This review is going to be spoiler-free because of two reasons. One- going into To Sleep in a Sea of Stars without knowing more than the summary is definitely the way to go. And two - there’s so much that happens in this book that I couldn’t even begin to cover it. But I will say that the pacing (and the book in general) was amazing. I was glued to the page for every single one of the 880 pages and I would have been willing to read even more in this world.

And that’s because this universe is absolutely fascinating and I adored the characters. Pasolini spent over seven years writing To Sleep in a Sea of Stars and it really shows. The world building in this book is incredible and truly breathtaking in its scope. I’m so glad that this book is the start of a series because I can’t wait to find out more about this universe.

I also loved the characters in this book. Kira‘s character development was very well done. The crew of the Wallfish were my favorites though. Plus I always love a good found family. And if you loved AIDAN from the Illuminae Files, wait until you meet Gregorovich.

Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait for my preorder to arrive. If you’re a science fiction fan (or willing to give the genre a chance) definitely consider picking this one up!

I wanted to love this book. I wanted to lose myself in this book but sadly, that was not the case. The first two chapters or sections (I was reading an ebook so it was hard to tell) should have been shortened or eliminated and instead, the story should have begun where she falls in the small room and is over taken by the alien form. Too much detail was spent on every single thing that happened to her. Too many things went wrong and too much writing was spent on each event. I could not help but wonder where the editors were. Where was their guidance? The good points about this book? The author has a premise that had the potential to be unique and fascinating. The author's characters had the potential to be great but were lost in the myriad details that peppered the reader. The only thing that kept me reading was the past writing history of this author.
I waited a week after finishing the book to write this review but even time has not dulled my disappointment.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
by Christopher Paolini
Pub Date: 15 Sep 2020
Read courtesy of http://www.Netgalley.com

Although I usually don't enjoy fantasy, Paolini makes it accessible to me. He doesn't confuse me with featureless, flat characters with too many weird, similar names - that alone is a win for me. I really enjoyed To Sleep in a Sea of Stars since it falls in that nebulous alley between fantasy and scifi; it was able to pull off both genres in one story.

Every character has a personality; the characters are ones for whom I want to cheer and root, and I don't really have to spend too much time understanding or hating the 'bad guys.' Kira and the Soft Blade do that for me. Engaging, fun, (long), and quite epic.

The characters in this sci-fi novel were interesting as was the science behind the story. I do wish the editing had cut some of the technical stuff from the narrative though. A little of that goes a long way for many of us! I did love the Ship Mind, a creative and fun addition to the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC to read and review.

The Quick Cut: A woman finds her life turned upside down when a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet goes awry.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Tor books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's safe to say that anyone who reads science fiction books has imagined what it would be like to live in space and colonize other worlds. However, what would you do if that idyllic imagining of living in space went awry? This is the situation for xenobiologist Kira Navárez.

Kira is a xenobiologist who is doing a typical survey mission for a soon to be colonized planet when she runs across some strange readings and she checks out the situe. What she finds is an alien artifact that eventually knocks her out and leaves her body covered by an alien entity. The life that she imagined post mission is decimated and now she is trying to adjust to the new reality. Will she ever find a way to remove the entity from her body? Or will it continue to take her over piece by piece?

Like Christopher Paolini's other books, this one is heavy and clocks in at over 800 pages long, with multiple parts and multiple sections within each chapter. The story is immaculately broken up in order to better tell the story as it shifts from one location to another. It's a smart method of writing for such a detailed and epic tale he's looking to tell here. Unfortunately, while the setup is intricate and well planned, the material within its setup isn't as well done.

The first part of the book is a brilliant beginning that sets up the storyline. While the characters and the relationships are setup, the worldbuilding in this latest novel of Paolini's is done primarily by dumping large amounts of information at you, at multiple points. Massive amounts of technical information is provided, but that isn't the best method to create a universe. If you want the reader to be able to imagine the planets, various ships, and companies that are involved - your words need to create a picture and this story doesn't accomplish that. Plus, the action is what keeps the story moving forward so much that by part two I started to feel burnout and I wasn't even a quarter of the way through the novel.

