This paperback explores a number of themes, although many more have been found

by readers than I ever imagined were there.

 

• Friendship:  This was one of the easiest themes I delved into. The Earthlings are tossed into a mind exploding new type of situation and it is important for each of them to have others they can count on. At the same time the aliens in the book are all involved in a dramatic undertaking, with not just their own lives at stake, but the lives of planets of creatures. Their friendships are intense, with conflict erupting between individuals who have different ideas of how to succeed.

 

• Coming-of-age:  This was one of the harder themes to write about in this story. Alex is struggling with coming-of-age issues, but in a more desperate battle than many teenagers face. Just like most young adults he is struggling with who he will be. We see an alien’s, Hheilea’s, struggles in becoming an adult. Her struggles while dealing with an alien culture still have similarities to what we Earthlings deal with. I’m not going to go into her struggles here, because they are very important to the story and I wouldn’t want to spoil it for any new reader.

 

• Animal rights:  This theme is just touched on here. It will be explored in greater depth in the novel and even more in the next books and it will get very hard and interesting to write about. I would love to hear from readers about what you think. How do you treat your pets or and how do you treat animals you are raising for food? Would being able to understand them change how you treat them?

 

• Individual rights: They are an important part of this story and even more in ‘Alex and the Crystal of Jedh.’ Who will you be is an important question for everyone and many things inside and outside of us struggle with who we would be. In this story we just begin to explore the problem individuals have with having the right to be who they would be.

 

• Women’s rights: This is something we delve into with Hheilea. This teaser gave me a wonderful opportunity to write from Hheilea’s point of view. I don’t write about terms like bodily integrity, rights, or entitlements, but I do write about real things. Hheilea feels like she has no choices about her future. Because her issues are really important for the story I don’t want to go into details. Read about her struggles and then get involved in the conversation. Be aware of the world around you. There are real people out there who feel stuck in a bad situation. Sometime you might have an opportunity to help.

 

In later books we will continue to explore this in more depth. Please, become part of the exploration by providing your opinions. We might not always agree, but I want to hear what you think. There are other themes, but I will let the reader explore and find them on their own. Thank you for your interest and I hope to hear from you.