Siriandol

Quest for the Crystal of Light

By: Wells Hall, Lindsey Anderson

Narrated by: Wells Hall, Janet Hall, Bryant Hall, Rashelle Reid

Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

When someone passes from this mortal life, the lives of everyone around them can change drastically. Death is a demanding mistress. But perhaps the person who experiences the greatest change is the one who dies.

Josh discovers that life after death is, in fact, life. He discovers a world of sweet reunions, a world of many responsibilities, a world of higher education, a world of glorious light.

He discovers an adventure.

He discovers Siriandol.

Josh learns just how close those who have passed on are to those who remain. And how miraculous it can be to help them from the other side.

©2019 Tyrora Media Group (P)2020 Tyrora Media Group

Christian Sci-Fantasy

My sister-in-law recommended this book to me, so I thought I would give it a go. I wasn't sure what to expect from the book description. When I was about a third the way into this story I found myself comparing this to a Hallmark lifestyle movie. But with Flying Saucers, so their effects budget would have to be increased. When I was about two thirds through this book I realized that this is more like the television show "Touched By an Angel" from the mid 1990s.
Warning: I am trying not to include too many spoilers but accurately give a review

A very likable middle aged man, who is thoughtful and caring, unexpectedly dies. He finds that the afterlife is not just sitting on a cloud in heaven, but instead he has to earn his crystal by continued learning and helping mortals on earth.

This mostly means he visits his family as a spirit. He can't really interact with the world but can whisper to them and try to comfort them with his love.

He meets other people who have also passed, with some he developes friendships; and wants to learn to fly the flying saucers.

Now for the pros - this book is squeeky clean. No profanity or adult situations. I would be comfortable listening to this story in the car with my young kids and religous mother-in-law. The story is an interesting exploration of what the after life could be like and has an inspirational message that family bonds exist beyond the grave.

The cons - There were story threads that didn't feel complete. I understand that these threads may be explored in further books down the line, but the authors spent a lot of time on some of these subplots to suddenly have them abruptly vanish.
Sometimes the internal logic was not consistent. They need flying saucers to move from place to place; then they don't. The spirits can pass through physical doors; then they crash their flying saucer.
I did not feel like there was a villain or antagonist to this story. At the end of it I asked myself who was the villain and the answer I got was "cancer."
There is no romantic love in this story. The one "over the top" romantic gesture in this book is the cause of that particular character's death. There is plenty of familial love spanning generations. I had hoped for some kind of love interest for the hero's still mortal wife.
The performance was fine, but several of the narrators over enunciated the story. It made dialogue feel a little off.

All in all, I found this book to be a nice pleasant story you could share cooped up with your family on a long vacation drive.