The Starchild Compact: A Novel of Interplanetary Exploration

Hard sci-fi reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke or James P. Hogan, with a geopolitical twist worthy of Tom Clancy or Clive Cussler.

Williscroft tackles the germane and "heavy" issues of tomorrow's mores and the religious direction our society is taking while crafting a fascinating novel that is hard to put down.

Is Iapetus, one of Saturn’s moons, an artifact, a “derelict starship” or just a moon? In his Foreword, the author says he was motivated by certain geographical features, such as a twenty km high and wide equatorial ridge to research Iapetus and write this “hard science fiction novel” which “contains a lot of meticulously researched science.” Yes, it does, and the result is what readers often find in the best hard science fiction: a story presented so convincingly and well that it blurs the line between fiction and fact. At times I felt the sixty-six meter long Cassini II spacecraft was real, an impression enhanced not just by the wealth of onboard detail but by illustrations, such as the one on page 16. Clearly, Williscroft thought out the ship’s construction and design very carefully.

But the novel is about more than a spacecraft and a ten-member crew (one of whom is a fanatical Shia stowaway) which travels for months to Iapetus to investigate its fascinating mystery. The author juxtaposes the spacecraft and Iapetus with national and international events back home, showing how different cultures react to the stunning discoveries the crew makes (especially Islam and the Caliphate). And there is much more. I don’t want to be guilty of a spoiler, so suffice it to say that by the end of The Starchild Compact, the fate and destiny of the human race itself are involved, with an allusion to Arthur C. Clarke’s Starchild. As in Slingshot, the first book in the series, the novel’s conclusion is exactly right. Steeped in irony, it reminds us that while humanity constantly grows and changes, in many ways we remain just the same.

One of Williscroft’s achievements is that he creates thirty different characters and somehow succeeds in helping us to keep them straight. This is especially true with Cassini II’s crew. From time to time he works in brief reminders of who they are by referring to their role, appearance, and distinctive way of speaking.

The novel’s cover, which depicts Cassini II nearing Iapetus with its ringed mother-planet Saturn floating behind it against a backdrop of stars captures some of the majesty and magnitude of this ambitious novel. The author includes so many different elements and brings them together in a cosmic fashion. This is what some of the best science fiction attempts to do, and the author succeeds in his mission.

While Sci-Fi isn’t my go-to genre, I thoroughly enjoyed Williscroft’s The Starchild Trilogy Book 2. I haven’t yet read the first story in the series, but even so, I didn’t feel like I had missed anything by starting with book 2. The Starchild Compact: A Novel of Interplanetary Exploration is an engrossing, intriguing, and well-written story.

There are many characters in the story to keep it interesting, including the ship’s crew who are traveling to Saturn's moon Iapetus, the mission control folks on Earth, and the members of the Founders. The author’s descriptions of the physical appearances, speech patterns, and unique characterizations helped me easily differentiate between the many characters.

The story is highly believable and I enjoyed learning scientific tidbits throughout the journey. The book starts with a multinational crew led by former Mars mission commander Jon Stock. The crew is investigating anomalies on Saturn's moon Iapetus. A density too low to make it a rocky moon combined with strange hexagonal patterns covering its surface prompt Earth command to send a mission team. This team’s role is to explore and determine if this moon is a cosmic anomaly or if it’s something more, perhaps a fabricated vessel. A crazed Shia stowaway gets on board and makes for interesting interactions between the crew members as they grapple with how to handle this saboteur.

Back on Earth, there is much geo-political maneuvering as more and more information about Iapetus is uncovered. The national manipulations and reactions made me feel like this was actually happening today.

Once the Founders made themselves known and shared their stories, I was fascinated with the way their history played into Earth’s history. Biblical stories come alive along with the history of humankind. The ultimate lessons—we are not alone; and even more importantly, as humanity grows and evolves over the millennium, the more we become the same.