Starside by Alex Aster introduces a divided fantasy world shaped by lost magic, ancient gods, powerful swords, and a deadly journey that takes place only once every fifty years.
On Stormside, mortals live in a land slowly dying without magic. On Starside, immortals and the descendants of the gods exist among impossible forests, enchanted cities, and legendary creatures. The two sides are separated by enormous gates that open for the Questral.
Aris Agron enters the competition with one purpose: to cross into Starside and kill the goddess responsible for destroying her family. But the deeper she travels into the immortal realm, the more she learns that her past, her mysterious silver markings, and the sword that chose her are connected to a much larger conflict.
This guide explains the world of Starside, the Culling, the Questral, the most important characters, the magical swords, and the book’s major ending twist.
Contents
What Is Starside About?
Fifty years after the last Questral, the gates between Stormside and Starside are preparing to open again.
Stormside was once filled with magic, fertile land, and extraordinary creatures. After the Great Divide, however, nearly all magic disappeared from the mortal side. Rain became rare, the land withered, and many legendary animals vanished. The people of Stormside now depend on the small amounts of magic brought back by successful Questral challengers.
When the gates open, fifty mortals are allowed to enter Starside and begin a deadly journey toward the Land of the Gods. Those who reach the end may claim a goblet filled with pure magic.
- A few drops can cure disease.
- Magic can create wealth or restore barren land.
- An entire cup may transform a mortal into an immortal—if they survive the Turn.
Most challengers never return. Aris does not enter the Questral for money, immortality, or glory. She intends to find and kill the goddess who burned her home and murdered her family.
Stormside and Starside Explained
The world was divided after an ancient conflict known as the Great Divide.
When the gates were erected, information about Starside was magically erased from Stormside. Ink vanished from books, poems became blank, and paintings lost their colors. Only stories passed down orally survived, meaning much of what mortals know about Starside has become distorted into myth.
The families whose ancestors survived previous Questrals possess the most reliable information. This has allowed Stormside’s remaining Great Houses to preserve knowledge and power that ordinary people do not have.
| Realm | Inhabitants | Magic | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stormside | Mortals | Very little remains outside magical metals and magic returned from the Questral. | Barren land, drought, hunger, and disappearing magical creatures. |
| Starside | Immortals, faelings, bloodbanes, gods, and magical creatures | Magic saturates the land, creatures, metals, cities, and natural world. | Beautiful and abundant, but also filled with dangerous beasts and powerful immortals. |
Stormside
Stormside is the mortal side of the world. Despite its name, it rarely experiences storms anymore. Rain has become so uncommon that people leave buckets outside when a Questral challenger returns, hoping the first release of magic will summon rainfall.
The farther west someone travels, the less magic remains. Large parts of the land are barren, and communities survive on whatever their region can still provide. People near the coast depend on fish. Those living in the mountains eat roots and pheasants. Other villages survive on small patches of grain or the final enchanted plants left from before the Divide.
Starside
Starside is the realm of magic, immortals, and gods. The land itself appears enchanted. The sky is brighter, the sun feels restorative, and nearly every surface glimmers with magic.
Starside contains enormous trees, magical forests, winged beasts, dragons, immortal estates, and cities that seem impossible by Stormside standards.
Immortals do not die of old age and are not affected by disease. Their bodies are more durable than those of mortals, although sufficiently powerful metals can still wound or kill them. Their population is relatively small because births are rare.
What Is the Culling?
The Culling is the violent selection process used to determine which fifty mortals may enter Starside.
Hundreds of candidates travel to the king’s lands for the chance to participate. Reaching the starting platform is already dangerous, as candidates fight one another while the king’s guards attempt to prevent them from advancing.
The Culling itself is relatively brief compared with the Questral, but it is still deadly. Its challenges include navigating a dangerous labyrinth, racing toward a limited number of horses, and fighting other competitors for the available places.
