Oct 12, 2026
Excellent
This book was my introduction to the writings of A. K. Frailey, but it will not be the last. The hard part about discovering a new author is figuring out what to read next. That was my problem with this book and this author. This book was so good that I had picked up to more of her eBooks to read even before I finished this one. This is a story that has stayed with me. I finished this book a week ago, and yet I find myself the story and characters coming back to mind often. It is a very interesting piece of speculative fiction. This is science fiction more along the lines of Alfred Bester or Frank Herbert, and far less like Asimov or Heinlein. This is a story that spans decades, and at times jumps ahead in time. And yet it does not feel long or disjointed. There is an amazing twist that I did not catch on to until about three-quarters of the way through the book. The subtle Christian themes, and as time progresses more Catholic themes fit very well in the story. It is not a story that was written and had religious elements sprinkled in. It was a book that was hard to put down, and het some of the themes are so powerful, so moving that twice I had to put the book down. The two main characters are Cerulean, an alien watcher on earth from the Lux. His people send out watchers to keep an eye on other races to stay ahead of threats. They are not supposed to interfere. Their race is an energy and light, but they can assume human forms. And a woman named Anne, a woman who at the beginning of the story is hoping that she will become pregnant. Anne grew up with a mother who was afraid of almost everything, and she has been determined to not become like her mother. She is a school teacher at the beginning of the story. There is a problem on earth. At first fertility rates start dropping, and not just in some area's globally. Soon it is an epidemic, and it looks like natural births have stopped for humans. Anne is one of the last women on the planet to become pregnant and her daughter Mary was one of the last children born. Scientists in different regions try and solve the problem, all kinds of methods are attempted to extend human life, but with little success. At first the world is coming together to tackle this problem but under pressure all things break down. As human's struggle with their impending demise, Cerulean must return home because of conflict on his own world. This is a very interesting read. It will entertain, but also make you think. It is very well written, with amazing characters, a stunning plot, and a pace that really fits the story. This book would be great for fans of classic science fiction stories that are not the space opera kind. And the religious themes make it an excellent Christian fiction story. And as a side note a number of short stories are available on her website to pursue. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by A.K. Frailey!
