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To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Christopher Paolini (Goodreads Author),

Jennifer Hale (Narrator)

3.86 · Rating details · 16,312 ratings · 3,349 reviews

Listening time: 32 hrs 29 min

A brand new space opera on an epic scale from the New York Times bestselling author of a beloved YA fantasy series.

It was supposed to be a routine research mission on an uncolonized planet. But when xenobiologist Kira Navárez finds an alien relic beneath the surface of the world, the outcome transforms her forever and will alter the course of h ...more

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Audible Audio, Unabridged, 33 pages

Published September 15th 2020 by Macmillan Audio

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Average rating 3.86 ·

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· 16,312 ratings · 3,349 reviews

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Nov 19, 2019 Stephanie L marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-publications, exclusive-goldsboro

But the real question is, will there be space dragons?

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Sep 05, 2020 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, 2020-releases, dnf

I read this book as part of my "Giving authors a second/last chance" challenge...

I read Eragon as an adult after hearing so many rave reviews but it personally didn't work for me so I wanted to give the author a second chance.

While I overall like the story, the writing didn't work for me and I couldn't finish the book. I put it down at 56%.
First contact with aliens is one of my favorite premises but the book felt too long and the pace couldn't be sustained.

It just wasn't for me! ...more

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Sep 15, 2020 Miranda Reads rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best2020books, received-to-review, grcoicefinal, audiobook

Just released my Top 10 Books from 2020 BookTube Video - now that you know this one made the list, click the link to find the rest!

Annnd here's my original reaction to this book!

I am overwhelmed. I'm overjoyed. And I Vlogged the Reading Experience.

The Written Review

Kira Navárez has always been fascinated by the outer worlds - specifically, life on other planets.

She's spent her life traveling to the edges of the known universe to categorize and learn from the microbes and other creatures. ...more

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Feb 13, 2020 megs_bookrack rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs-read

Upon first finishing To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, I leaned toward rating it 4.5-stars, maybe rounding up, maybe not.

There were some aspects I didn't love; some areas where it dragged a bit for me.

However, after having time to reflect on this story as a whole, it is absolutely a 5-star book.

I CANNOT STOP thinking about it!

This novel is quite the accomplishment for Paolini. If I am remembering the Author's Note correctly, he worked on this project for nine years and it shows.

In the beginning, we ...more

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Jul 22, 2020 Mary S. R. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: plot-driven, hard sci-fi thriller fans

Shelves: science-fiction, space-opera, faves, mental-health, sociology, philosophy, adult

(4.5 ★’s) No, there are no space dragons—there are space squids instead. And my general reaction to this mammoth is:

“Eat the path, or the path will eat you.”

Christopher Paolini has been sitting on this book for about a decade and man, it shows. No, I don’t mean a glorious Paolini-sized dent in the physical copy but on everything sci-fi and epic and action about To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, which is the majority of it. This man just killed it—seized it by the throat and throttled it, to quote ...more

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Sep 12, 2020 MarilynW rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, audio, netgalley-2020

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini, narrated by Jennifer Hale.

Winner of Best Science Fiction in the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards.

When I saw the To Sleep in a Sea of Stars title, I wasn't sure about tackling 880 pages. Then I saw that the book was narrated by Jennifer Hale and the fact that the narration is 32 hours and 30 minutes, mattered not one iota. Because I've played as Commander Shepard, in the Mass Effect games, more times than I will ever admit. I'm also familiar with Hal To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini, narrated by Jennifer Hale.

Winner of Best Science Fiction in the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards.

When I saw the To Sleep in a Sea of Stars title, I wasn't sure about tackling 880 pages. Then I saw that the book was narrated by Jennifer Hale and the fact that the narration is 32 hours and 30 minutes, mattered not one iota. Because I've played as Commander Shepard, in the Mass Effect games, more times than I will ever admit. I'm also familiar with Hale's voice acting as Krem, in the Dragon Age Inquisition game. I jumped on board and proceeded to spend those hours of the audio version, walking and listening.

This is a long story with over 50 characters to be voiced. Jennifer did such a good job with the voices that I checked to see if there might have been additional narrators for some of them since I could not believe one person was doing all the voices. But it was all Jennifer and I'm going to miss her voice, now that the story is over.

I rarely talk about science fiction because I'll get it wrong. I just enjoy good games and good books and the key to all the games and books that I enjoy is good characters. I need the characters to draw me in, I need to care about them, and I need them to not cause me to roll my eyes with their thoughts and actions. I was able to sink into this world and to care about Kira Navárez, a xenobiologist, who makes a mistake and changes herself and her life forever, changing the course of the world, introducing a nightmare that only she has the hope of stopping.

