Review by Speraro -- Homecoming by Jude Austin

[Speraro]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Homecoming" by Jude Austin.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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At some point, everyone wishes to return to their home and the security it used to offer. Growing up of course means finding your place in the universe and creating your own home. This is a lesson Kalin Taylor learns the hard way in Jude Austin’s Homecoming.

Projects Tau and Kata have escaped GenTech and plan to return to the planet of Kata’s childhood home Trandellia. After all the abuse they endured, I was rooting for them to find the sanctuary they deserved. It was not that simple though. Their quest put them in harm’s way more than once, causing further physical and emotional damage.

Evil follows the duo as they do whatever is necessary to stay together and stay alive. Even those they should be able to trust betray them. Governments, unlawful organizations, and wild animals all do their best to stop them. Thankfully, our heroes can still muster the strength to fight. Along the way, we get a look at Kalin’s childhood and the events that gave him the grit which saved his life and the life of his best friend.

Several of the new characters we meet show the protagonists that there is still love and compassion in the human race, even in the most inhospitable places. It is thanks to the unconditional love of these “Guardian Angels” that life becomes worthwhile again for Kata and Tau.

Homecoming was the heartbreaking and, alternately, uplifting sequel to Project Tau. I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. As with the previous book, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the author’s writing style. There were several instances where a character’s dialogue felt awkward, which impeded the pace of the story a little. Even so, I had a lot of trouble putting it down.

Most of the major themes carried over to this book from the last. I appreciated the added focus on menAtal health and how it is important to seek treatment. I am afraid that the current global pandemic will lead to many untreated people who will struggle to return to a semi-normal life.

True to character, Kalin frequently uses profanity. Fortunately, there were no additional blasphemous comments, making the story more comfortable for a Christian audience. There were other science fiction concepts introduced, but not enough to make the characters or places feel severely alien. Hopefully, Austin will continue to write novels because I am a fan.

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Homecoming
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