What would it be like if Jesus had come to another planet?

Trion Rising, the first book in the Shadowside Trilogy, weaves an imaginative tale with this very question in mind. Sound farfetched? It is, and that's the fun of science fiction. Trion Rising is 332 pages long, divided into 37 fast-moving chapters full of heroes, villains, futuristic gadgets (including probes that constantly spy on people), and more than a touch of allegory.

Trion Rising is set on a small planet circling three suns, the "Trion." One side of Corista always faces the suns, separating the planet's inhabitants into two very different culture groups-those who live on the bright side (the privileged), and those living in perpetual gloom on Shadowside (the outcasts). The three suns seemed unbelievable to me at first (why isn't the planet fried?), but the author was able to pull it off, and I was soon immersed in the story.

Readers are introduced to fifteen-year-old Oriannon (Ori), a typical teenager living the "good life" on the bright side of Corista. As the daughter of a high-ranking Assembly member (think "Sanhedrin"), Ori enjoys the best schools, a fair amount of freedom (except for those pesky probes), and the honor of being an "eidich"--someone with a perfect, photographic memory. When the new music teacher, Mentor Jesmet (Jesus), begins teaching Ori and her friends strange new songs and even stranger ideas, Ori's problems begin. She's pressured to spy on her new mentor to discover if he really is a "faithbreaker" or not. Jesmet turns Ori's life upside down. Then . . . everything Ori has been taught to believe from the strict Codex (Old Testament Law) is challenged when she gets lost on the dark side of Corista and is taken in by people she had been told didn't even exist.

I like science fiction and found Trion Rising a fun read, although my 16-year-old son thought the Biblical allusions were too obvious. They did make the story predictable (I knew Jesmet would die in the end and come back to life) but no less enjoyable. When the Assembly quotes the Codex to justify their actions, you can "see" the self-righteous elite making the same mistakes the Pharisees made in Jesus' day. The roles of Peter and Judas are played out, but with a slightly different twist, which reminded me that Trion Rising is, after all, only a story and not true.

Trion Rising is intended for a teen audience, but middle-graders who like fantasy or science fiction--or allegory--will also enjoy the book. Nowadays, it's hard to find fantasy and science fiction we can trust, but there are no worries with Trion Rising. It's a creative "What if?" trip into another world.

Product review by: Susan K. Marlow, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2008