Bradley's Reviews > To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (Fractalverse, #1)
by
by
![4213258](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1508811508p2/4213258.jpg)
Bradley's review
bookshelves: 2020-shelf, sci-fi, transhumanism, worldbuilding-sf, space-opera, fanboy-goes-squee
Sep 10, 2020
bookshelves: 2020-shelf, sci-fi, transhumanism, worldbuilding-sf, space-opera, 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 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*
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*
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.
Sign In »
Quotes Bradley Liked
![Christopher Paolini](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1591638024i/8349._UX200_CR0,50,200,200_.jpg)
“The hardest lesson in life is learning to accept that there are some things we can't change." Falcone paused, his eyes hard and glittering.
[...]
Then he unbuttoned the cuffs on his shirt and rolled back his sleeves to expose the melted surface of his forearms. He held them up for Kira to see.
"Why do you think I keep these scars?"
"Because you feel guilty over ..."
"No," Falcone said harshly.
Then, in a gentler tone, "No. I keep them to remind me of what I can survive. Of what I have survived. If I'm having a rough time, I look at my arms and then I know I'll get through whatever problem I'm dealing with. Life's not gonna break me. It can't break me. It might kill me, but nothing it throws at me is gonna make me give up.”
― To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
[...]
Then he unbuttoned the cuffs on his shirt and rolled back his sleeves to expose the melted surface of his forearms. He held them up for Kira to see.
"Why do you think I keep these scars?"
"Because you feel guilty over ..."
"No," Falcone said harshly.
Then, in a gentler tone, "No. I keep them to remind me of what I can survive. Of what I have survived. If I'm having a rough time, I look at my arms and then I know I'll get through whatever problem I'm dealing with. Life's not gonna break me. It can't break me. It might kill me, but nothing it throws at me is gonna make me give up.”
― To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
![Christopher Paolini](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/authors/1591638024i/8349._UX200_CR0,50,200,200_.jpg)
“Gregorovich continued: "Could I advise myself in the past, prior to my transition, I would tell myself to make the most of what I had while I had it. Too often we don't appreciatethe value of something until it has slipped our grasp.”
― To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
― To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Reading Progress
August 17, 2020
– Shelved
August 17, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
September 6, 2020
–
Started Reading
September 10, 2020
– Shelved as:
2020-shelf
September 10, 2020
– Shelved as:
sci-fi
September 10, 2020
– Shelved as:
transhumanism
September 10, 2020
– Shelved as:
worldbuilding-sf
September 10, 2020
– Shelved as:
space-opera
September 10, 2020
– Shelved as:
fanboy-goes-squee
September 10, 2020
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-42 of 42 (42 new)
date
newest »
![Down arrow](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/down_arrow-1e1fa5642066c151f5e0136233fce98a.gif)
message 1:
by
Meth
(new)
Sep 10, 2020 10:20PM
![Meth Randall](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1361447870p1/17676233.jpg)
reply
|
flag
![Michael Mayer III](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1611258187p1/109462585.jpg)
![Steve +](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1609340815p1/38573358.jpg)
![Carra](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1328544216p1/6743045.jpg)
![Cecily](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1480285828p1/1199525.jpg)
![Hdeezy](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_25x33-ccd24e68f4773d33a41ce08c3a34892e.png)
![Bradley](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1508811508p1/4213258.jpg)
It is a standalone with the chance for more.
![Renee Godding](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1645450448p1/71792610.jpg)
![MacKenzie](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1608865617p1/89796991.jpg)
![Bradley](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1508811508p1/4213258.jpg)
Of course, high schoolers are limited only by their attention spans and subject matter that THEY deem right. (Just like us.) I know as a high schooler I'd have squeed all over this.
I should say that it's especially fun for fans of anime, too. Wild space battles. :)
![Emily](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1688482604p1/373547.jpg)