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The Triple Stars #3
God Star
The darkness at the heart of the galaxy
Following the clues given them by the Aetheral, the Radiant Dragon and Toruk, Selene and Ondo close in on the existential threat to galactic life unleashed by Vulpis.
They battle Concordance all the way, aided by unlikely allies and mysterious messages. The trail leads them to more artefacts left behind by the Tok, drawing them ever-closer to the secrets at the heart of the galaxy.
But what they find there, and the truth they uncover about galactic history, changes everything…
Following the clues given them by the Aetheral, the Radiant Dragon and Toruk, Selene and Ondo close in on the existential threat to galactic life unleashed by Vulpis.
They battle Concordance all the way, aided by unlikely allies and mysterious messages. The trail leads them to more artefacts left behind by the Tok, drawing them ever-closer to the secrets at the heart of the galaxy.
But what they find there, and the truth they uncover about galactic history, changes everything…
- GenresScience Fiction
421 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 23, 2020
4 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Simon Kewin
113 books84 followersSimon Kewin is a fantasy and sci/fi writer, author of the
Cloven Land
fantasy trilogy, cyberpunk thriller
The Genehunter
, steampunk Gormenghast saga
Engn
, the
Triple Stars
sci/fi trilogy and the Office of the Witchfinder General books, published by Elsewhen Press.
He's the author of several short story collections, with his shorter fiction appearing in Analog, Nature and over a hundred other magazines.
He is currently doing an MA in creative writing while writing at least three novels simultaneously.
He's the author of several short story collections, with his shorter fiction appearing in Analog, Nature and over a hundred other magazines.
He is currently doing an MA in creative writing while writing at least three novels simultaneously.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 21, 2020
Writing a trilogy is a mammoth undertaking, especially within the science fiction genre. Handling the scale of the story, the huge cast of characters and sustaining the narrative energy to deliver the reader to a satisfying conclusion represents a huge undertaking.
God Star is the conclusion of Simon Kewin’s Triple Stars trilogy and it achieves all those things brilliantly. Its energy especially is the key. To mix my metaphors for a moment, a narrative spanning three novels is a weaving exercise on the scale of carpet manufacture. It involves knitting together details from Book One and Two that suddenly turn out to be vital threads. These elements of surprise provide this energy I’m talking about. Just as it looks like things couldn’t get any worse for our protagonists, one of those threads appear. It is superbly clever planning. Introduce them too soon, the energy dips. Leave it too late, the thread risks being labelled trite and contrived.
It’s why I raced through this book. The threats, the terrible ordeals that people face, the galaxy-wide Armageddon, they build and build until I found myself holding my breath in places. The characters are crucial to this momentum. Selene remains as driven, uncompromising and long-suffering as ever. Ondo, poor Ondo! Spoilers prevent me from saying more. The introduction of Malleus and Lilith who complement each other so well and whose roles are not entirely clear until the end (more loose threads!).
I loved this series. Absolutely loved it. I’ve compared Simon Kewin to Arthur C Clarke in my previous two reviews so won’t pursue the comparison now. But in those classic stories (I’d include Asimov’s Foundation trilogy here too) the story is as much to do with the nature of people. It is this examination of the human condition which is explored here – frequently with non-human characters. There is Love and Evil, of course. But there is self-sacrifice, relentless ambition and greed, pain and torment which can rip away humanity. This is so much more than just a science fiction story with spaceships, aliens and evil empires. It is high concept, intelligent, heart-warming, thrilling as well as space opera at its best.
Read the Triple Stars series by Simon Kewin. I cannot recommend it enough.
God Star is the conclusion of Simon Kewin’s Triple Stars trilogy and it achieves all those things brilliantly. Its energy especially is the key. To mix my metaphors for a moment, a narrative spanning three novels is a weaving exercise on the scale of carpet manufacture. It involves knitting together details from Book One and Two that suddenly turn out to be vital threads. These elements of surprise provide this energy I’m talking about. Just as it looks like things couldn’t get any worse for our protagonists, one of those threads appear. It is superbly clever planning. Introduce them too soon, the energy dips. Leave it too late, the thread risks being labelled trite and contrived.
It’s why I raced through this book. The threats, the terrible ordeals that people face, the galaxy-wide Armageddon, they build and build until I found myself holding my breath in places. The characters are crucial to this momentum. Selene remains as driven, uncompromising and long-suffering as ever. Ondo, poor Ondo! Spoilers prevent me from saying more. The introduction of Malleus and Lilith who complement each other so well and whose roles are not entirely clear until the end (more loose threads!).
I loved this series. Absolutely loved it. I’ve compared Simon Kewin to Arthur C Clarke in my previous two reviews so won’t pursue the comparison now. But in those classic stories (I’d include Asimov’s Foundation trilogy here too) the story is as much to do with the nature of people. It is this examination of the human condition which is explored here – frequently with non-human characters. There is Love and Evil, of course. But there is self-sacrifice, relentless ambition and greed, pain and torment which can rip away humanity. This is so much more than just a science fiction story with spaceships, aliens and evil empires. It is high concept, intelligent, heart-warming, thrilling as well as space opera at its best.
Read the Triple Stars series by Simon Kewin. I cannot recommend it enough.