The final approach to the gates becomes another deadly test. As the gates begin to open, enormous creatures charge through the gap into Stormside. Some are large enough to swallow challengers whole and appear to hunt by scent rather than sight.
How Does the Questral Work?
The Questral takes place every fifty years. Fifty chosen challengers travel across Starside toward the Land of the Gods, where they may claim a goblet filled with pure magic.
The gates reopen exactly fifty days later at sunrise and close at sunset. Anyone who fails to return before they close will remain trapped on Starside for another fifty years.
Most challengers die during the journey. Some are killed by creatures, some by immortals, and others by their fellow mortals. The Questral is not simply a race toward the well of magic; it is also a competition between people who know that only a small number are likely to survive.
Starside Character Guide
The central characters in Starside include Questral challengers, heirs of Stormside’s Great Houses, immortals, faelings, and figures whose true identities are not revealed until the ending.
| Image | Character | Appearance | Role | Fate / Importance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Aris Agron | Long brown hair, dark-blue eyes, and silver rootlike markings across her skin | Hidden heiress of House Agron, blacksmith, and protagonist | Claims Stellaris, reaches the well of magic, and returns to Stormside with both halves of the divided godsword. |
 | Harlan Raker | Tall and pale, with dark hair, gray eyes, and gleaming silver armor | Legendary knight and Aris’s love interest | Revealed to be the true God of Death. |
 | Stellan | An older blacksmith with distinctive white eyebrows | Aris’s guardian and mentor | Former Questral challenger who gave his magic to Vander. Cadoc kills him before the Questral. |
 | Kira | Long red hair, green eyes, and freckled skin | Aris and Zane’s ally | Enters the Questral hoping to obtain magic to save her sister. Cadoc later kills her. |
 | Zane Sterling | Very tall, with brown skin and dark hair | Heir of House Sterling and member of Aris’s alliance | Returns to Stormside with a goblet of magic and a winged creature believed to be a helmhawk. |
 | Cadoc Bolter | Blond and dressed in radiant golden armor that resembles sunlight | Heir of House Bolter and mortal antagonist | Kills Stellan and Kira while pursuing power and the Starside blade. |
 | Valen | Tan skin, short dark hair, and iron chain mail | Archer and rival challenger | Repeatedly attacks Aris, but Aris later saves her life. |
 | Este | Glimmering tan skin, jade-green eyes, gossamer wings, and elaborately braided hair | Faeling from the Traveling City | Advises Aris and is banished from the Traveling City for helping her. |
 | Vander Evren | Extremely tall and imposing, with silver hair, purple eyes, and intricate silver armor | Immortal heir and bloodbane | Helps Aris because he owed Stellan a debt after the previous Questral. |
Aris Agron
Aris Agron is the protagonist of Starside and the lost heiress of House Agron. She has long brown hair, usually worn in practical braids, and rare dark-blue eyes. Beneath her clothing, thin silver markings spread like roots across her throat, chest, shoulders, arms, and sides.
Silver is considered the color of the gods and is forbidden to ordinary mortals. Aris’s markings therefore make her both unusual and potentially dangerous.
How did Aris become sky-touched?
When Aris was eight years old, she and her sister secretly left their home during one of Stormside’s rare storms. When lightning headed toward her sister, Aris pushed her out of the way and was struck instead. The lightning stopped her heart. Her sister and father continued trying to revive her until she finally woke. Afterward, the red lightning marks across her skin turned silver. From that day on, Aris was immune to heat. Her parents described her as sky-touched and concealed the markings because they feared what they might mean.
What happened to Aris’s family?
A goddess set fire to House Agron because of a prophecy connected to Aris. Aris woke during the attack after her sister smelled smoke. Their bedroom doors had been locked from the outside, trapping the children while their parents desperately tried to reach them. The flames killed Aris’s parents and burned her sister to death in her arms. Aris survived only because the fire could not harm her. Stellan found her the following day, alone among the ashes.
Harlan Raker
Harlan Raker is a legendary Stormside knight and Aris’s central romantic interest. He is tall, pale, and strikingly beautiful, with dark hair and gray eyes. He is often seen wearing silver armor, a black hood, and a mask.
Aris believes Raker is cruel, dangerous, and responsible for standing between her and the Questral. Their relationship is antagonistic from the beginning, but the two are repeatedly forced to work together.
Raker trains Aris, protects her, and understands parts of her that she has hidden from everyone else. Their growing connection becomes increasingly complicated as both characters conceal their real identities and motives.
The Great Houses of Stormside
The novel states that five Great Houses remain on Stormside, although the first book does not clearly develop or identify all five. House Agron is also described as a Great House, but it was destroyed before the events of the novel.
| House | Known Member | Territory / Resource | Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| House Agron | Aris Agron | Not fully explained in Book 1 | Destroyed former Great House. |
| House Bolter | Cadoc Bolter | Fertile land and gold mines | Its eldest heirs regularly complete the Questral and return with enough magic to preserve the house’s wealth. |
| House Sterling | Zane Sterling | Helmspeak and its silver mines | Provides high-quality metal to the king’s guard and blacksmiths. |
| House Ender | Pagnus Ender | Not clearly stated | Known for the extraordinary size of its members and rumored divine ancestry. |
| Other surviving Great Houses | Unknown | Unknown | The first novel states that five Great Houses remain, but only House Bolter, House Sterling, and House Ender are clearly identified in the available information. |
Magic and Metals Explained
Metal is the last significant form of magic remaining on Stormside. Ore absorbs and contains magical power, which means a weapon’s strength depends heavily on the metal from which it is forged.
| Metal Type | Examples | Power | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low metals | Copper, tin, aluminum | Weakest | Common weapons that can shatter against stronger metals. |
| High mortal metals | Silver | Strongest metals available on Stormside | Used by the king’s guards and powerful houses. |
| Sparkling metals | Starside steel | More powerful than mortal metals | Used by immortals and magical blades. |
| Paladian | Found only where the gods live | Rarest and most dangerous known metal | Can contain seemingly limitless magic. |
The Magical Swords in Starside
Swords in Starside are more than weapons. The most powerful blades contain magic, develop abilities, form bonds with their owners, and may even claim powers from other swords.
| Sword | Owner | Type | Known Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maverick | The king | Legendary silver blade | Sires other swords and appears to be formed from several layers or blades fused together. |
| Stellaris | Aris Agron | Godsword / great sword | Glows with silver power, shatters lesser blades, bonds to Aris, and forms one half of a divided ancient sword. |
| Raker’s sword | Harlan Raker | Godsword / great sword | The other half of Stellaris’s original blade. Resonates with Stellaris and can be moved by Aris because of their bond. |
| Vander’s blade | Vander Evren | Godsword and morphblade | Can transform into daggers, throwing stars, a longer sword, or a scythe. |
Godswords possess unmatched magical power and can be identified by the way they glow. They may be forged by gods, elements, or overwhelming emotions such as love and fury.
A great sword bonds with the soul and heart of its wielder. Because of this bond, someone who is allowed deeply into the wielder’s heart may gain the ability to take or control the sword. Great swords can also claim the power of the swords they defeat. This means a sufficiently powerful blade can grow stronger by conquering others.
In Starside, a blade can belong to more than one category. “Great sword” appears to describe an exceptionally powerful weapon that bonds with its wielder’s soul and heart, while “godsword” describes a blade containing unmatched, visibly glowing magic. Godswords, therefore, appear to be a divine class of great swords rather than a completely separate type. A godsword may also possess another ability-based classification: Vander’s weapon, for example, is both a godsword and a morphblade.
