Heartlight — by T. A. Barron
Release Date: September 27, 1990
Page Count: 275
ISBN-13: 978-0399221804
Summary from Amazon
PCl (Pure Condensed Light) = FTL (Faster Than Light travel)
A butterfly’s wing, a silicon chip, and a new equation for light hold the key to humankind’s boldest dream–faster than light travel.
A distinguished astronomer and a sensitive young woman are hurled into a dazzling cross-galactic adventure when an unexpected discover links the explosive uncertainties of quantum physics with the still-untapped psychic powers of human kind.
PCL is a bold theoretical synthesis, launching a voyage through awesome wonders–and into unimaginable terrrors. For Dr. Miles Prancer, at the end of his career, has made a discovery too horrifying to share with humanity. He has found a black hole in the center of the Sun that gives our solar system less than three years to live!
My Review
I happened upon this book at my local library in the YA section. Although it was written quite some time ago, the book has a great storyline and is sure to please many fantasy and sci-fi fans of today. The book is not very long and was well worth the time that I spent reading it. The characters were unique and well developed. My favorite character was Kate, but I also enjoyed eading about Morpheus, Orpheus and Ariella. Throughout the story, the reader can really sympathize with the main character and all that she must endure during her journey. Kate is a very realistic character and I felt that her behavior and dialog was appropriate for someone her age. The other characters were all very interesting to read about and I was glad that the author included some alien characters in the story. I think that it’s often difficult for authors to create alien characters, but the author does a good job with this task. As an aside, when I was writing my first book (The Demon Rolmar) it was very difficult for me to invent alien worlds with societies that have unique languages, customs, etc. However, it is a lot of fun creating these worlds and determining how their inhabitants will behave.
One thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the imagery. The author did a great job of describing different scenes in the book. Some of the beginning scenes of the story involving butterflies contained beautiful imagery. The author certainly has a knack for description. This book was quite moving and I felt that the author did a good job of pulling the reader into the story. T.A. Barron has a talent for crafting characters that the reader will care about and scenes that he or she will find poignant. I definitely recommend this book for anyone that is looking for a great sci-fi read!
avgriffin 