November 11, 2020
This installment left me with a heavy sense of finality and I don't know if there's a way for me to be coherent about it.
The story itself picks up near where book 2 left off, and continues Selene's story as she and Ondo attempt to overthrow Concordance and discover what really lies at the heart of the galaxy.
In spite of feeling emotionally wrung out, I really enjoyed this novel.
The pacing was excellent. The world-building was fantastic. The way elements from previous novels were woven throughout the course of the whole trilogy and concluded or required in this installment was brilliant.
The new characters introduced felt bright, fresh, and were very well fleshed-out. I particularly liked the way I was able to ascertain a strong sense of "when," in this novel, which definitely shaped my understanding of the timeline, thanks to a certain cameo! There is another stand-out new character that plays a bigger part late in the novel - I was very intrigued and thought this was extremely well handled.
Selene and Ondo remain utterly themselves throughout. I love how constant they are, even as they learn, grow, and endure the events of this novel.
This one was...heavy. And beautiful. And it made me cry at least twice. It broke my heart more than that. And yet, it was also necessary. I can't think of a more appropriate way to resolve many of the story elements.
I received an ARC via the author.
The story itself picks up near where book 2 left off, and continues Selene's story as she and Ondo attempt to overthrow Concordance and discover what really lies at the heart of the galaxy.
In spite of feeling emotionally wrung out, I really enjoyed this novel.
The pacing was excellent. The world-building was fantastic. The way elements from previous novels were woven throughout the course of the whole trilogy and concluded or required in this installment was brilliant.
The new characters introduced felt bright, fresh, and were very well fleshed-out. I particularly liked the way I was able to ascertain a strong sense of "when," in this novel, which definitely shaped my understanding of the timeline, thanks to a certain cameo! There is another stand-out new character that plays a bigger part late in the novel - I was very intrigued and thought this was extremely well handled.
Selene and Ondo remain utterly themselves throughout. I love how constant they are, even as they learn, grow, and endure the events of this novel.
This one was...heavy. And beautiful. And it made me cry at least twice. It broke my heart more than that. And yet, it was also necessary. I can't think of a more appropriate way to resolve many of the story elements.
I received an ARC via the author.
December 27, 2020
Here is the end of the series, with shocks throughout as the story comes to a close. There is a lot happening and a number of new characters are introduced. It felt rushed to tie things off and keep the story from ballooning to double its size.
Questions are answered in a short block of exposition at one point. How they find themselves at the God Star is a bit contrived. There is a lot of hand waving to get past certain points. Plot points become “Oh, isn’t that convenient.” It wasn’t just a single instance, but many.
The Concordance fanatics were nearly too fanatical, quite one dimensional to their drive to destroy all life so that everyone can be judged at the holy wormhole. Selene’s new buddies are not all that well developed. They just are there & convenient. Selene needs friends and poof, she has friends.
I liked the series overall. But the third book doesn’t flow as well, as I kept coming back to it feeling rushed. It is still better than a lot of big publisher sci-fi.
Questions are answered in a short block of exposition at one point. How they find themselves at the God Star is a bit contrived. There is a lot of hand waving to get past certain points. Plot points become “Oh, isn’t that convenient.” It wasn’t just a single instance, but many.
The Concordance fanatics were nearly too fanatical, quite one dimensional to their drive to destroy all life so that everyone can be judged at the holy wormhole. Selene’s new buddies are not all that well developed. They just are there & convenient. Selene needs friends and poof, she has friends.
I liked the series overall. But the third book doesn’t flow as well, as I kept coming back to it feeling rushed. It is still better than a lot of big publisher sci-fi.
September 28, 2021
A cracking finale to an epic trilogy, God Star jumps ahead several months after the events of Red Star and follows Selene in her continued fight against the despicable progress-crushing Concordance. The sheer horror of the punishments wrought on unsuspecting planets by Concordance is truly brought home through the visceral scenes of suffering (though not so much that squeamish readers need look away). We discover the enigma at the core of the galaxy, and also the nature of the mysterious enemy that threatens all organic life in the universe. And heck, what an enigma it is!
November 27, 2025
I have to admit it took me a while to appreciate this trilogy. But somewhere in the second half of the second book (Red Star), I got hooked and couldn't lay down the story before I reached the end. I'm glad to say that the final installment didn't disappoint. It is really a long, intriguing investigation into the mysteries of the galaxy. I am not going to lie and pretend it was the best trilogy I ever read, but it stands its own and succeeds at keeping us at the edge of our seats as the final battle approaches. Science fiction fans will get hooked by the story.
December 22, 2022
what a ride!
This is such a saga of loss, betrayal, arrogance, horror, and immense spans of time, space, intelligence, and seeking. To imagine a race thirty million years old, a living sentient planetary ocean, a battle plan to defeat an unimaginable enemy that is capable of killing all life. And yet also friendship, devotion to an ideal, and rage against unspeakable atrocities. What a wild ride!
This is such a saga of loss, betrayal, arrogance, horror, and immense spans of time, space, intelligence, and seeking. To imagine a race thirty million years old, a living sentient planetary ocean, a battle plan to defeat an unimaginable enemy that is capable of killing all life. And yet also friendship, devotion to an ideal, and rage against unspeakable atrocities. What a wild ride!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews