Teresa

A Case for the Starlore Legacy

Reviewed: 05-04-22

Having just read the “Moses in Space” review above, I felt as though I had to respond to some of the criticism and misleading comments levied against Mr. Black’s remarkable symbolic story, Flight.
First, in regard to claiming this story isn’t an allegory and then comparing it to C.S. Lewis’s, The Chronicles of Narnia, is ironic and revealing. C.S. Lewis deliberately states that Narnia isn’t an allegory at all. He referred to Narnia as a “supposal”. Merriam-Webster defines allegory as “the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence.” C.S. Lewis further states, “allegories are characterized by a use of symbolism that permeates the entire story, to the extent that essentially all major characters and their actions can be understood as having symbolic significance.” By Webster’s and Lewis’s definitions, Chuck Black’s Starlore Legacy series, including Flight, is the quintessential allegory. I’m not sure how the previous reviewer could have possibly missed this. Furthermore, how can this series be cliché and predictable if the reviewer didn’t know this was an allegory until the second book, 60,000 words later? Of course, the general outcome is going to be understood since this is a symbolic rendition of the biblical account of numerous Old Testament stories, but I personally found that the weaving of unique characters in with the allegorical symbolism of Scripture in a very unique setting was engaging and very unpredictable (wait until you read or listen to episode 4, Oath!).
Second, since Mr. Black’s intention for this series is to symbolically depict numerous events of the Bible in an action-adventure novel, and clearly stating so in his author commentary, any association to plagiarism is wholly ridiculous. To plagiarize is to pass off the ideas or works of another as his own. Does the reviewer seriously think that Mr. Black is trying to steal Scripture as his own? Having met Mr. Black, I’ve heard him clearly state that it is his intention to point his readers back to the Bible for truth and inspiration. Which leads me to the third point.
The reviewer claims that Flight “seems to trivialize the inspired Word and Story from the Bible and could easily be taken by others (namely those outside the faith) to prove that the stories in the Bible are just that: made up or embellished accounts.” Did the reviewer not read Mr. Black’s commentary stating to the reader to do exactly the opposite? Why lay criticism against the author for such conjecture when the author clearly states to respond exactly the opposite?
Honestly, I found the Starlore Legacy series thrilling and a fresh wholesome alternative to an often dark and misleading genre typically associated with science fiction. I can’t wait for the next installment of the Starlore Legacy! Like so many others that have enjoyed this series, five stars across the board for me!

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