Synopsis (From Goodreads)
"To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a brand new epic novel from New York Times bestselling author Christopher Paolini.
Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds.
Now she's awakened a nightmare.
During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she's delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.
As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn't at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.
While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity's greatest and final hope . . ."
My Review
3 out of 5 stars
Harry Potter was a large SFF book targeted towards children back in the 2000's era. While waiting for other the next installments, young readers like myself at the time were looking for more fantasy books. That's where Eragon steps in, as it was a well marketed book in the bookstore-- front and center with its colorful dragon covers. It follows-up a Harry Potter book by bringing in dragons, but is different because it is a high fantasy tale, introducing a completely new world. I enjoyed reading Eragon as a young preteen, and remember it fondly, especially the first two books of the series that came out. Mr. Paolini took his time finishing the series-- the four books were published across a total of 9 years. I was in college by the time the last book came out. And the last two books I remember less fondly, as the flaws of the series started to become more apparent to me. The story moves slow and is heavily focused on description.
Paolini took several more years off (though he did publish a short story collection taking place in the Eragon universe) and spent those years researching the science that he would eventually use in his first adult novel. And after reading the novel, I must say that the research was definitely done. Mr. Paolini is doing the sci-fi genre justice in that he is using the best knowledge of scientific principles to develop his own world and technology. There is a lot incorporated throughout the novel and I think many sci-fi fans will enjoy it.
There are also instances of the book that remind me a bit of Eragon. It's not that Paolini hasn't grown as an author over the course of two decades, but more so that he has some of his own style that still manages to come through. What's also nice about this book is that, like how Eragon was a good introduction to high fantasy, this book is a good first book for sci-fi, especially adult sci-fi. I think many of those preteens of the 2000s reminiscing about Eragon may pick this up today as adults and it likely will get them to pick up more in the genre.
This almost 900 page novel isn't without it faults. I also found it similar to Eragon in that it is very description heavy. There are definite times where the plot moves slowly due to all the world and content Mr. Paolini is trying to build. In the end I think it's a little too long, but I slightly came in expecting that since I've already been exposed to it through Eragon (as well as other novels and authors). There are definite times that are exciting, though, and some even caught me off guard. The character development could have also been stronger given the page count, but if I am remembering correctly, I don't think an emphasis on character development was high in Eragon either. Paolini vastly enjoys and focuses on the world building and action scenes. So if you read more so for those things, you'll likely enjoy this.
This novel is currently set as a standalone story and feels complete. But Paolini has stated that the world he created here can and will be used in other books. I likely may give them a try, especially if I know I am in the mood for a Paolini tale.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
See this review on Goodreads.
Mad Scibrarian 