Bright of the Sky

I've been meaning to read and review Kay Kenyon's Bright of the Sky since it was released last year. But other titles always found a way to come along, forcing me to push it back on more than one occasion. Still, when the novel made it to a variety of top scifi books' lists at the end of 2007, I knew that I needed to sit down and give it a shot.

Hopefully this review will encourage SFF readers to do the same, for Bright of the Sky is a very good read! Kenyon produced a fascinating blend of science fiction and fantasy, something that should appeal to fans of both genres.

Titus Quinn is a former star pilot now living as a recluse. Most people believe that Quinn lost his mind during an accident, though he swears that the accident transported him to a strange world. He has no memories pertaining to how he was able to return, yet he's convinced that his wife and daughter are still trapped in this parallel universe. When, against all odds, evidence of the existence of this universe is accidentally discovered, Titus Quinn accepts to "scout" this new world for the corporation that abandoned him, secertly hoping to find his missing wife and child. What he unearths, however, threatens the existence of everything he holds dear and forces him to reconsider his plans.

The worldbuilding is the most enthralling facet of Bright of the Sky. The exotic milieu Kay Kenyon created is known as the Entire, while our universe is called the Rose. It's a five-armed radial world which exists in a dimension without stars and planets. Spreading over the Entire is a lid of plasma that ebbs and flows. Living under this fiery canopy known as the bright is a panoply of quasi-human species, some of them copied from Earth, as well as various alien beings. Richly detailed, Bright of the Sky truly is something special.

Titus Quinn takes center stage, even though the supporting cast is comprised of a number of interesting characters. The only annoying aspect of this book is the author's tendency to jump from one POV to the next without any real "break" in the middle of various scenes. It sort of breaks the rhythm of the story, especially at the beginning, until readers get used to Kenyon's odd habit.

High stakes, skilled worldbuilding, good characterization, adroit pacing: Bright of the Sky is a superior read.

I'm now eager to read the sequel, A World too Near (Canada, USA, Europe). Kudos to Lou Anders! This was another quality read,courtesy of Pyr!

To learn more about Kay Kenyon and Bright of the Sky, check out http://www.kaykenyon.com/.

The final verdict: 7.5/10

For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe