Original?

[James]

The reality of how we are all connected to the stars and the universe at large, as explored in Astra Somnia, is quite fascinating. Other books such as “Your Atomic Self: The Invisible Elements That Connect You to Everything Else in the Universe” (written by Curt Stager) and also “Living with the Stars: How the Human Body is Connected to the Life Cycles of the Earth, the Planets, and the Stars” (written by Karel and Iris Schrijver) have already tackled this territory in great detail. Astra Somnia may be quite well written but all it is does is present existing ideas in a different way.

[Ken]

"All it does is present existing ideas in a different way".... all it does? Are you serious?

It presents those ideas in a fictional tale. Reminded me of a SF version of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. I think Dr Sheldon Cooper (from Big Bang Theory) would (arrogantly) deride someone putting ideas normally found in textbooks into a popular medium, but from my perspective this worked really well here.

I enjoyed the story, and learnt quite a lot, I think. I googled the facts as I went, and was impressed at how much astronomy and cosmology was neatly interwoven with the setting. My only complaint was the number of big words...but that's not really a complaint.

I will always remember this idea, when I look at the stars, (and now) when I talk to my plants. I know we are all star dust - but Astra Somnia showed me a neat way of applying that knowledge. Having it in a textbook is nice for an academic...being able to live and breathe the idea in everyday life...it's stellar!