In the course of her job, Kira discovers an alien relic, gets overzealous while observing it, and from that moment on, Kira will never be just Kira. In fact, from this time on, she will always have to fight losing herself to this thing that becomes part of her. Before she can understand what is happening, catastrophe is unleashed, and that catastrophe ripples out from her, wrecking more havoc. There is no undoing what has been done but Kira is now the only one who can save "life".

Despite the extremely heavy subject matter, there is humor, companionship, and everyday-ness in this story. I hope we can see more of this world someday. As I dealt with my emotions and thoughts from the story's ending, I was so thankful that here was an appendix at the end of the book so that I could listen to definitions and terms from the story, many of them humorous and clever. And then we get to listen to Paolini and Hale discuss the book together and they give me hope that someday Hale will narrate another Paolini story.

Published September 15th 2020

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC. ...more

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Oct 13, 2020 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hardback-own, favorites, own, sci-fi

Just some little name drops that remind me of Alien and Alien VS Predator: Weyland, Hendriksen, Bishop. And I’m okay with it 😉

Horror welled up inside Kira.
She clawed at her forearms in a desperate attempt to rip off the alien organism. Even with their hard veneer, her nails couldn’t cut or break the fibers.

I love this book so much!! 😫

I can’t say enough how much I love this book!

I love sooo many characters:
Kira
the Soft Blade
Falconi
Trig
Sparrow
Gregorovich
Nielsen
Hwa-jung
Itari

and so many ...more

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Nov 19, 2019 ✨ A ✨ is currently reading it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-release, adult, arcs-e-arcs-alcs, science-fiction

Highly ambitious of me to start this year off with a genre I avoid like the plag- ..... Perhaps it's a bit too soon to say that given our current situation.

If this goes badly.... Pretend you never saw this

___
well hello there new Christopher Paolini book. I don't even like reading sci-fi but I'll make an exception for you 😉

description

...more

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Feb 19, 2020 Charlotte May rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 500-page-plus, sci-fi

This was an absolute mission to complete but I finally got there.

“To search and seek among the outer bounds, and when we land upon a distant shore, to seek another yet farther still.”

Sci fi is always a mixed bag for me. Sometimes I think it’s great like the Wayfarers or Red Rising series, other times it’s just weird. Too weird even for me.

I picked this mainly because I loved the Eragon series and Christopher Paolini’s world building can’t be faulted.

I liked a lot of the characters, how the ...more

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Sep 10, 2020 Bradley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: space-opera, sci-fi, transhumanism, 2020-shelf, worldbuilding-sf, fanboy-goes-squee

It having been much more than a decade since I've read anything else by Paolini -- his dragons were pretty okay -- I came to the idea of reading his adult space opera with mild anticipation.

I mean, sure, it's often true that many writers of fantasy who decide to jump the fence into SF do so brilliantly, so a part of my mind kept thinking of, say, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and I wondered. I wondered hard.

After getting my hands on this book and having started it, I began comparing it to Becky Chambers w It having been much more than a decade since I've read anything else by Paolini -- his dragons were pretty okay -- I came to the idea of reading his adult space opera with mild anticipation.

I mean, sure, it's often true that many writers of fantasy who decide to jump the fence into SF do so brilliantly, so a part of my mind kept thinking of, say, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and I wondered. I wondered hard.

After getting my hands on this book and having started it, I began comparing it to Becky Chambers with a few hints of Iain M. Banks, but as I continued on this quite interesting journey with an already wonderful main character, Kira Navárez, I discovered something really gorgeous. This novel continues on with a single PoV in Kira. Loving her is easy. Falling into the complications of her life as they get rather more complicated -- and epic -- is something of a no-brainer for me.

I mean, the moment that the ex0-biology and exploration segments get to a certain spoilery point that I will keep mum about, it's all COMPLETELY downhill for me. I couldn't stop reading for the life of me. Really. I took the book with me EVERYWHERE and actually growled at everyone I met if they tried to draw my attention way from the book. And it's not like I have a PROBLEM with focusing my attention. I was hooked and it never let up and this is a DOORSTOPPER.

Let's just say that the novel became a huge confetti snowstorm of a classic alien invasion Anime, and combines a literal ton of great classic and modern SF easter eggs in the telling.

Oh, and as for you folks who were worried that a fantasy author might not have the chops for an enormous and very fulfilling SF romp of an adventure, let me just say this: Paolini knows his SF. Take it from someone who has read over 2.2k SF novels and knows his tv and movies. He weaves a great deal of SF tropes reminiscent of Neal Asher and Alaistair Reynolds with his quirky and delightful Becky Chambers crew.

We even get a full-on galactic war, people, with a full resolution in a single standalone novel.

Please, allow me a little squee here. *squees like a little girl* Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Out of several years worth of recent space operas, some of which I really enjoyed and some I even swear by, I think I had the most outright FUN with this one. Some of the others might be more intriguing in the plot, others might have blown me away with the sheer science-magic, but this one touched me deeply while giving me all my darkest wish-fulfillment SF desires in a single delicious Navárez package.

Please don't assume this is an old, tired space opera. Rather, think about the promise, if not the execution, of, say, Babylon 5 or the idea of a Guyver suit (Japanese only) on methamphetamines, and you might get a slight idea about what might be going on here. :)

*squeeeeeeeeeeeeee*

...more

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Sep 18, 2020 James Tivendale rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, freecopy

I received a limited edition proof copy of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Christopher Paolini and Tor Books.

In To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, we follow the third-person perspective of Kira who is a xenobiologist. We join her towards the end of an assignment on the Earth-sized moon of Adrasteia. On the final excursion to the moon, Kira uncovers a mysterious relic. What was hidden there was placed away for a good reason and Kira's discovery of it will have d I received a limited edition proof copy of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Christopher Paolini and Tor Books.

In To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, we follow the third-person perspective of Kira who is a xenobiologist. We join her towards the end of an assignment on the Earth-sized moon of Adrasteia. On the final excursion to the moon, Kira uncovers a mysterious relic. What was hidden there was placed away for a good reason and Kira's discovery of it will have dramatic consequences for herself personally, her crew who were studying Adrasteia, as well as to all in the known galaxies and beyond. As the back of the novel fittingly describes it: "Space holds countless secrets. She just found the deadliest one."

I'm aware that Paolini is a fantasy megastar and I am one of the few amongst my friends who haven't read The Inheritance Cycle. I went into to Sleep in a Sea of Stars as a blank canvas with regards to Paolini and enjoyed this fact so that I could analyses what is billed as the author's first adult novel on its qualities and merits. I can confirm that To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a deep, well-written, and intelligent SF-epic that is definitely for the more mature audience.

Set approximately 250-years in the future, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars features interstellar travel to planets and space stations, space battles and skirmishes, on planet confrontations, aliens and sentient life, a fair few swears, and quite a lot of impalement. It's a beautifully-written novel, brimming with poignant moments, great action-segments, and an awesome skinsuit that bonds with our protagonist.

After Kira's discovery and the catastrophic repercussions, she spends the majority of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars on a space vessel known as the Wallfish, or with the ship's crew as they deal with the threats of two alien species (known as the Jellies and the nightmares) who both wish for the destruction of humankind. The crew of the Wallfish are a great ensemble to follow, all having intriguing and diverse pasts, all seem extremely loyal to each other, and qualified in their areas of expertise. The ship's captain Falconi, the kid Trig, and the ship's mind Gregorvich all have great interactions with Kira. The latter, brilliantly intelligent, poetic, yet slightly unhinged is a standout creation. I loved his banter with Kira and the many colourful nicknames he gives her ("O Spiky One", "O Queen of Flowers") and the crew of the Wallfish. There is also a pig that lives on the ship and is a favourite pet of the crew.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a behemothic novel that features 850+ pages in both the ARC and the hardback versions. Creating something this detailed in a first foray in both science fiction and adult fiction is extremely ambitious by Paolini and I think he succeeds as he's created an enjoyable and grand space opera with significant depth and detail. I have to admit, that I wasn't always in the mood to read To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. I had to set aside a good chunk of my day and make sure that I had no distractions so that I could completely lose myself in this science fiction adventure. Every time I approached it I wanted to make sure that I could make a sizable dent in the novel. This is the first novel in the Fractalverse and is a complete standalone. The finale is stunning and completely fitting for the scale and scope of the narrative. Some of the characters could come back in future escapades, and others are almost unrecognisable with the manner they change throughout this novel. The next Fractalverse story could contain a whole new cast but it is definitely something I will be willing to check out when it is released. To summarise, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars isn't YA and it doesn't feature any space dragons but for those readers who like intelligent and ambitious SF with a Mass Effect feel then there is a lot to enjoy here. ...more

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Aug 09, 2020 Dylan rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf, netgalley, ebook, sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am DNFing this book and before I get into the bulk of my review I want to addressed a few things. I also think I'm going to stop using netgalley as I don't like the pressure of having to read something. I'm at the point with this book where having it hanging over me is making me not want to pick up my Kindle, and at that point I'm just not willing to continue with it.

1) I have read ~105-120 pages of this. I'm not exactly sure because I don't know how long my version of it is. I understand that I am DNFing this book and before I get into the bulk of my review I want to addressed a few things. I also think I'm going to stop using netgalley as I don't like the pressure of having to read something. I'm at the point with this book where having it hanging over me is making me not want to pick up my Kindle, and at that point I'm just not willing to continue with it.

1) I have read ~105-120 pages of this. I'm not exactly sure because I don't know how long my version of it is. I understand that some people may feel that I haven't read enough to review it, but I'm of the opinion that if a book doesn't work for people when they've already read this much most people would probably just give up on it.
2) Most of my DNFs are simply because a book isn't working for me, however in this case I think this book has some real issues and that's why I'm not enjoying it.
3) Based on other early reviews it seems like I'm perhaps in the minority so if you are interested in reading this for whatever reason, please read some other reviews before you decide you do or don't want to read it.

Okay, with all that being said, I have three core issues with this book:

The Characters Obviously one of the most important things about any book is its characters, even in the sci-fi genre where there is sometimes a prioritization of plot over character (which seems to be the case here) and the characters here are so uninteresting that it damages the plot too. The main character, Kira, does not feel like a real person. Very early on in the novel her fiancee is killed and she has almost zero emotional response to it. Now, I don't know about you, but even if there was a lot of other stuff going on around me, I'd be one hell of a wreck if the person I love died (especially under the circumstances here). She was already pretty uninteresting and after her lack of response to this I completely checked out from her. The other characters early on here range from being so uninteresting I couldn't tell you a single thing about them, to being incredibly irritating to read about (looking at you Fizal and Dr. Carr) and this becomes even more of an issue when we look at the plot.

The Plot Right off the bat I'll say that there's not a whole lot going on here that I haven't seen elsewhere. Now, that's not necessarily a problem in sci-fi since authors often 'borrow' ideas from each other but in this case the book lacks anything else to make it really stand out. On top of that, the plot early on is heavily reliant on you the reader caring about the characters, and in case it's not clear from my previous paragraph, Paolini has not done a good job to make you care about his characters. Kira goes through an experience that would send anyone into emotional turmoil and then she's essentially tortured but for either of these plot points to work you really need to care about the characters, so for me they didn't work at all.

The Writing I was very underwhelmed by the writing here. Paolini is fairly heavy on description but I never found his descriptions to be interesting. At one point he describes an alien laser weapon as "white pods with bulbous lenses" and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a less interesting description of a laser weapon across the genre.

"As she approached the bodies, she looked. She had to. One man, one woman. The woman had been shot with an energy weapon. The man had been torn apart; his right arm lay separate from the rest of his body. Bullets had dented and smeared the wall around them"

I don't fully know how to articulate my thoughts on his writing but I just feel like it leaves a lot to be desired. The dialog was also pretty wooden for the most part. Also, as I mentioned Kira has a fiancee at one point (rip Alan, also wow please use a more interesting name than Alan in a sci-fi novel (no offense to any Alans out there)) and it's perhaps the most poorly written 'romance' I've read in a book.

At the end of the day, this is an 880 page book and for a lot of people that's a huge time commitment. If a book that long has some issues but it really knocks it out of the park in other areas, then it can still be worth your time, but I think this combo of issues really kills this book and there really wasn't anything here that had me at all interested in continuing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an early copy of this book. ...more

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Feb 05, 2021 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: gr_awards_2020, 2021, library, sci-fi

Super epic space opera!!!!

I haven’t looked at too many reviews of this yet, but went in knowing:

- It was written by Christopher Paolini of Eragon (Inheritance Cycle) fame. I enjoyed that series but did have some varying opinions on it. So, going in I wasn’t sure if I might come out having some varying opinions here, too.
- It was the winner of the Goodread’s Choice Award for Science Fiction in 2020

So . . . how did it end up for me? Worthy of the award?

My answer . . . it’s very good and worthy of Super epic space opera!!!!

I haven’t looked at too many reviews of this yet, but went in knowing:

- It was written by Christopher Paolini of Eragon (Inheritance Cycle) fame. I enjoyed that series but did have some varying opinions on it. So, going in I wasn’t sure if I might come out having some varying opinions here, too.
- It was the winner of the Goodread’s Choice Award for Science Fiction in 2020

So . . . how did it end up for me? Worthy of the award?

My answer . . . it’s very good and worthy of the award. But you will have to be patient and ready for a VAST story with lots of world building that might take a few hours to get into. I know some people dnf if a book does not grab them right away, and I think this one could take a while to grab many readers. But, once it does, it is very worth the experience.

Lots and lots of world building (Or, perhaps in this case, universe building). Sometimes world building gets messy and confusing, and it did almost happen a couple of times in this one, but as everything got richer and more sorted out in my head, it clicked. With the world building came new and unique sci-fi technology, species, and space politics. I think Paolini has left it open for more possible stories in this universe and I will be excited to see what he does with it.

If you love characters, there are plenty here for you! And, with all the characters there are a wide variety of personalities, conflict, relationships, and interspecies cultural debate. And, if you develop deep relationships with your literary characters, get ready to do so here. There are a few I am very sad to see go.

If I have any “complaints” or “suggestions” here are a couple:
- The book probably could have been broken up into two or three smaller books – with this one, I feel like we got the contents of an entire sci-fi movie trilogy. This might make it a bit overwhelming for some readers.
- At points it gets very heavy on the science and the explanations of how things work in this universe – all part of the world building – but it may make it really slow in places for some readers.

If you like space operas and epic world building – I don’t think you can go wrong here. But, if you do not have the time or patience for a vast and complex story with some draggy parts, this may not be for you. And if you don’t like sci-fi at all, no need to bother!
...more

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Mar 09, 2020 Nenia ✨️ I yeet my books back and forth ✨️ Campbell marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I was wondering what the Eragon dude has been up to. I guess in between rolling around on piles of money, he found time to write a new book.

I like sci-fi, soooo

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Sep 17, 2020 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review

A decent sci-fi. I didn’t hate it. But I do have some thoughts.

Paolini has definitely blossomed as a writer. He always had the storytelling basics, but time and experience has done his craft well. I particularly liked his character construction. So many different personalities and a great dynamic between all of them. I’d be hard-presses to pick a favorite, and I love that.

I wouldn’t say the book was particularly original – I feel like I’ve read many different versions of at least the first 25%. A decent sci-fi. I didn’t hate it. But I do have some thoughts.

Paolini has definitely blossomed as a writer. He always had the storytelling basics, but time and experience has done his craft well. I particularly liked his character construction. So many different personalities and a great dynamic between all of them. I’d be hard-presses to pick a favorite, and I love that.

I wouldn’t say the book was particularly original – I feel like I’ve read many different versions of at least the first 25%. But as the story progressed it started to get more and more creative. It eventually presented enough fun ideas and characters to keep my interest, and soon I was on board. There were one or two plot decisions that surprised me, which is always a bonus.

It is a bit of a drawback for me that it took so long to get going. While many of the scenes boasted action and a fast-paced momentum, the overall plot progression of the book was sluggish. If the scenes themselves hadn’t been so interesting, I could’ve easily gotten bored, and even wondered if I was starting to several times. There was an entire plot point (involving a blue staff) that caused a lot of story repetition. I thought it could’ve been removed completely without any negative effects (or at least merged with other sections). As it stands, I feel it drew the book out a lot longer than it needed to be.

Another criticism is the required “just go with it” attitude I needed to adopt while reading it. Particularly regarding the decisions and reactions of authority figures along Kira’s journey. A lot of what went on felt rather implausible considering what was at stake, even with the concession that most of it happened on the fringes of human-settled space. But still, a lot of things seemed too convenient and narrowly-focused to actually work. That said, it does take place during an alien invasion, so perhaps a lot can be chalked up to everyone being too busy with that to deal with this one aspect. I did appreciate that Paolini at least attempted to incorporate the on-goings in the highly populated worlds to keep me connected to the large-scale stakes of the conflict.

Recommendations: fans of Paolini’s work will likely enjoy this book for similar writing styles and voice. As far as sci-fi recommends go, it ranks somewhere in the middle for me – not the most original I’ve read, but better than many of them because of the fun characters. After compiling my “other books you might like” section, it occurred to me that despite the light adult content, the book still reads more YA (minus the romance aspect) and would probably appeal to fans of that genre more so than scifi lovers.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Other books you might like:

Skyward (Skyward, #1) by Brandon Sanderson

Partials (Partials Sequence, #1) by Dan Wells

The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave, #1) by Rick Yancey

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) by Becky Chambers

...more

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Nov 02, 2020 Phrynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5000-2020

Well it is certainly very long and the paperback version is very awkward to read in bed, but it is also enormously entertaining and worth any hardships. I found it hard to stop reading and, when I had to do other things, I was always thinking about it and wanting to get back to it. Sure signs of a really good book.

I am a scifi fan from way back and To Sleep in a Sea of Stars frequently reminded me of Kevin J. Anderson's Saga of the Seven Suns, one of my favourite series. There was a similarity i ...more

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Dec 20, 2020 Krystal rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: from-the-publisher, owned, doorstop-books, frustration-nation, utter-trash, light-fantasy, savage-reviews, sci-fi, freebies-and-gifts, dnf

DNF @ Pg 536 (61%)

I think it's time to review this monstrosity.

Paolini is a fantasy author and nowhere is that more apparent than in this, his sci-fi debut. Stick to fantasy, buddy.

Let me just start with a list of my complaints and go from there.

- Dull and slow from the get-go
- Science is generally pretty light on, unless it's going into pointlessly detailed explanations of something
- Characters are annoying cardboard cutouts
- Frustrating behaviour
- The plot is almost non-existent
- The alien ...more

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Jan 14, 2020 Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: anticipated-of-2020, my-books, owned-to-read

Excuse me, a new book by Christopher Paolini? High school Cece is thriving.

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Dec 09, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love anything mind bending, flabbergasting Paolini writes! He is one of the greatest complex, extra brilliant, smartest minds who presents us remarkable sci-fi works! ( Normally I don’t keen on dragon fantasy novels but when he writes one of them, I learn how to enjoy them eventually! )

I did a first, I read only two chapters and voted for this book as best sci-fi for goodreads choice awards. I read most of the other books who were nominated before and maybe it wasn’t so fair to decide to fal ...more

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Dec 23, 2020 Barbara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Xenobiologist Kira Navárez is part of a survey crew studying a moon called Adrasteia, many light years from Earth.

When Kira was a child, humans found the first known alien artefact, called The Great Beacon. Kira, who was thrilled by the discovery, decided the study of alien life forms would be her future occupation.

Kira and the rest of the survey crew is about to finish its work, after which its members will be assigned to separate projects elsewhere in space. In an effort to stay together Kira ...more

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Mar 27, 2020 Sherwood Smith added it

Shelves: space-opera, sf

Plenty of ink has been spilled about Christopher Paolini's dreadful/wonderful fantasy series (depending on who you talk to). When I was a teacher, I read everything my junior high and high school students read. The younger ones in particular loved Eragon--to them the clunky prose, cliche characters, and undigested swathes of various popular movies plus Bruce Coville's work were invisible. Though I couldn't make it through the first book, I knew that if I'd encountered it as a kid, I too would ha ...more

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Sep 27, 2020 Claudia rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: utterly-disappointing, sci-fi

DNF at 30% - my biggest dissapointment of the year. Maybe the tons of cliches wouldn't have bothered me had it been well written, but it's not. The characters' behaviours are not credible, the dialogues are the same - the author is trying too hard to make them cool and utterly fails.

Every gesture, every action, every emotion is explained - he leaves no room for you to raise a question and it has a single narative thread in a story over 900 pages.

From the beginning I guessed it will be a light an ...more

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Aug 19, 2020 Bethany rated it liked it · review of another edition

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is Christopher Paolini's first novel for adults and first sci-fi novel and....it's a bit of a mixed bag. Clocking in at nearly 900 pages this book is a tome, and it really didn't need to be. Part 1 of the book is fantastic. It's tightly plotted with big twists that kept me riveted, clearly very well edited with the feeling of a sci-fi thriller. After that, things begin to meander a lot more with bloated writing and uneven pacing that detracts from the very interesting To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is Christopher Paolini's first novel for adults and first sci-fi novel and....it's a bit of a mixed bag. Clocking in at nearly 900 pages this book is a tome, and it really didn't need to be. Part 1 of the book is fantastic. It's tightly plotted with big twists that kept me riveted, clearly very well edited with the feeling of a sci-fi thriller. After that, things begin to meander a lot more with bloated writing and uneven pacing that detracts from the very interesting world.

The main character is a xenobiologist, often studying lifeforms on planets to determine if they are a good fit for terraforming. In the first chapter, she's headed to a party celebrating their last night on the current planet, but for her it's bittersweet because she's been working with her significant other and now might not see him for months. That night he proposes. Life is so good, the future seems so bright! She has one last investigative errand to run before they leave the planet and ride off into the sunset. You just know something is going to go very, very wrong. And wow does it. A routine patrol lands her stuck in an alien ruin where something very bad happens. This is all in the first couple of chapters. Then more bad things happen and everything changes. Part 1 of the book is a RIDE. But then...

This is a very plot and world-driven sci-fi novel, with character development that feels weak given the length of the book. To be clear, there is some character development and there is a large cast with some high points (Gregorovich is certainly a favorite) but that development feels too shallow for a book longer than 400 pages. The world-building is interesting, and it's clear a great deal of time and thought went into it, but the impact of it was a bit muted for me because of the bloated writing. I do think readers who love sci-fi with a strong emphasis on action and world-building minutiae will enjoy this. There are lots of scenes involving space battles with aliens, chase scenes etc. But then there's a lot of down time in between that I think is intended to develop the world and characters but often feels repetitive. (i.e. how many times do we need to experience the boredom of traveling for months as the only one awake? etc.)

As a sci-fi reader most interested in characters, politics, and world-building, I had a mixed experience with this. I was interested in the world involving alien cultures, new tech, and a different system of politics, and appreciated the detailed thought given to those. On the other hand, I wanted more from the character development, got bogged down in the too-frequent slow bits, and as a reader less interested in action scenes, felt that all the lengthy battle scenes got repetitive. This is the sort of book that I can see some people loving if it fits into the things they are most interested in. For me, it was good but not great. As a side note, it's noticeable that this is a female MC written by a male author. Not the worst example I've seen, but not particularly well done either.

I do think the audiobook is well done, although I might recommend reading along with a physical copy as well if you can due to the complex elements. I received an advance audio copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. ...more

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Sep 08, 2020 Monte Price rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Y'all...

I'm going to be very honest here, I didn't really think I was going to like this book as much as I did. I had vague memories of Eragon from my youth, a series that I never finished and it wouldn't have been the first time this year that I'd been burned by Tor, a book as long as this one. That said within the opening chapters I was immediately hooked, invested in the book and our main character in a way that hasn't happened nearly as often this year as I would have liked.

