REVIEWS FOR STAR LATE RISING

BookLife: 

   Plot/Idea: Star Late Rising is a kaleidoscopic mish-mash of drama, comedy and surrealistic literature. Ron Luce's confidently told story boldly raises pertinent questions about who we are as individuals, as a collective and as a society teetering on the brink of collapse. 

   Prose: Luce's text is presented as a theatrical play, with excellent attention to detail in the stage directions that help create an imaginative and provocative atmosphere. In addition, the effect of the narrator talking directly to the reader makes the text feel more personal and resonant. 

   Originality: Star Late Rising is an engaging, genre-bending novel which has a strong focus on drama and theatrical performance. Its interesting and offbeat presentation is its strength, although the format may not be to many readers' tastes. 

   Character/Execution: The narrator and the three professional actors who make up the cast of Star Late Rising are well orchestrated and engaging. And intriguingly, as a result of the book's unique format, it often feels like the characters are directly in conversation with the audience. 

Reedsy:  

   A novel, a play, a poem ... an experience! Bold, genre bending reading and theatrical experience that challenges sophisticated readers on many levels.    

   Three male actors--two of whom are gay--along with a middle-aged alcoholic actor who is trying to make a comeback, assist the narrator in weaving a complex story that honors readers as intelligent meaning-makers. 

   The narrator has written a play—a dramedy that attempts to make sense of life immediately following the insurrection of January 6, 2021. As readers move through this metanarrative, they experience the writer writing, the actors as performers, and the characters within the play they are performing as human beings trying to live their lives. This tour de force uses drama, comedy, reverence for history and literature, and a touch of surrealism to engage and challenge readers to consider basic questions of who we are as individuals, members of communities, and as citizens living within a democracy teetering between recommitment and collapse. 

   Luce brings the readers into essential questions about who we are as a collective, who we are as individuals, and how we are going to handle the colliding forces of our moment in time.    

   January 6, 2021, was a pivotal moment in United States history. Not only did some citizens try to overturn the results of a presidential election, but they did so under the guise of liberty and justice for all. Ron Luce attempts to make sense of the aftermath of such an event in Star Late Rising.   

    In the book, readers are given insight into the lives of three male actors. All three of them are searching for the essence of their lives while building careers as entertainers. Through dialogue, the reader learns how much the occurrence on January 6, 2021, has influenced the men and how the overall climate of the United States has deeply impacted their identities.  

   It is refreshing to come across an author who is unashamed to lean into creativity. Luce keeps the reader wondering exactly what he is crafting with words that sometimes come in prose and other times in the form of poetry. The over-arching theme of the men, who are actors, navigating the main stage of life becomes evident as Luce primarily formats the book as a play. It is pure brilliance to do so as offering the story as a play places the reader in the audience and opens the door for analysis and judgment. 

   The reader is not merely learning about these men. The reader is showing up to work, experiencing the highs and lows, and ultimately figuring life out along with them.    

   In all, Luce has created a deeply meaningful story that deserves to be read by anyone willing to think outside of the box.