Welcome

They of Star

Emotive, Unique, Stunning, ‘They of Star’, my debut novel, is an offering which the literary world has yet to see its like. A book crafted as opposed to written, ‘They of Star’ has no comparison in its approach to story telling, offering a new and enticing methodology in word play and poetic license.

They of Star was written to a rhythm, to music and to a feel, and in doing so captures the movement of all that lives within us. This novel does not adhere to the conventional thought of story telling or layout, instead keeping to the integrity of the sentiment that lies with a song. If a moment is needed to reflect and to ponder, to love or for the character to fall within a moment, a moment for this word is perfectly given. If clutter is created to convey chaos, to confuse or confine your mind, this too, in all its conceit, is captured and given.

The Story

They of Star, written in a contemporary style reminiscent of old English prose, tells the story of a family that is born from The Stars but has decided to live in a world called The Land. An evil presence that is kin to the family of The Star, has started to make his presence known upon The Land and all prepare for the inevitable battle that they know will come. All the while they must protect a powerful secret that will determine the fate of all those living upon The Land, a secret that can either save or destroy their future and all those alive, a secret that, depending on who is the possessor of this most honoured and sacred of secrets, will bring either freedom, or will bring death to all.

The Readings

I perform my book readings to original music with the readings themselves holding a captivating sense of power to them, which have already proven an effective conduit in attaining a new readership base. They are read to an original music soundtrack written by the immensely talented Rodger Cunningham from Rodgerson Media Group, Ltd. The readings are emotive and unique, using music and ambience to entice the listeners to step beyond the realm of place, and in fact offer them the chance to feel and experience the happenings within the very story itself. No other novel to date has used this approach, the style and format that we have employed, and no other novel has been released with an original soundtrack as such.

Reviews

Book Review

‘They of Star’ is an inspirational story filled with love, passion, courage and adventure.  It is a tale of good versus evil and it takes place in a mystical land and time.  The story flows gracefully with a certain breath and rhythm.  Stunning visual images created with words are artistically placed throughout the book taking ‘They of Star’ to a whole new level of storytelling.  It contrasts breathtaking moments of love and beauty to those moments of sheer horror and stomach wrenching disgust.  ‘They of Star’ is a story told in such a unique and artfully crafted manner by its author Mervyn Noel Whitley Jnr.

Listening to Mr. Whitley read excerpts from ‘They of Star’ is an amazing experience.  During these readings his presence and manner captivate his audience and ‘They of Star’ is given the opportunity to be heard, intrigue and inspire all who are present.

                                                                                                Caroline Waters

                                                                                                Vancouver, Canada

Reading Review

Thanks for the opportunity to be part of the book reading for  “They of Star”. I enjoyed the occasion, especially Mervyn’s readings and the musical accompaniment. Mervyn’s prose is distinctive and has a strong poetic quality. I think the marketing possibilities for an e-book or an audio book are exciting as are the promotion possibilities with Mervyn as performance artist. It occurred to me last night that visual images by romantic artists such as Rosetti or Burne –Jones or even symbolists such as Delacroix would be singularly appropriate as a backdrop during his reading. He has a strong authorial voice and the imagery in the book is at times very striking. There are many aspects of the book to like … a lot.

I am sure that you are very aware of how difficult the market for books is at present, especially fiction. My predecessor who is a published author told me once that as much as he enjoyed writing, he was very conscious of the fact that he was publishing in a niche market with a good outcome if he sold 2-3000 copies. Undoubtedly, there is a niche for Mervyn’s book in the Fantasy/Romance area, (a niche strongly supported by women readers). It has strong elements of fable about it and there are echoes of other published works. Paolo Coello’s books  “The Alchemist”, Kahil Kibran “ The Prophet”, Antoine de Saint- Exupery “Wind Sand and Stars” as well as Tolkien and CS Lewis spring to mind.

                                                                                    Steve A.

                                                                                    Auckland, New Zealand.