A Star Curiously Singing by Kerry Nietz Published by: Marcher Lord Press (2009) 301 pages Rating: 9/10 Buy it Now:

Now this is something truly different, and genuinely exciting.

Many science fiction stories are set in a future where a particular group rules all, ranging from totalitarian dictatorships to fundamentalist Christians. In my reading experience, however, this is the first such story where the ruling worldview is Islam. Under this futuristic version of Sharia Law, society is strictly regulated into various classes. The ruling class is, of course, Muslim nobles with their subservient wives. Everyone below them are little better than slaves and face the same style of treatment that a slave might expect.

Sandfly, the protagonist for this story, is one such lower-class personage. As a "debugger," his job is to keep high tech materials, especially robots, running smoothly. His life is mostly boring repair jobs under constant threat of punishment, his relationships are virtually non-existent, and his job is constantly complicated by new rulings from the imams. Then everything changes.

Sandfly is summoned to the space station to repair a robot. Curious as to why he was selected for this job, Sandfly soon discovers there's much more to this than a simple repair job. The robot in question was part of an experimental flight to another star system, where the robot literally tore itself apart after hearing something from that distant star... singing.

The consequences of unravelling this mystery may be far worse than failing at his appointed task. Sandfly desperately seeks for a third way out, and discovers something far beyond his dreams.

Nietz has taken many standard sci-fi tropes, such as cyber-connections to a type of internet, robots, space travel, and put his own twist on them, all within the overarching worldview of Islam. At first, that might seem contradictory, but Nietz soon explains how all this came to be (though never in story-derailing detail), and it all makes logical sense.

In addition, he's pulled off something I haven't seen in a long time - a truly original way of revealing the truth about God (the true God) in a world that doesn't know Him. It's highly creative and somewhat inspiring.

The story ends on an open point, leaving everything in readiness for a sequel. I'll be very interested in seeing where it goes from here. Highly Recommended.