The Second Star

By: Alma Alexander

Narrated by: Jennifer Fournier

Length: 17 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The Parada had been lost for almost 200 years before they recovered the ship, drifting in stygian interstellar darkness, and brought her home again.

But that was not the miracle.

The miracle was that the crew was still alive.

That was also the problem.

Six crew members went out on the Parada, Earth’s first starship. All contact was lost, and the ship vanished for almost two centuries. When the Parada’s successor found the drifting ship and somehow managed to bring it home, the six crew members were not only still alive but barely older, due to the time dilation effects of near-FTL travel. Their return was a miracle - but it could not be revealed to the waiting world. The problem was, six individuals went out to the stars. More than seventy fractured personalities came back.

Psychologist Stella Froud and Jesuit Father Philip Carter were recruited as part of the team assembled to investigate the mystery, and to try and help the Parada’s crew understand their condition and possibly reverse it. What they discovered was a deepening mystery, and very soon they found themselves forced to take sides in a conflict that nobody could have possibly predicted. Their world would never be the same again.

"Like its cast of returned starfarers, this rich and continually surprising novel is many things at once: a religiously-inflected first contact novel; an engaging psychological mystery; a glimpse of the future through the eyes of the past; and a moving tale about the difficulties of homecoming. I highly recommend it." (Matt Ruff, author of Set This House in Order and Lovecraft Country)

©2020 Alma Alexander (P)2020 David N. Wilson

Interesting book

I enjoyed this book. Just how long have aliens been here?! Gives you something to think about.
Jennifer Fournier did a good job. Both author and narrator were new to me and I’m looking forward to more from them both.

Captivating and thought provoking

I didn’t expect to be so, captivated by this story or for it to be so, thought provoking. It’s not something I would normally seek out but, I am extremely grateful I was given the opportunity to listen in exchange for my honest review. The story is a strange and beautiful and the narrator does an excellent job of telling it!!

catholic nonsense

the initial premise very interesting . but then so bogged down in religious claptrap.! the first and second coming of Jesus ..almost, but not quite tolerable.
and the reader...not inspiring.

A Different Twist

First, sorry about the *spoiler* that an above reviewer posted. Please don't let that cloud your decision to listen to this book. The story was very well done, some places lagged, but that happens in a lot of books. It was a cohesive story and made a lot of sense, not like some books where they just throw something off the wall into it to tie up the ends. Have to say I had listened to another book, a YA novel, by the same narrator and was not at all impressed and was hesitant to listen to this one. Loved the narration in this book. She did a commendable job with all the voices, especially the splintered personalities.

Overly dramatic

Here is a list of adjectives that apply. Verbose, preachy, slooow.

I can not recommend this book. I made it all the way through. I knew after about 2hrs this was going to be a long slog. Many plot holes. I would have more to say but the PC police would flag the review. Skip it.

Overly Dramatic, Verbose, Preachy, Slow

Space exploration sci fi is my favorite genre. Such an interesting idea, I really wanted to like this, but I gave up with just 6 hours to go. I found the main character overly dramatic and preachy, was tired of her by chapter 5 and gave up at chapter 9 when I was starting to hate her. Unfortunately, the book was pretty much all about her. Never really connected to any of the six crew members who were lost in space for 200 years. If only the book had concentrated on their story instead of the overly dramatic doctor. Over halfway through and I was absolutely bored. I don't care how this book ends. One star for taking such a great premise and absolutely ruining it. Read Frozen Orbit by Patrick Chiles instead. Or read Sea of Rust, The Apocalypse Seven, The Book of Koli, Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein. Infinite by Jeremy Robinson. Emily Eternal by M.G. Wheaton, and of course The Martian and Project Hail Mary. So many really good books out there.