Stargazers by Phil Carradice

By Pamelascott

In a Middle-Eastern state, Yaniv plans to follow in his father's soldiering footsteps - he wants to travel, adventure and respect. So the offer to escort some stargazers on a mysterious journey seems like a great chance. But his first mission isn't as straightforward as it is expected to be. Along the way Yaniv meets treachery, violence, danger and royalty, as well as a very attractive young girl. What are the stargazers really searching for? And who can he really trust?

***

[The early sunlight glinted like shards of silver off Yaniv's armour]

***

(Accent Press, 17 February 2017, 96 pages, ebook from @AmazonKindle)

***

***

I was intrigued by the premise of Stargazers and the novella started off well, a bit different than the usual stuff I read. I was enjoying Yaniv's tale as he struggled to find his place among the troops despite and to an extent, because of his father being the colonel. Unfortunately, this enjoyment didn't last and I gradually realised the Stargazers of the title were the Three Wise Men and I was reading a version of the birth of Jesus. Until this point the story was interesting but the journey to Bethlehem with the gifts really put me off. I'm not a Christian and didn't want to read about the birth of Jesus. I feel a little cheated because if I'd known this I wouldn't have bought it. Maybe the story should have been obvious from the title and front cover but I had no idea. I was hugely disappointed.