Brief Synopsis
“The Secrets of Star Whales” by Rebecca Thorne sees young Maxion Belmont living on the space station Azura, two years after the loss of his father. When a foreign starship appears, with its eccentric captain Mr. Hames, it at first just seems like any other day. But then Mr. Hames starts talking about the mythical star whales…
Content Warnings: Death (talked about)
What Do I Think?
I don’t read a lot of science fiction, and so I went into this novel expecting to either be bored or frustrated from the outset. Cue my surprise, however, when I found myself quickly enjoying this book and its characters.
At its heart, “The Secrets of Star Whales” is about the loss of Max’s father and all those who have been affected by it, particularly the protagonist. Despite having happened two years prior to the events of the book, his father’s death shapes every action that takes place here, from Max’s frequent outbursts to his mother’s solemn sadness. It is portrayed as something very familiar, even if it is set to the background of starships and star whales, and that helps to ground the story.
Unfortunately, even with the understanding of why Max does some of the things he does, that doesn’t help to make him entirely likeable. At several points throughout the story I found myself thinking, “Wow…he’s a bit of an entitled jerk.” Max is a character who is still grieving, and is so desperate to have everything his way that he often makes rash, terrible decisions. Again, this does make sense with his character, but it made it hard to properly root for him, especially when most of the people around him are so likeable and trustworthy.
Overall, “The Secret of Star Whales” is a quick, enjoyable read. It certainly has some flaws, but you’re willing to overlook them for the sake of a pleasant story.
Jacob Ryckman 