The story line of this book is fascinating and I'm always very happy when the protagonist is a female. The plot, however, was predictable and I had a hard time keeping my interest in the book. I would recommend this book for younger readers who enjoy science fiction about space exploration and aliens.

An epic space adventure about an explorer who accidentally bonds with an alien symbiote then has to race across the galaxy to save the human race from the aliens who want it. True to form, Paolini has written a hugely expansive story with fun characters, exciting battles, and mysterious aliens. It is a race across the galaxy with lots of twists and turns. If you like gritty space opera in the vein of The Expanse and Battlestar Galactica you will definitely like To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. We did get this for our library and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone who loves science fiction.

The premise of this book intrigued me so much that I was willing to leap out of my comfort zone and dive into this read. Wow! 880 pages later, I am finally done. I really enjoyed the storyline and character development. It wasn’t too much in the realm of a typical science fiction book that it turned me off. It was just LONG. I was getting annoyed that it took me so long to read but I didn’t want to put it down because I knew that I probably wouldn’t pick it back up again.

Kira was a great character and I really appreciated her relationships with the other characters both human and alien alike. I did think that some of the descriptions could have been shorter but all in all, I am happy I stuck it out and read it.

I was all set to mark To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini as a DNF after the first chapter. There is so much in the first quarter of the novel which reads like an extension of The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey. This includes terminology, anti-Earth sentiment, newly-found alien artifacts, the blending of alien and human biology, and consequences of that blending that impact the entire known universe.

A funny thing happened as I progressed to that twenty-five percent marker whereupon I would make my final decision. I started to care about the main character. A lot. I wanted to know more about what she was going to do with her Soft Blade issue. Moreover, I couldn’t tear myself away from the idea of an honest-to-goodness alien invasion and universe-wide war. And so a DNF turned into an 880-page devour.

Characters are not the heart of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. In fact, other than Kira, the rest of the cast consists of nothing but space opera archetypes with no character development. And there is nothing wrong with this. The near-constant action counteracts the lack of strong characters.

One of the best things about space operas, outside of the story, is how each author approaches aliens. More importantly, how each author approaches humanity’s reaction to concrete proof of aliens. In To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, that reaction is intriguing. The “shoot first, ask questions later” human traits takes a backseat to the need for adequate study and determination of threat level. In fact, it is the aliens who are the aggressors. Personally, I think this is a rather optimistic view of humanity, but it makes for interesting reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. It has everything I love about such stories, including so much space travel that it allows you to finally grasp the vastness of space. I liked it so much that I would love to see more of Kira’s story. Thankfully, Mr. Paolini left the ending open for more should he so choose.

I had a really hard time with this one. I thought the first 1/3rd of the book was exciting, interesting and my cup of tea but there comes a certain point where it gets all very “techy” and I kind of stopped understanding what was going on. While I felt similarly while reading The Martian it was easier because we only had one character. This book features a cast of really interesting characters but almost too many with names I just couldn’t keep up with. I think many would enjoy this, including myself on a reread but it was a lot.

Paolini’s pivot to adult sci-fi is a triumph. I’ve been a fan of the Inheritance Cycle since I could lug around those tomes myself. Christopher Paolini’s gorgeous and consuming fantasy world that began in Eragon was a staple of my reading as a kid. Now, as an adult, it’s exciting to see him come back with an entirely new world to explore. And what a world! 880 pages of truly gorgeous writing, and four appendices to boot! We’re introduced to a strong new protagonist who adds to a completely immersive, and gripping, experience. Kira, a xenobiologist, didn’t expect a straightforward mission to go awry. The plan was to get in and out quickly, until she finds an alien relic that changes everything. This doorstopper of a book is a wild, intense ride. It’s obvious that Paolini pulled out all the stops in weaving this incredible, intense, and detailed world.

This book was highly anticipated and much hyped. I was really excited to get an advance copy and terribly disappointed that I didn't love it. It wasn't terrible, and there were some things that were really great, but for me the bad outweighed the good. The battle sequences and action writing were highly detailed and very exciting, but it was too much, too many space battles and not enough reflecting on what they're fighting for. There were a few cool sci-fi concepts that were original and interesting, but very little was done with them. Some of the characters were interesting, engaging, and well written, but Kira, our hero, was not one of them. With To Sleep in a Sea of Stars clocking in at over 850 pages, Paolini would have done well to spend less of that time in high stakes action sequences and more time writing sci-fi, examining the human condition through the lens of future technology and situations.

Kira is a Xenobiologist who's field study leads to humanity's first encounter with an intelligent alien civilization when she discovers an ancient artifact. The artifact turns out to be a semi-sentient skin suit that irrevocably bonds with it's wearer acting as a weapon, armor, space suit, breathing apparatus, toilet and tampon (yes, seriously), and blanket and pillow. The speed at which we move from the discovery of our very first alien artifact to full scale, multisystem alien invasion by multiple alien species was a bit hard to swallow. Along the way discoveries come quickly and the entire human military industrial complex is happy to immediately change their objectives, their allies, and their strategies, based on Kira's observations and opinions alone. This happens more than once. Oh, and the alien species are happy to do the same. Basically, everyone in the galaxy is swayed by Kira saying "it's the only way" whenever she has an idea.

Fortunately, the plot takes a back seat to the action sequences, which were outstanding! There were several battle sequences, all in unique settings, with various different characters fighting against different alien species. They were all exciting and well written. There was a good blend of spaceship battles, surface battles, chase scenes, close quarters fighting, large-scale war scenes, and duels. If it's a fight you can imagine, you'll probably read it in To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. The only problem this presented me was that there was never a climax. Kira and friends would jump from one fight to the next so quickly that there was never any time reflect on the ramifications of the last battle, or to set the scene for the next. It was just fight fight fight.

Most any 800 page book will collect a fairly large cast of characters, and To Sleep in a Sea of Stars was no exception. By the time Kira meets up with the crew of the Wallfish, Paolini has already introduced and dismissed so many bland characters that they seem interesting by comparison, but they are mostly a collection of walking tropes and stereotypes and it's hard to care much about their risks or their feelings. The one exception I found was Gregorovich, the "ship mind". He is a human brain that has transitioned beyond his former human body, and grown into something less than human, but more than machine. He is the computer that keeps all the processes running, as well as the pilot, the gunner, and science advisor. He is smugly superior as a super-intelligent being surrounded by "meatbags", and his exchanges with Kira were by far my favorite dialogue in the book. I would have liked to read more of Gregorovich, and heard more about ship minds in general, as this was really the only fresh concept that I found in the whole story.

This was Paolini's first "adult" novel, but with the lack of depth in plot and character, I found it to read like a YA novel, only with swearing, sex, and gore. I had originally thought that the action was good enough fun to warrant a three star rating, but in writing this review I'm afraid that I've talked myself down to two.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini, This is a BIG book. Its nice to read something from the pen of Paolini again, and its a big leap from his fantasy to this sci-fi book but he pulls it off. Kira finds an ancient relic of power that changes her life ... by taking it over.

It is fantastic to read such a gripping book, and to know that Paolini accomplished what so few authors can. He switched out of the genre that he had acclaim for and created an action packed, considerably well thought out new world in this new genre. This book reminded me so much of the greatness of Alien, but with more personality, deeper and dynamic characters, and SciFi adventure that. the genre was made for.

For anyone who loved Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amy Kauffman as well as Skyward by Brandon Sanderson, I think you will fall in love with this story and it's characters.

"Change comes more naturally to some people than others, monotony is boring. And besides, as the ancients loved to point out, expectations of what could be or should be are the most common sources of our discontent. Expectations lead to disappointment, and disappointment leads to anger and resentment."

Nikki here

There are honestly no words that can accurately describe how much I loved this book! From the start, I was all in and the rest of this 880 page book (or 32+ hours) did not dissapoint! This is the kind of story you will want to re-visit over and over, because you won't be able to stop thinking about it.

I don't even know where to start... This story will give you all the feels with this amazing cast of characters. I genuinely loved every one of them and felt every emotion for them! Each character was so well written and different, from human to alien forms, machines, a leaching xenoform and even a pig.

Gregorovich (a ship mind) and Sparrow (a snarky bad-ass) are probably my two very favorite with their darker, more dangerous sides and their sometimes questionable tactics. They bring so much to the story and are characters that will stick with me for life. Our MC, Kira was also amazing, having to overcome and become something and someone so much different than how we first meet her. Kira's growth throughout the book is done fantstically!

The storyline was just prefect. It was everything I had hoped for, and yet so much more than I ever knew I needed. Anyone can write a "save the world/s" type story, but it takes a real master of words to accomplish what Paolini did with this book.

The descriptive nature of Paolini's writing is damn near perfect. It is not over the top, it does not drag on.. Paolini gives us exactly what we need in the moment to keep you in the action.

Even the way different life forms speak and identify with each other was so unique and brought that little bit of almost, inclusiveness, making you feel like you were right there experiencing these conversations.

Of course no great adventure would be complete without some form of evil to destroy your day. It was no surprise that Paolini absolutely nailed it in that department as well. Jellies, nightmares, the maw... The way he goes about quite literally creating something new was full of fearful fun.

I dare you to embark on this great adventure to save worlds, defeat great evils and become something more, oh spiky meat bag!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Tor-Forge for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review

I made it about 20% of the way through this novel and enjoyed what I read. This review copy was downloaded to prepare for an interview with Christopher Paolini on the Fantasy Inn podcast. I have yet to hear anything back from the publicist or author about scheduling the interview and the archive date has already passed on NetGalley.

If the interview eventually happens I would be happy to update this feedback and provide a review, though for now I am leaving this to explain why I will not be reviewing the title. The star rating is apparently a requirement to submit any feedback.

Christopher Paolini has crafted a fascinating universe that I'm eager to further explore, but elements of this first foray into the Fractalverse fell flat and kept a good book from being great. Perhaps the biggest issue here is pacing. The book is nearly 900 pages, and it feels it. While there are shimmering scenes of action and character development, they are interspersed by long slogs of not much happening. Slower parts of a tome like this might be designed to give ample time for the reader to get to know the characters and for character development to happen; however, the large cast of characters felt, on the whole, flat and indistinguishable. The notable exception is Gregorovich, the ship mind, who is delightfully bizarre. Overall, this was a solid sci-fi novel that left me intrigued to see what Paolini is planning on doing with this universe and certain larger plot elements that he seemed to be moving into place throughout the book.

Multi-faceted Science Fiction…
After years of extensive research, well-known fantasy author of the YA Eragon series, Christopher Paolini, releases his first science fiction novel, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. This sweeping epic is the story of Kira Navárez, a xenobiologist stationed with her small team on a uninhabited planet in a remote galaxy. An unexpected encounter with an unknown organism upends Kira’s whole world after she and the soft blade, as the organism identifies itself, meld together. Their symbiotic relationship opens a whole new realm of understanding for Kira as their combined life form struggles to survive against both humans and alien jellies, who come searching for the ancient and powerful soft blade. As they grow in understanding and trust, their abilities and power become the only thing that stands in the way of the malevolent Maw, a being whose only ambition is the total annihilation of humans, jellies, and the soft-blade.

Christopher Paolini’s research into the cutting age technologies of our day is impressive to say the least. His world building is not only sweeping but intricately detailed. His inclusion of thorough Appendices are extremely helpful in that they are packed with explanations and elaborations on the many scientific applications. They are a fabulous source for inquisitive minds. This is definitely not a one time read book, unless you want to takes weeks to complete as you frequently stop and ponder all the different details. There are so many layers of information that it would be easy to get mired down in all the details, but Paolini keeps the story moving with a totally unexpected plot and many memorable characters.

The personal story of Kira Navárez is an excellent compliment to all the hard science. It is poignant and personal and speaks to the thoughts of many people who are thrust in something totally out of their control. As Kira finds; life is not always easy or kind, but the motivation to keep going and do the right thing will ultimately bring a contentment in knowing that, regardless of the outcome, you tried your best. The supporting characters are an integral part of the story and bring humor to sometimes high-tension events. Especially Gregorovich who is the half-mad, expanded human ship brain for the vessel that is helping Kira. He is snarky and down-right hysterical at times and is actually my favorite part of the book.

There are so many “Wow” moments in To Sleep in a Sea of Stars that the ending was a little anti-climactic for me even though it has profound implications. It’s not at all what I was expecting, but then again I don’t actually know what I was hoping for. I do believe that this book will provide the basis for many philosophical discussions concerning creation, extraterrestrial life, and the list goes on, for future generations of students and Sci Fi aficionados.

**(All images in this post are taken directly from To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini)

The wrap up of a fairly routine planetary survey mission turns deadly fast when xenobiologist Kira Navárez encounters an alien life form in a hidden cavern. Kira's first contact situation quickly evolves her in a larger conflict sweeping the galaxy and changes her to her very core. This is epic science fiction at its best with intriguing world building filled with amazing technology. The characters are filled with attitude from when they first walk onto the page and make you want to know more about them right away. It does get a little slow in places but the action kicks back in to reward the reader.

Yeah... this feels right.

Absolutely stunning. I don’t think I’m capable of coming up with a cohesive and well thought out review. There is so much to love in this book.

To start this book is an ode to sci-fi. It combines the love I have for Becky Chambers (found family on a tiny ship), Leviathan Wakes (humor, scope, heart), and the science/physics of Three Body Problem. Or to be accurate what I imagine cuz I haven’t read TBP.

Diving into the found family I found myself incapable to putting feelings into words. I wanted nothing to happen to the crew of the Wallfish because they are all so near, dear, and precious to my heart.

I have so many more thoughts but it’s hard to put everything into words. This book was perfect in so many ways and I will greedily snatch up multiple copies. I’m up to 5 so far...

When I read that this book took Christopher Paolini 9 years to write, I realized he had put all of his creative effort into telling a story that really meant something to him. Nobody puts 9 years into something that is only a "story.'' I knew I had to read this book! I enjoyed his first books -- The Inheritance Cycle. And I love, love, LOVE science fiction. So I was hopeful that this book would really wow me....

And it did.

OMG. I got pulled right into the characters, the action, the plot. I enjoyed reading my digital galley...got half way through....and started over again with the audio book version because this was a story that I wanted to HEAR told to me. Not just that....but I can listen more than I can sit down and read a physical copy due to commuting to work, household chores...you know, adulting. The audio book let me devour this story much faster than I could have reading the physical review copy....

The basics: Kira Navarez is a xenobiologist. She is assigned a routine survey mission, and dutifully goes about her job. But, then it all goes wrong....or right and then wrong from her point of view. She discovers an alien relic and is overjoyed, but that joy soon turns to horror as she has an encounter with something on the planet that will change her life forever.

I'm not saying anything else about the plot! Read (or listen to) the book! If you enjoy sci-fi action or space operas -- you will love this book!

The audio is 32 hours long -- but worth every minute. Jennifer Hale does a superb job of voice acting. Very enjoyable listen! The front cover art is phenomenal, too!

This story is action packed, emotional, thought provoking and very very entertaining for this sci-fi fan! I can't wait to see what else Paolini is going to write! I hope I don't have 9 years to wait! But, even if I do, I will gladly read whatever he publishes next!

**I voluntarily read both the digital galley and the audiobook versions of this novel from Macmillan/Tor-Forge/Macmillan Audio for review purposes. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Kira is a xenobiologist working for the Lapsang Corp. She asked to investigate a drone crash before leaving the planet for her next assignment. While doing so, she finds a strange rock formation. Trying to get a better look, she ends up finding proof of an ancient alien presence. And that's when her life is irrevocably changed. Humankind is not alone among the stars, and Kira has proof....just not in the way she wanted.

This is a damn good science fiction novel. I expect it to end up on the Hugo ballot for 2021.

It seems like many people love the author's Inheritance fantasy series, and while it's on my TBR pile, this is the first book I've read by him, and I will say that it's quite obvious he did a lot of longterm planning and research in writing this book, and he can write! At 880 pages, it is quite a challenge to read, but knowing it is a standalone novel makes it much less daunting. I've been reading quite a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction and many of them are part of a series, some of which are far longer than a trilogy. So this was kind of refreshing in that sense. Let me just say that I was blown away by this book. It feels like classic sci-fi to me, with the science of interstellar system travel is well-developed. There is even a section at the end (appendix) that explains the science of traveling slower or faster than the speed of light (but never at the speed of light) and how the Markov bubble both isolates the travelers and doesn't allow for heat release. It all makes better sense after you've read the novel, but suffice it to say that some of the science was beyond me (and I'm a huge science nerd) but it was still interesting and the stuff on the Markov bubble explained a lot about why the ship had to drop out of FTL every once in a while to shed excess heat and also why the people needed to be in cryo. I'm not sure about Paolini's fantasy series, but I really grew to love each of the main characters in this book, and I loved how he revealed a little bit about their past at a time. However, Kira is the one who really guides the story. She is a xenobiologist who has a chance encounter with an alien artifact and it causes her to travel across the stars on an epic journey to discover not just what this artifact is, but how she can save humanity from itself. At times it feels like there is disaster after disaster, and yet there is a spirit of optimism that runs throughout this book that tells me it's not all doom and gloom. I love that this story is a complete standalone, but the universe is so vast that the author can write other stories set in the same universe. When he does, I will definitely be checking them out!

