Distantly Falling Stars

How do I review the novella of a (Goodreads) friend? “Never again” or “very, very carefully” immediately came to my mind when I pondered reading [a:Berengaria Di Rossi's 22206763 Berengaria Di Rossi https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] “[b:Distantly Falling Stars 60311549 Distantly Falling Stars Berengaria Di Rossi https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png 95082140]”. Especially since Berengaria with a down-to-earth attitude, sensible reviews and interesting reads as well as - obviously - an impeccable taste in (Goodreads) friends, has long earned my respect.So it was with a healthy portion of trepidation that I started reading this - and quickly started breathing freely because, thankfully, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this short novella.Seti, a “puny scribe” from ancient Egypt is forced on an expedition to recover some “distantly falling stars” in a race against (or possibly negotiating with) the Babylonians. There are some supernatural aspects which I usually don't like but these made sense in the setting of the novella and weren't too intrusive. The story itself was short and suspenseful - I wouldn't label it as a thriller, contrary to the blurb's description but it definitely quickly captured my interest and never lost it.This is made even easier by Berengaria's clear, concise, and unadorned writing style and a very clear idea of the intended direction of the story.I was also a bit worried about the “Bronze punk” part of the blurb but that was also completely unfounded: I found amusement in the inclusion of ships with turbines in ancient Egypt but since all of these devices felt like natural parts of the story and not - as they often do elsewhere - like forced extensions in order to make a story appeal more to modern readers, I wasn't bothered at all but rather entertained.Since this can be read for free on Wattpad, there's no reason not to give it a read!Five out of five stars for an unblemished delight of a story.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam