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Vale of Stars

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 34 ratings · 25 reviews

Jene Halfner awaits the end of a hundred-year-long, deep-space colonization journey begun by her ancestors generations before. She has spent her life preparing for planetfall on Epsilon Eridani III, taking care of the growing number of victims of interstellar radiation aboard Ship.

What she will find upon arrival will change her perspective on life, and she and her descend...more

Paperback, 1st, 360 pages

Published December 12th 2012 by JournalStone

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Dec 21, 2012 Chris Hawks rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copies, owned, reviewed

I'll come right out and say it: Vale of Stars is a frustrating book. It's not well-written. It's heavy-handed. It tries to do to much. The characters are obnoxious. The science is laughable.

And yet.

...

In a nutshell, the story follows four generations of women, with each woman being the protagonist of her quarter of the book. It begins aboard a generation ship as it approaches its destination world, skips ahead in time to the planetbound colonies, and then expands out from there to the wider worl...more I'll come right out and say it: Vale of Stars is a frustrating book. It's not well-written. It's heavy-handed. It tries to do to much. The characters are obnoxious. The science is laughable.

And yet.

...

In a nutshell, the story follows four generations of women, with each woman being the protagonist of her quarter of the book. It begins aboard a generation ship as it approaches its destination world, skips ahead in time to the planetbound colonies, and then expands out from there to the wider world beyond the colony domes.

From the very beginning, the characters drove me crazy. The bad guy(s) are bad guys just to be bad guys; sure, we get more insight to their motivations as the book progresses, but it turns out to be nothing more sophisticated than "I hate these people, so I'm going to be evil." The good guys (or gals, as it were) are just as unsubtle, always interpreting every action or opinion taken by the bad guys as this totally evil thing—not because it would make any sense to do so, but simply because these are the good guys, those are the bad guys, and this is the thing that needs to happen for the plot to go, and also because the author has his points that he needs to hit you over the head with as unsubtly as possible.

There is so much in this book that doesn't make any sense, beyond the non-existent character motivations. At one point, there's a biological transformation that's completely ridiculous. A little girl gets banished to the planet's surface, where she somehow founds a complete society including technology and infrastructure.

But buried inside all of the ridiculousness are some genuinely-interesting sci-fi novel concepts, including a halfway-decent first contact story, and the exploration of the worship of more advanced beings as divinities. And that's the most frustrating thing about this book: it takes three-quarters of the novel to get to the truly interesting stuff, but those ideas feel like distractions simply because of the way they're shoehorned into the rest of the story.

I would love to see some of these concepts expanded into their own proper novel (or novels) but I can't actually recommend this one. [2 out of 5 stars](less)

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Mar 27, 2013 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Vale of Stars actually drew me in and kept me going to the last page. I usually do not like stories where there are multiple generations and social issues and political conflict however, the author was able to draw me in and keep my interest all the way to the end. This may be for the very reason some others will not like it however; because the political and social aspects were presented at a high level instead of long drawn out details of those conflicts.
It was interesting how the evolution of...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Britt rated it 4 of 5 stars

A nice science fiction novel. The style in which it is organised reminds me of Asimov's Foundation: the story is told in several parts, each set in a different time; the story follows different generations of a single family.
I did very much like the story, I think O'Brien did a good job in creating a realistic alternative 'earth', and the story ahs plenty of developments that keep you intrigued and make you want to find out how it will continue.
One thing I found is that it can be a bit difficult...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Received as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer November 2012 batch.

This speculative science fiction saga, Vale of Stars, by Sean O'Brien has to be admired for its ambitiousness and goals. While it makes a valiant attempt to reach those goals, however, it doesn't always succeed. The multi-generational space travel/settlement tale of earthlings bound for colonization on Epsilon Eridani 3 focuses on a family of women who each face heart-breaking decisions that ultimately cause irreparable harm t...more Received as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer November 2012 batch.

This speculative science fiction saga, Vale of Stars, by Sean O'Brien has to be admired for its ambitiousness and goals. While it makes a valiant attempt to reach those goals, however, it doesn't always succeed. The multi-generational space travel/settlement tale of earthlings bound for colonization on Epsilon Eridani 3 focuses on a family of women who each face heart-breaking decisions that ultimately cause irreparable harm to relationships, lives, and the fate of the colony, but mostly lead to angry regret. O'Brien stirs in ideas about genetic manipulation, philosophy, religion, politics, and prejudice, which might result in some juicy speculation had there been enough time – four actual books instead of one book divided into four sections called “books.”

There are several very interesting conceits within the book regarding how humans might adapt to persistent weightlessness and living in space, how a religion develops, how class warfare develops, and the more common – how one can go wrong when first encountering another sentient species. The development of these ideas is mostly satisfying, but – again – always seems to be dealt with as more summary than in-depth examination. Finally, there are very few male authors who can write effectively from a female perspective – Michael Dorris an outstanding exception to this – and O'Brien doesn't fare much better. I found his women characters in each section to be a bit angrier, quick to judge, and slow to forgive than was reasonable. This is not to say that women don’t do this, but while O’Brien’s characters exhibit these characteristics, they also choose men as partners who are their exact opposites – partners who are somehow flawed either in fact or in the eyes of these women – who they completely ignore when choosing the paths that so deeply affect the rest of their lives.