Important Locations in Stormside
| Location | Description | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Brambleside | A coastal town at the far western edge of Stormside. | Little or no magic remains there, and residents mainly survive through fishing. |
| Silverside | Aris’s former home and the location of House Agron before it was destroyed. | Most of Silverside’s history, geography, and resources remain unexplained in the first book. |
| The Bladelands | A mountainous western region. | Contains Helmspeak and the lands controlled by House Sterling. |
| Helmspeak | A mountain whose upper regions remain unusually fertile. | Contains valuable silver mines and was once home to the helmhawks. |
| The King’s Castle | A fortress surrounded by three rings of stone walls, with an opulent silver-filled interior. | Highlights the king’s wealth while much of Stormside suffers from hunger and drought. |
| The Gates | Enormous gates of sparkling Starside steel shaped into patterns of wind, water, and flame. | Separate Stormside from Starside and reopen fifty days after the challengers enter. |
Aris’s Route Through Starside
The Questral does not appear to have one completely fixed route for every challenger. However, Aris passes through the following major locations during her journey.
| Order | Location | Description | Key Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tower of Knowledge | A cone-shaped tower filled with chained books arranged across ten levels. | Aris searches for information about Starside, the gods, and the Questral. |
| 2 | Westwere | A guarded village surrounded by a wall and moat. | One of the first inhabited locations Aris reaches in Starside. |
| 3 | Beast Tree | A colossal oak whose crown is home to dragons, helmhawks, and other winged creatures. | Aris bonds with her silver dragon. Zane separates from her to recover his axe. |
| 4 | Prism Path | Green mountains divided by narrow waterfalls that reflect rainbow-colored light. | A visually spectacular but dangerous stage of the journey. |
| 5 | Mist Forest | A feared forest filled with ancient creatures and hidden predators. | Aris encounters the Gardener, sabrewolves, and other monsters. |
| 6 | Skyquill Forest | A forest of immense silver trees that appear to scrape the sky. | Aris and Raker survive the mists and continue deeper into Starside. |
| 7 | Storm Woods | A forest trapped in violent magical weather. | Wind, rain, hostile plants, and storm-fed creatures threaten Aris. |
| 8 | Traveling City | A magical city built among enormous trees, bridges, markets, and starlight. | Aris meets Este and receives advice that leads to Este’s banishment. |
| 9 | Vander Evren’s Estate | A vast silver-gray castle with blade-like turrets and a marble interior. | Vander helps Aris because of his debt to Stellan. |
| 10 | Land of the Gods and the Well of Magic | A realm saturated with magic, ending in a cave filled with extraordinary goblets. | Aris claims a goblet of pure magic and confronts the God of Travels. |
Creatures in Starside
| Image | Creature | Description | Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Helmhawk | An enormous winged bird once found near Helmspeak and large enough to carry a rider. | The missing helmhawks are discovered at the Beast Tree. Zane returns to Stormside with one. |
 | Aris’s silver dragon | A female dragon with silver scales, silver eyes, spiral horns, a crown of spikes, and a damaged wing. | Bonds with Aris, eats gemstones, saves her repeatedly, and consumes the God of Travels. |
 | The Gardener | An ancient bone creature with rows of fangs, blade-like fingers, and silver-flecked eye sockets. | Lives in the Mist Forest, controls or frightens many of its creatures, and communicates directly through the mind. |
 | Sabrewolves | Wolves three times larger than normal, with long curved fangs and immobilizing poison. | Hunt in packs inside the Mist Forest. |
 | Demons | Dark, corpse-like creatures made of dried, rotted skin stretched tightly over twisted bones. | Underworld creatures associated with the realm of Death. They appear unable to cross water, making streams, moats, and boats useful protection against them. |
|
| Lusk | An illusion-based creature that can appear as different people or beings before dissolving into a dark puddle. | Feeds on attention and energy, becoming stronger the longer someone focuses on its illusions. Its presence can be detected by a faint shimmering rattle. |
 | Florisfang | A beautiful green elk with sparkling eyes, white antlers decorated with flowers, and five hidden rows of teeth. | Appears gentle and enchanting but is actually a dangerous predator. |
 | Steelclaw | An enormous bear-like creature with metal-hard claws, poisonous spines, and the ability to release a stream of magic from its mouth. | Feeds on magic rather than flesh. Its claws can be used to strengthen weapons, while its spines contain an extremely potent poison. |
Aris and Raker’s Relationship Explained
Aris and Raker begin the Questral as enemies, but their hostility has a deeply personal history. Two years earlier, Raker caught Aris secretly training on the king’s grounds and handed her over to the guards after she begged him to show mercy. He did not know the full extent of what would follow, but Aris was imprisoned, denied food and water, and brutally scarred by the men under his command. She enters the Questral carrying both the physical scars and the belief that Raker knowingly sent her to her death.
