanity, friendship, and our small part in the universe(s). I was a little disappointed at the elevation of the human species above other species, and I have lingering questions about some of the plot points, but I got teary eyed reading the epilogue, and felt a little sad when it came to an end, which is always a good sign.
Not my favorite sci fi I’ve read this year (that was Sanderson’s Skyward), but a solid contribution to YA sci fi with some fascinating explorations into time travel and AI.
March 7, 2023
I personally really enjoyed this entire series as a whole and think that anyone into sci-fi and time travel will really enjoy it. As someone with a scientific understanding of quantum mechanics, seeing the "many worlds" theory in this book really made it appealing to me. I love that this book uses humanity's sense of always wanting more, even if it is to the detriment of others, as a plot point. I love how we see him go back in time earlier in the book, and then see in the future what and how he did. I do, however, believe that the author's depiction of certain things isn't very deep. Some events in the book seemed 'skimed over' to me where there could've been more development. The idea of Iris and her connection to the Captain to the underlying situation of Dark Star is beautifully and addictively written. I give this book 5 stars because it's well-written, and as the final book in a trilogy, it doesn't leave you feeling like you didn't get enough.
January 9, 2024
I was very impressed by this series. It was so well written and was very complicated but still understandable. There are some considerations for this last book.
There are mysterious beings that created the “Dark Star,” a huge space like ship that blows up and creates universes, including earth. Plays on the theory of Intelligent Design.
-this last book is very philosophical and plays on the theories of Intelligent Design as well as evolution. SPOILER: essentially, Liam finds the human universe was created and destroyed by an AI named Iris. Because Iris is not all knowing, “she” needs Liam and other humans to reach a higher knowledge of time and space. There is constant questioning of where all these beings, human and alien, originated. Evolutionary language (millions, billions of years) is used. I find this to be pretty deep for a middle grade novel and this last book might be too much for them.
There are mysterious beings that created the “Dark Star,” a huge space like ship that blows up and creates universes, including earth. Plays on the theory of Intelligent Design.
-this last book is very philosophical and plays on the theories of Intelligent Design as well as evolution. SPOILER: essentially, Liam finds the human universe was created and destroyed by an AI named Iris. Because Iris is not all knowing, “she” needs Liam and other humans to reach a higher knowledge of time and space. There is constant questioning of where all these beings, human and alien, originated. Evolutionary language (millions, billions of years) is used. I find this to be pretty deep for a middle grade novel and this last book might be too much for them.
December 24, 2020
OH.MY.GOD. This may be my favorite book of all time. Very unique book, never read anything close to it's complexity and denseness. I want a 4th book so, so badly. The Epilogue was very interesting with Phoebe being so old and yet Liam being so young. Overall an absolute must read. I will be rereading this book way too many times. So many awesome characters, between Phoebe, who Kevin Emerson always found a way to make funny, even when she was 103 years old and in her last moments. There's also the Chronoligist's, who are very serious and technical, but still humorous. Along with Liam who is such a great friend and family member, risking his life for Phoebe, his parents, and the universe countless times. So many awesome plot twists, and edge-of-your-seat moments, I am really really looking forward to a possible 4th book
March 26, 2024
Omg this book was questionable. I’m not a huge sci fi fan so that could be part of it. This series had a great concept, and all it just wasn’t necessarily executed right. Don’t get me wrong this book series was good just not that good. This book just was so long which I normally don’t complain about but it just was way to long. I personally feel like this could have been a 350 page book instead of a 500 page book, it was just way to long. I ended up giving it 2.75 because I think the ending was really good, it was just soooo stretched out and many unnecessary details and other things.
I was honestly counting down the pages until I was done.
This is how I rate books:
5 ⭐️: literally read this right now
4 ⭐️: really good
3 ⭐️: okay, I still liked it but not a must read
2 ⭐️: I wouldn’t read it but I can see how you would like it
1 ⭐️: I don’t understand how you can like it. Horrible never read.
NONE: It wasn’t really bad I just couldn’t rate it either because it was about someone’s life or just too sad that I can’t recommend but want to.
I was honestly counting down the pages until I was done.
This is how I rate books:
5 ⭐️: literally read this right now
4 ⭐️: really good
3 ⭐️: okay, I still liked it but not a must read
2 ⭐️: I wouldn’t read it but I can see how you would like it
1 ⭐️: I don’t understand how you can like it. Horrible never read.
NONE: It wasn’t really bad I just couldn’t rate it either because it was about someone’s life or just too sad that I can’t recommend but want to.
November 23, 2024
I loved the ideas and concepts of this story, but I sometimes got overburdened by the many descriptions -- and the many anxious thoughts swirls. (I have enough of my own, thank you very much, I do not need a bunch more)
This book is (*very* over simplified) the answer to "what if someone has existential anxiety but can temporarily avoid it by time-traveling to happy moments?"
adventures? of course
new lore? by the bucket full
existential wonderings, colorful spirals questioning the nature of how and why [and where and when] humans exist? naturally
Overall, this book was a bit messier and more complex than I would typically go for (or expect in a jfic novel) so it took me some time, but I did enjoy reading it. I have no plans to read it again, but I would encourage others to finish it if they found the first two books captivating
This book is (*very* over simplified) the answer to "what if someone has existential anxiety but can temporarily avoid it by time-traveling to happy moments?"
adventures? of course
new lore? by the bucket full
existential wonderings, colorful spirals questioning the nature of how and why [and where and when] humans exist? naturally
Overall, this book was a bit messier and more complex than I would typically go for (or expect in a jfic novel) so it took me some time, but I did enjoy reading it. I have no plans to read it again, but I would encourage others to finish it if they found the first two books captivating
April 28, 2022
Very surprised at how my rating changed as the book progressed. It was a 2* for a while; just too much bouncing around in time and space. Too much of pre-teens as heroes willing to risk everything.
But by the end, the time and space jumping became central to the story of the two main (pre-teen) characters. It was used in a very creative way.
Not serious enough to be taken as mature science fiction, but not simple or "nice" enough to be juvenile science fiction. Advanced YA maybe? That lack of a clear target audience, to me, means it can't be a 5*.
But read it. Read the series. Good story. Turtles all the way down.
But by the end, the time and space jumping became central to the story of the two main (pre-teen) characters. It was used in a very creative way.
Not serious enough to be taken as mature science fiction, but not simple or "nice" enough to be juvenile science fiction. Advanced YA maybe? That lack of a clear target audience, to me, means it can't be a 5*.
But read it. Read the series. Good story. Turtles all the way down.
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