Star Bright (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781662441165)

When observing the morning or evening star, Planet Venus, modern-day people recognize it as a lifeless, brightly glowing rock in the sky where no one can go because its atmosphere is far too inhospitable. Yet from ancient times all the way up to the not-too-distant past, it was regarded by some people as the embodiment of supernatural beings who observed them right back. Believing it to be an object of worship in whom one could seek solution to problems and an overseer in the sky who cast judgment over human behavior, in the past Planet Venus was perceived quite differently than it is today. In representation of what the world was like before the true nature of Planet Venus was revealed, Star Bright delves into the inevitable conflicts between spiritualism and the realities of human nature.

Adhering to the mythological comportment of deific entities, historical detail, and the societal norms of subject periods and places as well as possible, the sixteen separate stories comprising Star Bright shine light on the human ground game that played out as a result of the mystical significance placed upon the second planet from the sun. Among the many characters in the novel is an ambitious young woman of the Sumer civilization and her extraordinary companion, a fatalistic Israelite king leading an army off to war, and a spoiled rotten countess of the French Bourbon Dynasty who harbors delusions of godhood, just to name a few. From the very earliest establishment of civilization, Planet Venus continues to exact its influence over humankind.