Raker initially does not remember the encounter, which only deepens Aris’s anger. When she finally tells him what happened, he is forced to confront the consequences of his mercilessness and the brutality of the guards he once led.
During their journey, however, Raker trains Aris, fights beside her, and gradually becomes one of the few people she allows to see the grief, rage, and guilt she has carried since the destruction of her home. He is also one of the only people to whom she reveals the full truth about the fire that killed her family.
Their attraction eventually develops into love, although neither is fully honest about their identity, motives, or plans. Aris must reconcile the man who once refused her mercy with the one who repeatedly protects and understands her, while Raker struggles with both his growing feelings and the danger of allowing her too close.
The connection between their swords reflects their emotional bond. Because Stellaris and Raker’s blade were once a single weapon, their feelings create a bond strong enough for each of them to move or claim what belongs to the other.
Starside Ending Explained
Aris confronts the God of Travels
After reaching the well of magic, Aris summons the goddess responsible for killing her family. The God of Travels admits that she destroyed House Agron because of a prophecy. Aris was considered a threat—the promised paladin—and the goddess attempted to eliminate her before the prophecy could be fulfilled. However, the exact wording and meaning of the prophecy are not revealed in the first book. The God of Travels also realizes that Aris wants her family back more than she wants revenge. She offers Aris a bargain: if Aris swears a blood oath not to kill her, she will reveal how Aris can resurrect them. Aris agrees. The goddess tells her that she must kill the God of Death if she wants to bring back her family. Aris honors the literal wording of the oath. She does not kill the goddess herself. Instead, Aris’s silver dragon devours the God of Travels because her body is covered in gemstones.
Raker Is Revealed as the True God of Death
Suspecting that the other gods were plotting against him, Raker used the previous Questral to travel to Stormside and hide a fragment of his soul there. Five years before the events of the novel, the God of War tried to kill him and believed he had succeeded. But because part of Raker’s soul survived on Stormside, he awakened there in a human body. He entered the new Questral to reach the well of magic, drink from the cup, and regain access to his divine powers. Once restored, he kills the God of War, who had spent the previous five years ruling the underworld in his place.
Why does Raker need Aris and Stellaris?
Aris learns that Stellaris and Raker’s sword were once one blade. The original weapon was separated because its power was too dangerous. If reunited, the sword could defeat and claim every other godsword. Raker wants Aris to join him and restore the blade. He claims that they want the same thing: the fall of the gods, the return of magic to Stormside, and the end of the divided world. But the Astral Queen has warned Aris that reuniting the swords would bring millennia of destruction.
Does Raker love Aris?
Yes, although his love does not erase his ambition or the danger he represents. Raker had numerous opportunities to kill Aris and take Stellaris, but he repeatedly refused. When Aris confronts him after he regains his godhood, he also refuses to fight her seriously and only blocks her attacks. Their love is also proven through their swords. Because a great sword is tied to its owner’s heart, Aris can take Raker’s blade only because he has allowed her into his heart.
Why does Aris stab Raker?
Aris tells Raker that she thinks she loves him—and then drives Stellaris through his heart. She does love him, but she believes he is now the greatest threat to the world. She also knows that killing the God of Death may allow her to bring back her family. Raker survives the attack. As the God of Death, a sword through the heart is not enough to kill him.
