WRITTEN IN STARLIGHT

Della Farley embodies the classic fairy-tale heroine of a working-class woman whose dreams stretch far beyond her responsibilities of scrubbing floors and dusting shelves. When she discovers a mysterious book lying in the street, she’s captured by the tale of an intergalactic bounty hunter named Ansel Tulzok. In the next chapter, Ansel himself finds a slightly different book: The story within its pages is Della’s. They both quickly become aware that this isn’t an ordinary book. Della is reading about Ansel who is reading about Della and events that have just taken place. As they learn more about each other, they use the book to begin communicating directly. Compared to Ansel’s adventures, the drudgery of Della’s life becomes even more apparent. A wild idea takes shape. What if Della could write herself into Ansel’s story? To her surprise, it works, and the maid finds herself aboard a ship with a man who has slowly progressed from imaginative pen pal to friend in the flesh. Blending science fiction and fantasy, this is a fun and inventive setup, though perhaps a bit too ambitious when trying to juggle romance as well. Some aspects work well, while others feel cobbled together. The epistolary elements are tender, and the way Ansel and Della slowly reveal their vulnerabilities through the book is full of tension and yearning. The cast of characters is lively, and the secondary characters feel especially distinct and memorable. Once the narrative switches to Della and Ansel being together in the same physical space, the focus shifts toward more action and external conflict. Both halves of the book work well separately, but don’t fit seamlessly together.