A. K. Frailey’s OLDEARTH MELCHIOR ENCOUNTER is an ambitious historical novel with speculative elements. Set in the middle ages, the book follows the arc of a few years in the life of a kind, aging patriarch named Melchior. When his son Wilfred is accused of murder, Melchior learns of long-buried family secrets that change the way he views his children and his late wife. Meanwhile, a group of extraterrestrial beings observe Melchior and his community as they reel from these discoveries, evaluating the human race’s value in the grander scheme of the universe. Unknown to him, the fate of the planet Earth rests in Melchior’s hands. Part murder mystery, part family drama, part science fiction epic, OLDEARTH MELCHIOR ENCOUNTER addresses themes of the line between good and evil and what makes a family.
The murder mystery plot is wrapped up about halfway through the book, and a new drama begins as Melchior’s daughter Adele is forced to marry a king while she is in love with someone else. This, too, is resolved before the end of the book, with the last quarter focusing on a third plot. The aliens’ revelation that the Earth is in danger is not revealed until three quarters of the way through the book; until this point, their purpose and relation to Melchior’s story is unclear. The aliens are featured in a few chapters scattered through the story, though, with Melchior’s tale dominating, so once the danger the Earth is in is exposed, the aliens’ plot line evolves and offers a new perspective on Melchior’s story up to that point. While the various plots on Earth that take place several years apart—the murder mystery and the drama with Adele—feel like distinct, separate stories, the book does not feel fragmented. Instead, the overarching plot with the aliens ties everything together to make a cohesive, epic novel.
Aside from mentions of the Romans, Anglos, Saxons, and Britons, there is little detail that reinforces the place and time of the story’s setting. The many—at times too many—characters, however, are tangible people with strong personalities that bring a solid sense of purpose and identity to the book. Melchior is likeable, though flawed, and even the antagonistic characters, like the king Adele is forced to marry, have positive traits that provide a balanced view of human nature for the aliens to observe. Dialogue is dramatic and feels real, revealing character personalities while propelling the plot forward. The dialogue performs at its best when it is punchy and expressive, such as when Melchior faces his son Wilfred alongside members of a court to learn about the true murderer and Wilfred’s true identity. Characters love and support each other, or treat each other cruelly, and their actions offer poignant thoughts on family, justice, and what gives life meaning.
OLDEARTH MELCHIOR ENCOUNTER’s unique science fiction twist ties together the dramatic historical events the strong characters experience, which address themes of family and justice.
~Aimee Jodoin for IndieReader