An emotionally mature Chosen One adventure in which a young Christian woman learns to wield the power of peace and light to protect the cosmic good
At its heart, Irkoy Crystal, Raylene Lyon’s faith-based science-fiction novel,is a classic “Chosen One” adventure about an ordinary young woman who unlocks hidden potential. It’s a familiar story, but Lyon handles it through an uncommonly mature emotional lens, bringing a wholesome harmony to the familiar trope and gracefully avoiding the narrative pitfalls common to the central theme of good vs. evil.
Nila Brandt is a normal, twenty-something paralegal until a hike in the mountains of Utah expands her perception to cosmic proportions. Lyon underpins her science-fiction storytelling with Nila’s Christian faith in a manner reminiscent of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, specifically in the galactic evil of “the Mist,” a darkness that can only be defeated by the light and peace channeled through the Irkoy crystals and their Bearers.
Nila bonds with the crystal because she and crystal are spiritually aligned. Called a “little peacekeeper”by her mother as a child, Nila learns that“the Irkoy Bearers became the peacekeepers of the galaxy.”
Despite its faith-based foundation, Irkoy Crystal is a science fiction adventure, not a spiritual polemic. Lyon’s grasp of genre is strong with detailed worldbuilding, complex alien cultures, and the nuts and bolts of space travel.
Nila’s maturity as a protagonist allows Lyon to establish grounded plot stakes of galactic proportions. If Nila refuses the call, “all that lives in this galaxy may die.” The stakes require Nila to leave her familiar life, but she embraces the challenge like a duck taking to water. Lyon does not indulge in the resistance or soul-searching often required by protagonists in “Chosen One” narratives. Nila is not a child who needs to “find herself.” She is an adult who longs for a spiritual unity and embraces it when it’s offered.
“I felt a desire to touch every tree, every insect waking in the morning air, every bird or squirrel or deer hiding in the shadows. I wanted to embrace them all and make them a part of myself. I gave a long sigh as the moment’s ecstatic desire faded.”
This is a protagonist who is fully prepared for the mind-bending direction her life takes. “I wasn’t afraid. Somehow, the Irkoy crystal had linked whatever essence was ‘me’ to the underlying fabric of the universe itself.” Nila intuitively reaches for this experience, which allows for pacing that would not be possible were she and the crystal not fundamentally aligned.
Bonding with an Irkoy crystal allows Nila to unlock telepathic abilities and a vastly broadened psychic perception, all of which supports the propulsive plot. There is very little questioning required of Nila, as the crystal gives her access to the motives and minds of others, chief among them, Rion, the telepath at the center of her slow-burn romance. Nila instinctively trusts Rion and his colleagues because of their telepathic link. She is similarly sanguine about finding herself in space. “There was nothing outside the ship, because the ship was in space. Okay…” At times, her easy acceptance beggars belief, but Lyon does make an effort to address red flags. “Rion’s thoughts and feelings flowed back toward me. His concern for me became my own; his basic honesty and integrity were like a rich cloak that wrapped around and calmed me. I could trust him.”
Telepathy supports most of Nila’s new relationships, but it especially facilitates the romance subplot with Rion, whom she is spiritually drawn to even before the telepathy deepens their connection. Although Lyon’s use of Nila’s psychic abilities occasionally sacrifices emotional depth, the result is a book that moves.
Unfortunately, there are points at which the brisk pace hinders impact. Nila is nearly killed during her first confrontation with the Mist, but we only learn this in a tidy summary in the following chapter. “After the Mist dissipated, we managed to keep you alive by ‘feeding’ you energy through the link. A med-ship of the Alliance met us halfway to Hearthworld and put you on life support.” While Lyon uses summary and exposition well overall, the accomplished pacing occasionally dulls the narrative impact. However, it’s a small quibble given the scale of the story, which unfolds in a dynamic and satisfying way.
Nila’s journey from the mountains of Utah to the galactic World Alliance successfully blends science fiction and spirituality in a way that feels compelling, inevitable and refreshingly mature.
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