There was also a Y'all...

I'm going to be very honest here, I didn't really think I was going to like this book as much as I did. I had vague memories of Eragon from my youth, a series that I never finished and it wouldn't have been the first time this year that I'd been burned by Tor, a book as long as this one. That said within the opening chapters I was immediately hooked, invested in the book and our main character in a way that hasn't happened nearly as often this year as I would have liked.

There was also a moment at the beginning of this story where I wasn't really sure where the narrative could be going. I was convinced that Paolini was pacing the book in such a way that over four hundred pages would be rendered useless. Reader, I could not have been more wrong. The narrative is packed full of twists that always felt organic and never felt like the kind of thing included only for shock value or to prolong the story. I've read quite a few 800+ books this year, and the majority of them I've felt could have been trimmed by a couple hundred pages, but by the time that I got to the end of this one I was angry that the book was over and I didn't have a follow up novel to launch into right away.

What starts off as the final days of a pretty routine mission on a new planet the novel quickly turns that of first contact followed quickly by the threat of an intergalactic war with more players than originally thought. Like I said earlier, Kira was a character that I was instantly drawn to and watching her navigate the ever changing circumstances was one that ate up. Also can't lie the execution of the found family trope in this one? A true masterpiece. It'd be hard to pick a favorite character, though the ship mind who has a name I can't spell since I listened to the audiobook is pretty up there talk about an icon™.

While perfect for lifelong science fiction readers, I do think that this is an excellent place to start for people looking to get into the genre or to transition into adult sci fi in general. Not only in the perfect way the story unfolds and the constant way that Paolini has the reader on their toes, but all of the science felt approachable. Sure there were still moments where it went over my head, though there is an appendix for people needing further explanations, on the whole though the book never felt bogged down by it. Explanations were woven into the fabric of the story that felt organic and not as though we should take a detour from the plot to explain this overly complicated thing and then get back to it.

This is the kind of book that you find yourself slightly jealous of others who get to experience for the first time when you finally reach the end. It's also the kind of read that while it certainly functions as a standalone I would also die a very bitter person if I didn't get more based on how this one ends. I think that I've rambled long enough, just know this was a masterpiece of a book and I'm gonna go finish mourning the fact that I finished this book and it's really over. ...more

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Sep 15, 2020 Montzalee Wittmann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-series-1st-book, favorites

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
by Christopher Paolini
Narrated by Jennifer Hale
Macmillan Audio
I requested this audible book from NetGalley and was unable to download despite trying everything I know to get it to work. The NetGalley app has a rating of 2 for a reason! I notified the Macmillan team, which were awesome, and they sent me the first 19 chapters and the last few chapters of the book in audible format. A large sample book!
I really feel in love with this book! I love sci-fi, aliens, main char ...more

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Sep 26, 2020 Tucker (TuckerTheReader) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, science-fiction

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Kind of a DNF at I forgot where percent.

This started out well enough. It was very intriguing and mildly spooky but it got tiresome the further I got into it.

I had been going strong with the book... I read a solid 8 hours of the audiobook but that was over the weekend and when I paused, I completely lost motivation. I tried to restart it multiple times but I just couldn't get hooked.

I skipped to the end and wa ...more

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Oct 15, 2020 Valliya Rennell rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of Bobiverse and (movie) District 9

Shelves: d-fractalverse, d-science-fiction, x-reviewed-books, b-adult, c-novel

3.5 stars

Christopher Paolini is one of the people who turned me into a writer, and the sole man who got me into the world of high epic fantasy. For this I will be ever grateful to him. Although looking back on Eragon, I now see that it had a lot of faults, I still think it one of the most influential novels for me. Needless to say, I was hyped for To Sleep in A Sea of Stars. This book is very very different from Paolini's previous works, so if you're coming in and expecting something similar, th ...more

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Sep 22, 2020 Trish rated it it was amazing

Holy Casaba Howitzer!
I’ve always loved science fiction but there are definitely better and less groundbreaking books / movies. This, I’m happy to have found out, is definitely groundbreaking.

I remember reading the fantasy series this author is known for and not being half as infatuated with it as the people around me. As it turns out, this might be due to the fact that Paolini’s strength is not fantasy but sci-fi.

Welcome to a universe in which humans have spread through the galaxy. We are living Holy Casaba Howitzer!
I’ve always loved science fiction but there are definitely better and less groundbreaking books / movies. This, I’m happy to have found out, is definitely groundbreaking.

I remember reading the fantasy series this author is known for and not being half as infatuated with it as the people around me. As it turns out, this might be due to the fact that Paolini’s strength is not fantasy but sci-fi.

