The Sons of Sora

The players crowd the stage for the busy final act of Tassi’s star-spanning Earthborn space opera trilogy, set 16 years after the events of The Exiled Earthborn. The children of Lucas and Asha, the last couple from Earth, have taken up the gauntlet of war with the alien Xala. Giant Noah, wielding a high-tech warhammer, and sly Erik, using speed and guile, are embroiled in plots to save a princess of Sora and to rescue their long-absent father. In turn, Lucas and Asha must learn to trust their sons and to find the inner strength to keep family and allies together as the ultimate villain behind their troubles finally makes an appearance. Tassi melds a coming-of-age narrative with a philosophical nod toward dealing with pain and sorrow in the midst of the horrors of war. Forgiveness may be possible; forgetting, however, is not an option. The epic vibe doesn’t detract from the quieter truths, and small victories of the heart carry as much weight as clashes of space dreadnoughts. (Jan.)