SHATTERED SKY

Apocalyptic just-about-independently-intelligible final installment of Shusterman's Star Shards trilogy (Scorpion Shards, 1995, and Thief of Souls, not reviewed, were both published as YA titles). When the Scorpion Star exploded, six children were born on Earth, each with a shard of star power: Dillon's restorative capabilities are so extraordinary he can even bring back the dead; Winston regrows lost limbs and causes deserts to bloom, etc. The Vectors, however, living embodiments of another reality's dimensions, have arrived on Earth; their universe is dying, so its soul-eating inhabitants need a new home—and Earth is just bulging with yummy souls. The evil Okoya, one of the soul-eaters Dillon attempted to destroy previously, offers a bargain: if the soul-eater invasion succeeds, they'll kill Okoya, so he demands personal survival as the price for his help. To defeat the Vectors, all six Shards must work together. Unfortunately, Michael's dead; Deanna is also, marooned between universes; Tory's ashes have been scattered over half of Texas; and Lourdes has gone over to the dark side, preferring to use her coercive powers to assist the Vectors. Another complication arises when rich defense contractor Elon Tessic captures Dillon in pursuit of his own personal agenda. . . . Details aside, it's obvious where all this must end up: signs of fresh or analytical thinking are few.

Fans will wish to investigate, and it might tempt some of the Lahaye & Jenkins crowd; otherwise, this erratic and sometimes wearisome vampire variant has little to offer.