Posts tagged Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow

The follow-up to Brandon Sparks and the Hidden Sun, Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow is the continuation of the adventures of Brandon Sparks, the unlikely thirteen-year-old captain of one of the most powerful starships in the galaxy. Chock full of the daring action and adventure that set the first novel apart, Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow brings plot twists, deep character development, and a whole new cast of supporting characters, including the mysterious stowaway Cofer Gendrew, the outlaw Ptevos brothers — Wick and Mation — and their twisted king, Rex Saasha.

In Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow, Brandon Sparks is pushed to his physical, emotional and intellectual limits as he and his crewmates embark on a desperate voyage to save their families. Brandon and the adolescent crew of the Hidden Sun race through the galaxy towards the Ptevos homeworld, Draculous, and the ruthless General Zarafat, in an effort to unlock the secret to waking their parents and crewmates from an unnatural slumber. However, when a detour forces them to land in Praggun City, Brandon is suddenly attacked by a strange beggar who violently cuffs a mysterious orb around his wrist; the Star Shadow.

Upon reaching Draculous, the children are shocked as General Zarafat is savagely beaten by his own king, and given a life sentence in the Ghoulg, an inescapable prison. If the evil Zarafat dies, so does the secret of how to wake their families.

Brandon must find a way to rescue his hated nemesis before time runs out! Standing in his way is an impenetrable Ptevos planetary defense shield, a Skelk armada, and those who would stop at nothing to possess the Star Shadow.

Author’s Note:

I was working a temp job as an assistant to the Archivist at the Episcopal Church Center on 2^nd Avenue, a block away from the United Nations. My apartment was only eight blocks away so I would walk home for lunch. As I was walking down the street, a majority of the plot for Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow came to me. How it happened I don’t know, but I was able to start the second novel.

Looking back on it now, Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow changed everything. Having established Brandon and his quest in the first novel, I was able to expand the Brandon Sparks Universe in the second. Now there were more villains, more worlds to explore, and even more characters to interact with. These additions established a feeling that there were several events happening outside of the main narrative and that they would eventually tie in with Brandon’s story.

On a personal note, Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow really helped me grow both as a writer, and a storyteller. Creating it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

A note about the Brandon Sparks Universe – C.K.

I’ve thought long and hard about how to use this space to tell you what the Brandon Sparks novels are about. It would be appropriate to give you a brief synopsis of the six novels but that is not what I intend to do. You can already find descriptions of the first two novels in the series, Brandon Sparks and the Hidden Sun and Brandon Sparks and the Star Shadow. Instead I have decided to share with you the discovering of Brandon Sparks by a young person.

Roughly four years ago my doorbell rang and in walked my nine-year-old granddaughter, Halley. My daughter, Kara, and her husband, Mark, were taking my wife to the theater. I had happily offered myself as a babysitter to escape the indescribable torture of sitting through the politically oriented Broadway shows that Dolores holds so dear. Instead I had the pleasure of spending the day with my favorite granddaughter and introducing her, in the most basic of ways, to the subject I am most passionate about.

After filling up on ice cream sandwiches, I told Halley that I wanted to read her a story. She of course said that she was too old to be read to, truth be told, she was, but though she devoured books as a small child, she had lost the love of reading over the years. Both of her parents worked long hours and though they were deeply involved with her education, the need for casual reading did not rank as a high priority. Regardless, I pulled out an old copy of Brandon Sparks and the Hidden Sun that I kept in the odds-and-ends drawer in my kitchen and slid it in front of her. The pages had begun to yellow, but the cover was clear; a young boy sleeping in bed, the early morning sunlight streaming through his bedroom window while the stars and night sky swirled magically on his ceiling.

As is typical of someone who does not read novels often, Halley asked me if the book had any pictures in it. I laughed at this and told her that it did. It had thousands of pictures, but she would need to use her imagination to see them. Halley gave me that all-too-familiar look an older person gets when someone wants convey that they just said something that makes them sound really old. I asked her for a bit of patience as I folded back the cover and began to read. When I had finished the introduction, I asked her if she wanted me to continue. She said, “Yes,” and just as I was about to begin, my phone rang. As I spoke on the phone I noticed that Halley had picked up the book and began reading it herself. After my phone call I excused myself from the room, and peeked back in at the last minute to see my granddaughter fully immersed in the story.

We barely spoke the rest of the day but that did not bother me at all. A big grin filled my face as I watched my granddaughter consumed by the wonderful story of Brandon Sparks. When my family returned from the theater, Halley had gotten through the first third of the book. It took her the rest of the weekend to complete the novel. She called me Sunday evening and asked me if there was any more. I told her, “You have only just scratched the surface.”