While this may sound as if it’s a negative review, it’s not meant to turn the potential reader away. Vale of Stars is an enjoyable read; however, it may leave the reader wanting more, not so much in a sequel but in a rewrite that lifts the narrative and dialogue a few grade levels, that develops characters a bit more, and that perhaps considers dividing the tale into several books rather than sections.

On a purely cosmetic level, I have to commend the JournalStone on the small number of typos in Vale of Stars. Having become an avid ebook reader and a composition professor and former technical editor, nothing frustrates a reading experience more than a multitude of typographical errors, which seem to be so commonplace in ebook editions.(less)

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Dec 12, 2012 Marika Mullen rated it 2 of 5 stars

I received an early reader copy of this book for Kindle. The story was interesting, but I found the characters difficult to connect with. While the story shows them in some difficult situations, it never stays with one character and time long enough for you to build up any affection or real concern for them. I found Yallia to be the most sympathetic as a child, but was turned off by her as an adult.
The world that O'Brien built is interesting, and I wish we had gotten to see more of it in the st...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Joe Young rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting speculative fiction that follows a multi-generational journey of a colonization group that moves between galaxies seeking a new home. The spaceship is occupied by colonists and crew who are responsible for insuring the ship makes landfall safely. The colony forms a society based on equalitarian socialism with joint responsibilities for governing and supporting the mission. As the fifth generation of ship dwellers approaches maturity, the ship also approaches their destination planet...more Interesting speculative fiction that follows a multi-generational journey of a colonization group that moves between galaxies seeking a new home. The spaceship is occupied by colonists and crew who are responsible for insuring the ship makes landfall safely. The colony forms a society based on equalitarian socialism with joint responsibilities for governing and supporting the mission. As the fifth generation of ship dwellers approaches maturity, the ship also approaches their destination planet with all the concerns that a foreign population could have about a new location being able to support human life. This is when a wrench is thrown into their self determined life. While attempting to survey the planet from a distance,they receive communications from a human population that has already colonized the planet. It seems their home planet developed a more highly efficient and powerful propulsion system not long after the first ship left. The second ship was built and sent after the first ship but, the distances involved and the lack of long range communication equipment allowed the second ship to overtake and pass the first ship without making contact. The second ship reached the target planet about eighty years before the first launched ship. When the first ship made contact with the planetary population, they found that all the hard work of colonizing had already been accomplished and the initial settlers had already braved the difficulties of building domes to raise their plants, animals and children in and had started terra-forming the new planet to make it more livable and better support the new population. They invited the newcomers to share their wealth and live among them. Some of those original settlers came to resent the new comers and looked for ways to differentiate the populations resulting in a class system the pushed aside the idealist socialism of the first ship population. All the problems of human evolution came to the fore and soon the leaders had to deal with the prospect of war between the various factions in the population. All the negative aspects of humans living together and trying to make a society function to support a growing population soon became apparent. Idealism was insufficient to limit the natural inclinations of man and soon power brokers evolved and worked to force their views on the remaining population. Discovering an intelligent native population that lived deep in the ocean caused another front to be opened for exploration and understanding. These newly discovered companions stressed the settlers resources and abilities.

The thoughtfully developed characters and the creative ways they dealt with their challenges individually and as a social group makes this book a delightful examination of self and how it compares to society in various stages of development. I enjoyed the book and the challenge of integrating it into my internal social structure.(less)

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Nov 21, 2012 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received this book as part of a LibraryThing giveaway.
A futuristic tale set in an alternative universe, away from Planet Earth, about a group of colonists nearing the end of a journey to a new world and then the female descendants of the original group.
This story engaged me with the detail of life, first on Ship and then on Epsilon Eridani 3. I especially liked the way the story went from one descendant to another which enabled a longer time frame and better story development, and therefore ga...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another excellent sci-fi read which takes me away from my usual "epic battle" type books with a thoughtful journey through generations of colonists tasked with setting up home on another planet.

The title hits upon many talking points of interest and I particularly like the way religion was covered, showing mankind's ability to make myth from a factual basis. There were so many conflicting issues here, the atheist scientist that was infact seen as a God of sorts herself and the way that whilst we...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Sorcha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, er, 2012

Received as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer November 2012 batch.

This is an ebook covering a multi generational story, both of the trip to EE3, and the subsequent attempt to colonise the planet. The story focusses on a small group of people from each generation, usually a woman at the forefront and the most important people around her.