Welcome to a universe in which humans have spread through the galaxy. We are living on several different moons and planets in all kinds of systems and have FTL ships, yet we are still exploring and still not as evolved as we could be (well, there is always room for improvement).
Kira is a xeno-biologist working for a corporation. One day, she comes into contact with what I can only describe as black goo. Naturally, there is more to it. MUCH more. It’s a life form of some kind and it melds with Kira’s body. From that moment on, everything and everyone she’s known changes.
Suddenly, humanity comes into contact with alien species. Yep, more than one. They all seem to know the life form Kira has melded with. Turns out, there is so much more to discover in the galaxy than the next habitable planet to colonize. And those discoveries are volatile, dangerous, but also fascinating and complex and full of life.
And suddenly we’re in the middle of a galactic war trying to figure out who is enemy and who is friend and why the hell all of this is happening in the first place.

This sounds overly simplistic and I apologize. The fault is mine. I have no better way of giving you a slight overview. However, I also can’t give more away because part of the brilliance of this novel is the quest for answers that it takes the reader on.

One of the things I marveled at most in this book was the detailed history: the Old Ones, the Maw/Nightmares, the „Jellies“, all those ruins and what each of them contained, the history of the different species, Soft Blade’s memories, the tech and how it worked … right until (view spoiler) at the end.

Along with all that you get all the questions you’re asking yourself, the pieces of information you’re gathering along the way while you’re traveling at break-neck speed from one action scene to the next (yes, including impressive explosions). And as soon as you do get some answers, new questions pop up. Never more than a moment of respite, if that much. All this makes the book utterly addictive.

And then there is one hell of a ship-mind and even a bonsai tree! To say nothing of the pig and cat (I kid you not)! :D

The writing was impeccable, the story very intelligent, the characters so real that it was impossible not to have strong emotional ties to each and every one of them. There even is an appendix in the end (within the story), explaining much of the science!
I laughed myself silly several times, sat there with my mouth agape even more often and cried, too (see my status updates and highlighted quotes as proof).
The stroke of genius, though, is that the book gets you enthusiastic about science and space like few others and the author is obviously a great nerd/geek himself proving it between the lines via several wonderful easter eggs / references.

Be it the gorgeous hardcover or the audio with the energetic narrator, this is a thing of beauty and perfection. I'm in love! ...more

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Nov 20, 2019 NAT.orious reads ☾ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

This better not be like what I've had to go through with his other series or I'll have a talk with little Christopher.

Ohhh update y'all: we have a cover! ...more

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Oct 20, 2020 Dannii Elle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-sagacity

These 800+ pages contain a potentially insane AI, a pet spaceship pig, mismatched found friendship, space jellyfish, and a somewhat sentient unknown matter called soft blade. What's not to love there?

I'm still hesitant to dive into a new science fiction read as I always think my initial understanding will be lacking. I need not have feared as I found this an instantly accessible read which sucked me in with its fast pace, continuous new developments, and lovable cast of characters. ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Bookish First Rea...: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini	6	33	Feb 15, 2021 01:34PM
Beyond Reality: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (12/20): finished reading (spoilers!)	6	49	Jan 17, 2021 09:52AM
How Video Games Can Help With Staying Fit	1	3	Jan 07, 2021 02:50AM
Nerds & Encrenque...: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (Jan/2021)	1	16	Jan 03, 2021 05:05PM
Beyond Reality: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (12/20): roll call and first impressions (no spoilers)	5	32	Jan 01, 2021 02:11PM

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About Christopher Paolini

Christopher Paolini

29,774 followers

Christopher Paolini was born in Southern California and has lived most of his life in Paradise Valley, Montana. He published his first novel, Eragon, in 2003 at the age of nineteen, and quickly became a publishing phenomenon. His Inheritance Cycle—Eragon and its three sequels—have sold nearly 40 million copies worldwide. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is his first adult novel.

Visit Paolini.net for ...more

Books by Christopher Paolini

Eragon, Eldest & Brisingr (Inheritance, #1-3)

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Quotes from To Sleep in a Sea...

“The path to our goal is rarely straight. It tends to turn and twist, which makes the journey far more enjoyable than it would otherwise be.” — 13 likes

“I’ve seen a greater share of wonders, vast
And small, than most have done. My peace is made;
My breathing slows. I could not ask for more.
To reach beyond the stuff of day-to-day
Is worth this life of mine. Our kind is meant
To search and seek among the outer bounds,
And when we land upon a distant shore,
To seek another yet farther still. Enough.
The silence grows. My strength has fled, and Sol
Become a faded gleam, and now I wait,
A Viking laid to rest atop his ship.
Though fire won’t send me off, but cold and ice,
And forever shall I drift alone.
No king of old had such a stately bier,
Adorned with metals dark and grey, nor such
A hoard of gems to grace his somber tomb.
I check my straps; I cross my arms, prepare
Myself to once again venture into the
Unknown, content to face my end and pass
Beyond this mortal realm, content to hold
And wait and here to sleep—
To sleep in a sea of stars.
—THE FARTHEST SHORE 48–70
HARROW GLANTZER” — 10 likes

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