Although his previous series is geared towards YA this one is definitely adult, not just because of the occasional sex (I believe there were two instances) but more because the science of both the interstellar travel and the soft blade and the various species is at a higher level than most preteens/younger teens would be interested in or understand. But if you are a fan of science fiction, this is definitely worth checking out!

FTC Disclosure: Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Ok, I'm going to try my best to write this review without spoiling it. To be honest, the entire book is a spoiler and it starts when Kira discovers this "alien relic." From that moment on, you're following Kira through her journey looking for answers for what she's discovered. Along the way, she makes friends with a civilian vessel called the Wallfish, which really felt like a ragtag team of misfits come together to traverse the stars. It reminded me a lot of Becky Chambers's <em>The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet</em> even with a quirky ship's mind named Gregorovich. I did love the representation Paolini added to this book as well. However, that's where the similarities end.

In so many ways this book was such a great space opera; tons of action, lots of world building, traveling through space. I absolutely loved the maps. The action sequences didn't keep anything back and there was so much going on. But there were things that I couldn't overlook. I think the length of the novel and Paolini's long-winded descriptions really put a damper on the book for me. But let's get into the parts that I really loved.

The world building was INTENSE. It's probably the most vivid science fiction novel I've read. It's almost like Paolini didn't want you to question any piece of the story that he's sharing. There was such incredible nuance even creating a language for the aliens to speak (it's telepathic and includes...smells). I think that the aliens themselves were also really interesting and I felt like their story was almost like a fantasy novel within itself. Space jellies! Feels better than dragons.

I also really loved Kira's character. She wasn't a bad ass that leapt head first into the fire. She was a thinker, a person who studied the alien relic. She made some pretty big mistakes with the relic as well, which made her so much more human. I really loved that she wasn't a Mary Sue and that this didn't come easy to her. I wanted there to be more conversations with her and the other crew members (outside of Falconi and Gregorovich), but I just loved that this was her story and it really humanized the entire piece.

I think the war between humans and jellies were probably the most interesting part of the story. There was that interesting dichotomy between the two species and I wondered how Paolini would approach this situation. And there were some scary sounding space creatures. First off, they're called "jellies," as in jellyfish. They had the same shape as a jellyfish or even a squid. Then there were crab monsters, but the worst were the "nightmares;" half-human, half-jelly monstrosities that were indiscriminately killing everything. I loved as you moved through the story and you learn more about the jellies, you get to relate to them a little more. And the ending felt like Kira was finally meeting the big boss in a video game. It's time to defeat the big guy!

Speaking of the end, I think the ending is where it kind of falls apart for me. Granted, it was definitely a wild show during that final battle, but it almost felt like Paolini couldn't figure out how to finish the novel. There were things being introduced right at the end and doesn't even get explored because it was over. It was beautiful and the language in this part of the book read more lyrical and metaphorical, but it felt different from the rest of the book.

Overall, I liked it but it truly was an investment in my time and energy. You'll be enamored by the world and the adventures Kira and the Wallfish take across the stars. You'll love the little lines about life and death and hearing the conversations throughout the story. You'll love their friendships and how they show up for each other. I think you'll even love the jellies! I would recommend this to folks who love a good science fiction novel. It's definitely got jargon and some things did go over my head, but you don't need a degree in astrophysics to understand it. But you'll need to make the space in your life to read it.

It has been a long time since we've seen anything by Paolini. However, his ability to curate new environments and cultivate fantasy worlds is evident and in full speed.. Paolini's fist venture into adult sci-fi is different enough to be disconnected from his previous works and well=written enough to truly fascinate and amaze. The book is beautiful and completely engaging.