What Lies Beyond the Stars

LOCAL AUTHOR

“The only negative effect of this strange book was the growing sense that something was drastically wrong with Adam’s own life. He had taken a wrong turn long ago, forgotten some essential something-or-other, and now the fog of habit and conformity had grown so thick around him, he might not ever remember what it was.”

Adam Sheppard coasts through his life as a very successful programmer until, prompted by a recurring dream of his childhood, he feels compelled to return to his boyhood home in Mendocino, California. While walking on the cliffs one night, Adam meets a beautiful and strangely familiar redheaded woman who he later finds out was a childhood friend. This seemingly coincidental meeting will change Adam’s life if he is willing to let go of the constraints of his “normal” life.

Though I am not generally a reader of science fiction or technology-related fiction, I found Michael Goorjian’s What Lies Beyond the Stars to be so much more and therefore a rather pleasant surprise. Goorjian explores the dangers of a technology-dependent society but does not beat the reader over the head with the normal doom and gloom the genre usually exhibits. Even the discussions of computer theory are written so that, even if the reader has no background in programming, they are easy to understand. The ending is hopeful, not just for the main characters but for society in general, and that is truly refreshing.

The settings are vividly rendered and, for instance, when Beatrice describes lying on the deck of her boat in the middle of the ocean and looking at the stars, the reader wants nothing more than to experience this magic for themselves.
The explanations of the theories of alternate existences bring about the sort of soul-searching questions we all should be asking ourselves. This novel will put many readers on a much-needed path to inner peace and healing.