Project Athena | Reviews

The Stories of the Solar Eclipse (Haize)

Author: md_eldritch

Reviewer: Haize

Genre: Adventure

The story focuses on two young characters; Callistro and Solaris, who although from opposite worlds bond and embark on an adventure to discover more about a curse the former seems to be carrying.

The story starts out really well with direct descriptions of Callistro and his family. I love that the author does not linger on unnecessary details and everything from Callistro's broken glasses that have not been mended for half a year, to his tattered clothes and ruined boots all point to how little his parents care for him. The tree house where he spends the majority of his time alone further drives home how detached he is from the world around him, lost in dreams of finally leaving and being a powerful witch some day.

Solaris on the other hand has everything she could ever want but ironically, she wants none of it. She harbors thoughts of rebellion but at her age is still very much under the control of her mother. There are a few analogies in the second chapter in reference to the dress her mother is forcing her to wear for her birthday; 'red like pig's blood,' 'collar was so tight around her neck she felt like a hanging corpse.' This felt extreme at first, for a ten-year-old girl, but they serve to emphasize what Solaris thinks of the dress, and in turn, what her relationship with her mother is. Solaris is portrayed as a 'vase', simply a beautiful object to be put on display for admiration.

The character-building was good in general, but I specifically fell in love with Callistro's character. He's intelligent, resourceful, and calm for a boy of his age, but his childishness still shows from the curiosity and naivety he shows sometimes. Solaris' introduction chapter serves more to establish her as a character; her motivation specifically, which is only as simple as wanting to go outside owing to how enclosed her life has been. It also previews her adventurous side and could be why she so readily befriends Callistro and agrees to go with him. There are two seemingly minor characters, the witch and the maid, both of who are the starting points to the major events that change the children's lives. The witch gives Callistro a spell book, which although cursed gives him the powerful magic he yearned for whereas the boots the maid gives Solaris solidify the idea of freedom in her mind. I did not read so far as to know whether these characters appear again, but they probably should, in particular the witch.

On the negative side, the pacing of the story feels a bit rushed, especially with Callistro's point of view. Solaris' perspective does not suffer the same problem and after reading through the chapters again and comparing them, the only reason I could find was that Callistro did not have much to his life to show. He's almost always alone so his version is limited to what he thinks or feels whereas Solaris gets that and then the descriptions of what is going on in the world around her. There are also a few noticeable grammar and tense errors, but nothing that makes the story unreadable. Also, the fact that the two are only ten makes their decision to completely run away from home quite unrealistic, especially coming from Solaris who has had a very sheltered life. It could still be attributed to how naive they are though; perhaps they do not put as much thought into ideas as they should.

I'd recommend 'The Stories of the Solar Eclipse' to anyone who has an interest in children's fiction and adventure, with a hint of fantasy to it. Altogether the story seems like a long journey for the pair that will involve a number of hardships but teach invaluable lessons to them and change them as characters. It was a really interesting read and I intend to continue with it in my own time.