Review: With Proper Editing, Star Light Dazzles
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 2, 2012
Shortly after Thonas Rand released his debut novel, Star Light, back in February, he sent me an email requesting a review of his book.  I downloaded the sample, and sent an email reply on March 4, declining to review the novel.  I explained that there was a lot of editing issues, so much that I was distracted to the point of being unable to concentrate on the story.  In particular I labeled the prologue "unreadable," and the author was rather upset about it.  I also edited the first chapter, to demonstrate the kinds of grammar and typo problems present in his work.  Nonetheless, I kept an eye on this author, and Thonas Rand was kind enough to send me a complimentary copy of his fourth edition of Star Light for my review.Star Light is a science-fiction, action, and romance story that is a cross between Starman and Men In Black.  In Christopher Rush, you have a hard luck hero who deserves very ounce of sympathy from the reader when he loses his left arm in a construction accident.  Yet, it quickly becomes apparent that Chris is a special man that a shadowy government organization has been keeping tabs on throughout virtually his entire life.  What makes Chris so special?  The answer lies in his parentage, and his remarkable healing abilities.When a beloved childhood friend re-enters his life, and is then kidnapped by the government, Chris is forced to come to terms with his developing powers as he tries to survive attempts to capture him and eventually assassinate him.  The author is at his best in creating desperate situations for his hero to overcome time and time again.The story, though, seems to stall and loses steam as the author tries to incorporate secondary characters into the storyline.  Indeed, Thonas Rand throws in several chapters detailing the lives of these characters, and to me, they detracted from the story.  It is for this reason that I give Star Light four stars rather than five.The editing work is excellent, and, compared to what I first read in Star Light, the novel is very readable.  Star Light represents a young author's perseverance in improving his story, and he should be proud of his final product.