Light From Distant Stars by Shawn Smucker

Review: Echoes of the past filtered through my consciousness as I turned the pages of this novel - it was a vague feeling of deja vu  .... and yet.... not. Reading Shawn Smucker's works brings back memories of clutching a book of Frank Peretti's as a teen, or more recently, one of Mike Nappa's books. Shawn Smucker has the edge - that place where a reader can be lead where they are teetering right on the blade of distinct discomfort but yet held in place by the bread crumbs of mystery. Curiosity refused to let me set this book aside. 

"Light from Distant Stars" was not an encouraging read nor was it a light-hearted, 'cheer-me-up' type of book. No. It made my shoulders creep up with nerves, had me turning up the light in the living room a little more to chase away the shadows, and left me feeling distinctly uneasy throughout the duration of it. It was odd...and yet it somehow compelled me to keep reading. 

The story jerks you around, and ensures you don't become to comfortable in your couch, but somehow I suppose that is the point of a book like this. It doesn't want you comfortable.

 The story doesn't entirely give up it's secret's to the reader.... and even when you flip the last page you wonder if the conclusion you came to is what you were supposed to find? The mystery and the questions don't end with the last page. I suppose that is part of the appeal.

Every once in a while, I enjoy mixing up my reading diet by picking up a book like this. I have to say I enjoyed it for what it was - a thriller and a book meant to left questions tumbling through my mind. This novel is for an older audience - I'd say late highschool age would be the youngest I would give this book to.

Head over HERE for a free excerpt.

Back Cover:
When Cohen Marah steps over his father's body in the basement embalming room of the family's funeral home, he has no idea that he is stepping into a labyrinth of memory.

Over the next week, Cohen's childhood comes back in living color. The dramatic events that led to his parents' separation. The accident Cohen witnessed and the traumatic images he couldn't unsee. And the two children in the forest who became his friends--and enlisted him in a dark and dangerous undertaking. As the lines blur between what was real and what was imaginary, Cohen is faced with the question he's been avoiding:

Is he responsible for his father's death?

Master story weaver Shawn Smucker relays a tale both eerie and enchanting, one that will have you questioning reality and reaching out for what is true, good, and genuine.

Thank-you to Graf Martin Communications and Baker Publishing House for a copy of this book.