Aris steals Raker’s sword
While Raker is distracted, Aris takes his sword. This confirms that their emotional bond allows her to control it. She places both blades in the same scabbard, preventing him from immediately calling either weapon back. Aris then escapes on her dragon with Stellaris, Raker’s sword, and her goblet of magic. Her goal is to ensure that the two halves of the original blade are never reunited.
Why does Aris leave her dragon in Starside?
When Aris reaches the gates, she realizes the dragon cannot survive on Stormside. She eats gemstones, and Stormside no longer has enough magic or precious resources to sustain her. Aris promises to return one day and finally learn her name. The dragon remains on Starside.
Does Raker catch Aris?
Raker reaches Aris just before she escapes. He grabs her ankle and pulls her away from the closing gates. Aris attempts to kill him again, this time using his own sword, but even that does not work. Her dragon intervenes, giving Aris enough time to break free and pass through the gates moments before they close. Raker tries to force the gates open with his godly power, but they hold. The two stand on opposite sides of the barrier while Raker warns that the gates will not keep him away from her. Aris answers that she will see him in fifty years before turning back toward her home of ashes.
What Does the Ending of Starside Mean?
The ending reverses the central conflict of the book. Aris begins the story believing the gods are her enemies and Raker is a mortal obstacle. By the final pages, she has learned that Raker is the God of Death, the goddess who destroyed her family acted because of a prophecy, and her sword is one half of an apocalyptic divine weapon.
Aris returns to Stormside with a goblet of magic and both swords, while Raker remains trapped on Starside. However, the magical connection between them continues, and Raker insists that the gates will not keep him away from her.
Major Unanswered Questions After Starside
What does the prophecy actually say?
The novel reveals that Aris is connected to a prophecy and may be the promised paladin, but its complete wording is withheld.
Why did the lightning change Aris?
Aris became sky-touched after being struck by lightning and revived by her family. What remains unexplained is why the marks turned silver, why she became immune to heat, and whether the event was connected to the prophecy.
Can Aris truly bring back her family?
The God of Travels swears that killing the God of Death will allow Aris to restore her family. However, the exact process and its potential consequences remain unknown.
How can the God of Death be killed?
Aris stabs Raker through the heart with both Stellaris and his own sword, but neither attack kills him. She will need to discover another way to destroy Death permanently.
What will Aris do with the goblet?
Aris originally intends to send the magic to Kira’s sister. After learning of Kira’s death and returning to a starving Stormside, she must decide how to use one of the most valuable substances in the world.
Will the two swords be reunited?
Raker wants to restore the original blade and use it to claim the godswords. Aris believes that reuniting them would cause catastrophic destruction. Because she now possesses both halves, she is the only person preventing Raker from completing his plan.
What is Aris’s dragon’s name?
Aris’s dragon never reveals her name before they separate. Their bond, the dragon’s silver coloring, and her connection to Aris will likely become more important later in the series.
Starside Frequently Asked Questions
How often does the Questral happen?
The Questral takes place once every fifty years.
How long do the challengers have in Starside?
The gates reopen fifty days after the challengers enter. They open at sunrise and close at sunset.
What is the prize for completing the Questral?
Successful challengers may claim a goblet filled with pure magic.
Is Raker human?
Raker spends much of the novel in a mortal body, but he is actually the God of Death.
Who burned Aris’s home?
The God of Travels destroyed House Agron because Aris was connected to a prophecy that threatened the gods.
Does Kira survive?
No. After Kira is injured and remains at an inn, Cadoc kills her.
Does Zane survive?
Yes. Zane obtains a goblet of magic and returns to Stormside with a winged creature believed to be a helmhawk.
Does Aris return to Stormside?
Yes. She passes through the gates moments before they close.
Does Raker die?
No. Aris stabs him through the heart twice, but he survives because he is the God of Death.
Are Aris and Raker enemies at the end?
They love each other, but they end the book on opposing sides of the gates. Aris intends to stop—and potentially kill—Raker, while Raker is determined to reach her and recover the swords.
No comments