Cover art by Brad Sharp
Before I get into this review, I have to put up a little disclaimer.
In 2004, I went the hallowed halls of Seton Hill University to embark on a Masters program in Writing Popular Fiction. To say the two years I spent there learning the craft was life changing, is not wholy accurate — it was life saving. I would not be what I am now if not for that program. (NB: Shortly after I graduated the program was restructured as an MFA program, and some of us mere MAs went back to “get F’d”. I did not, although the temptation lingers to this day.)
Dr. Wendland was the first of two mentors I would have at Seton Hill, and to be honest he was who I needed starting out. When we met for the first time to go over my Thesis Novel, in the course of an hour he collaboratively disassmbled my idea for a Military Science Fiction Thriller novel and reassmbled it in a way that made it more viable, but still in many ways what I wanted to write. When it was over, I stood outside the door of the campus library, my “contract” for the semester in hand, dazed and wondering if it was too late to change genres.
Shortly after that was the student Wine Social. I told one of the senior classmates what I had gone through. She said, “Yep, we’ve all had that happen. You’re one of us now,” as a glass of pinot noir materialized in my hand.
Dr. Wendland helped me build a solid foundation of skills in writing — something for which I will be ever greatful. To this day I consider him both a mentor and a friend, so how could I not read this book and give my review? Having read one of his previous novels, “The Man Who Sold Alien Landscapes,” I was eager to dive in.
This novel falls between his two previous novels: “In A Suspect Universe” (which I started and need to re-read) and “Alien Landscapes.” Poet and explorer Mykol Ranglen is called upon by friend and former lover Anne Montgomery. Her import business has suffered a loss with the destruction of a cargo shipment intended for the ring world of Annulus. With interstellar powers bristling and rumors of war abound, Mykol is tasked with tracking down the shipment and its fate. That investigation leads Mykol to facing down an interstellar cult and the search for an artifact from the ancient race known as the Airafane.
“Haunted Stars” offers a poetic take on science-fiction with a dash of cosmic horror. While this novel does deliver on the more sublime elements of human and alien worlds, I found it short when it came to the cosmic horror — which felt too brief and too neatly wrapped up. I also found it light on investigation, with plots and motives more being revealed via dialogue based discovery in the scenes between the action. If there had been any actual evidence and facts gathered in the course of the plot, I missed it.
Which is unfortunate, because I really enjoyed “Alien Landscapes,” and this novel didn’t connect with me in the same way. I wonder if that might be because this novel weighs in at only 200 pages. Perhaps with a little more material, this could have been a more fleshed out story. Or maybe this is the peril that comes when writing in a more complex approach to a chronology — one that I normally attribute to prequels.
Dr. Wendland is a genuine poet — which should be welcomed in the field of science-fiction as we really do need more such in this day and age. The worlds we see in this novel are alive and teeming with a variety of scenery and glimpses of strange cultures. He is fluent in the genre as proven in his other books. While this specific work didn’t connect with me, I would encourage you to give him a try — I recommend “Alien Landscapes” or you can start at the current chronological beginning with “Suspect Universe.”
Happy Reading!
27 August 2026