Decisions are made by people in each generation, which usually results in drastic actions being undertaken, such as expulsion from the group, and murder. Most...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Alan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: default

Very few books grab me on the first page, and this book did! I enjoyed this fast paced Sci-fi story with several interesting developments exploring themes of how we fear and react to those who are different to us. The structure of the book is in four parts and while this did speed up the pace of the story there were large gaps of time between each of the parts begging for more stories to be told. Some characters are well developed and I particularly enjoyed the main character in the latter part...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Jens rated it 4 of 5 stars

I got the book as part of the early reviewer program at Goodreads.
I liked the book in the end and think it is worth reading. It took me a while to get into it. There is a strong focus on social, ethical, and political questions that are relevant today and certainly worth thinking about. The story is placed on a space ship and later a different planet, but the problems that the characters encounter are familiar. At times I felt like there is too much pushing of specific views on those topics. How...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Jeff Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this - and not just because I designed the cover! I was fortunate to get an advance copy as part of the design gig, and this is another great book from Journalstone that I intend to share. This unique, multigenerational story centers on strong female characters (not all are exactly, um, strictly human), asking important questions about humanity while tickling your imagination all the way. I'll b especially excited to share this with my daughter when she's old enough - real sci-f...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Isis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: member-give-away, paranormal-sci-fi-and-or-fantasy

This is a fascinating book that takes science fiction and uses it in a loose way as a lens to look at the concept of the history of man; circling back to the theory that humanity was partially, or wholly, a product of an alien species.

Jenes Halfner is the first in a long line of strong women that make radical impacts on their community - first in the spaceship that takes them to their new "home," and then on the planet's surface. Nothing is as expected when the travelers land and it ends up caus...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Mirrordance rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: archivi, ebook, english, fantascienza, sci-fi

Libro denso, lungo da leggere piu' della lunghezza reale. Una saga nel tempo, quattro parti che si susseguono come fossero 4 libri di una stessa epopea in cui le protagonoste sono legate da parentela, e ci permettono di seguire la narrazione nel tempo. Molti argomenti tipici della fantascienza vengono affrontati, a partire dall'inizio, il viaggio di colonizzazione di un pianeta lontano. Quando si ha la sensazione di sapere come va a finire, ecco che vi è è una brusca virata, ma senza percepire u...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars

Vale of Stars
By Sean O’Brien

Publisher: JournalStone
Published In: San Francisco, CA
Date: 2012
Pgs: 360

Summary:

A generational saga told through the actions of the maternal line of a single family about a voyage from Earth to colonize another world and the changes and evolution that humans go through in the depths of space and under alien suns on an alien world.

Genre:
science fiction

Main Character:
Jene, Kuarta, Yallia, Sirra. There's a lot of mirroring in this book using juxtaposition to tell the s...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Bettie marked it as to-read

LibraryThing: Early Reviewers

Congratulations. You've been selected to receive an Early Reviewers copy of Vale of Stars by Sean O'Brien from the October 2012 batch. You should get your copy shortly (either by mail or email, depending on if it was a paper book or ebook). The publisher ships/emails the books directly--some are speedier than others, so please be patient (some really do take over 8 weeks to arrive)!

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Dec 23, 2012 Victoria Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the book and really liked how the author went through 4 generations of women, one for each section of the book (5 if you count the epilogue). Each generation dealt with their own issues including politics, religion, racism, and bio-engineering.

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Dec 19, 2012 M— rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, reviewed

A multi-generational treatise on morals and ethics in a science fiction setting, and I must admit I found it overwrought. The writing was leaden and felt juvenile, blunted and undeft, with the dialogue being particularly bad. Plot actions were heavily hammered into place, and the shallow characters failed to draw me in in any way. Two stars, maybe one. I found it unreadable, but I suppose it could have been worse.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher through the LibraryThing Early R ...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Jean Hontz rated it 3 of 5 stars

heavy handed social commentary but an interesting premise.

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Jan 15, 2013 Melvina Davis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Won on Goodreads

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Dec 13, 2012 Cassie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this story, and all its characters. I was not so sure of this book, but after reading the first page, i was hooked, I had to find out what happened next.

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Dec 31, 2012 Ruthifred rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really appreciated the social and bioethical focus this book had, but I would have liked more science discussed in it. The story had a sideline-perspective feel to it, and perhaps an altered approach (tense/narration/etc.) would have felt more engaging. Perhaps that would have pulled me into the story more easily. Overall I enjoyed reading this book and would love to read more about the world.

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Feb 01, 2013 Cary Morton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

You can read my complete and honest review here: http://wp.me/p37Zro-lB

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Mar 18, 2013 Auryana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-read

Wow! Tis book was great! It took me trough the lives of the various women descending from the first. It told a story of hatred, forgivness, and a journey to survive. I would definately recommend this book to countless others.

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Dec 03, 2012 Toby rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

first reads giveaway

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May 13, 2013 Samantha Mohney rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 12, 2013 Kristine Victoria marked it as to-read

Apr 21, 2013 Christina Marie Rau is currently reading it

Mar 24, 2013 Ira Pearson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Mar 23, 2013 Heather Monroe rated it 4 of 5 stars

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