The Stray and the Hole in the Stars

by Matt Vancil

A science-fantasy romp across space, time, myth, and reality, this is a story of impending doom, unrequited love, and impostor syndrome— so basically, college.

403 pages, Paperback

Published December 13, 2018

Reviews

[Gustav Bertram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandy is dying. His greatest achievement in life has been to hang on this long. But when he gets mistaken for his genius roomate by a mysterious and beautiful girl, he thinks that there might just be a chance to get something, *anything* from this life before the curtain drops forever. So he lies to her.

And then everything goes *really* wrong.

A fantastic story based in the universe of The Gamers movies, Journey Quest, and Demon Hunters.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, albeit an absolute tearjerker. Vancil purports that this story explains the connection between various different fictional universes that he's worked on, but there's no real need for any familiarity with them to enjoy this.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book, though I felt kind of let down by the ending.

I know the author has mentioned this becoming a series, so I'm hoping that there's more and that it solves some of the lack of closure.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was friggin amazing. The humor was great and the story kept me riveted. The emotional moments really hit you hard. My biggest complaint is that I need the next book now! I want to see how this connects to the wider universe that Matt helped create.

[Michael Quann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great combination of humor and action with a meaningful twist at the end. I can't wait to read more of the hopjockey verse(s).

[Aly White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book so much! Very well written! I can't wait for more...seriously. I can't. I need it soon!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly fabulous. Read it. Now.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so funny, I found myself sharing tidbits from nearly every page. It combines science fiction and fantasy seamlessly and asks some harsh questions of the reader. The story turns dark about two-thirds through and starts to wrench your heart. I cannot believe that the story ends here, and I will absolutely donate to the Kickstarter for the sequel!