Kira as a narrator is good and she does attempt to put you in her shoes with each misstep that occurs, but even for me she came off as a little fake in the emotions department. Without going into the details, she has her entire life ripped away. Anyone's reaction would be to completely lose it and she holds it together far too well considering the circumstances (and with no explanation). It made it difficult for me to relate to her on any deeper level. This can be hard for a male author to accomplish though.

An epic story that fails to create a picture of the universe created.

My rating: 2 out of 5

I also have not read anything by this author. I went into this book not expecting to major things that became facts - first the size (OMG) and that it was a YA or kids book and while I might enjoy it - I wouldn't be "sold on it".
Wrong on both!!!

While it was a bit long - it was so worth it. Also - not being a fan of Sci-fi - I didn't expect to get so involved with Kira and the crew!

Great book - not one complaint from this reader and new fan of this author!

I came to this story cold, having not read the series that made Paolini famous. But the story was intriguing. The setup could be any science fiction story, and when Kira contacts the alien intelligence at first the plot is so similar to the Alien films that it almost lost me. But the plot quickly expands into something else, a complex war between the human race, an alien race the humans call the Jellies, and a strange mutation that appears to want to dominate them all.

After her scientific mission implodes Kira escapes the spaceship where she was quarantined and joins the crew of a private spaceship called the Wallfish, and that crew becomes her new family. Paolini writes sagas, so it is not surprising that the story takes many twists and turns after that. It's a tale of one disaster after another, each one on a larger scale than the previous one. As well as one cliffhanger after another. A successful climax seems almost impossible until it happens.

The result is ultimately a happy ending for all of the survivors. But Kira is left with a final task to undo a threat she caused unintentionally. She accepts responsibility and flies off on her quest. It certainly could be a setup for a sequel, although Paolini does not mention one in his Afterward. Appendices devoted to "Spacetime & FTL" and "Ship-based Combat in Space" attest to the extensive research he undertook to keep the science reasonable. Personally I wound up skimming them, not having the technical expertise to judge their accuracy.

If the story is well told those sort of details are just stipulated by the reader anyway. And this is an engrossing story, even if many aspects of it are not especially original to regular readers of science fiction. I do think it could have been shorter--by as much as a quarter to a third--to better keep up the pace.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.

This book is extremely long, and it occasionally took a bit of effort to slog through. I did, however, enjoy it immensely by the time I finished it. It is definitely a book that you have to be in the mood for since it is so long. The writing was descriptive and well done. The characters weren’t overly interesting outside of what was happening to them. I did enjoy the plot and descriptions, so I am giving it four out of five stars.

I could not finish this book. Despite some fairly positive reviews that lauded the story as exciting and enjoyable, I could not get past the first third. The plot line is weak and leans on heavily used tropes from much better writers. The prose is awkward and unpolished. I’m disappointed as I enjoyed the author’s earlier books and expected more from him since those were written when he was a teenager.

My three words: adventure, fast-paced, epic

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Christopher Paolini's long-anticipated sci-fi epic, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, is a futuristic tale that follows xenobiologist Kira Navarez as she encounters a mysterious life form on one of her missions. She and the creature become inextricably linked and their relationship forms the core of the narrative of this space adventure.

There was a lot to enjoy about this book. First of all, the world-building was really unique and fun. This wasn't your typical sci-fi, with humans running around in shiny silver and humanoid aliens with large eyes. The world was really nuanced, and as each new species/character gets introduced the reader finds themselves struggling to classify them into either "good" or "bad". However as we read, we discover that the potential for both good and evil rest in all life forms, human or not.

The cast of secondary characters was fantastic. At one point, Kira encounters a ship of really fun and unique individuals. This part of the book actually reminded me of Firefly, which is definitely a plus. For awhile, the story follows this band of misfits and it reads more like a space western than your typical sci fi book.

Now, to what I didn't love. First of all, I thought the main character was difficult to understand. Her relationship to the creature became the lens through which we view her, but I'm not sure she had earned this. What I mean is that we don't get a clear picture of who she is at her core, so it's difficult to see where any character growth actually occurs. Part of this, too, is that I believe Paolini may have struggled in writing from a female perspective as she doesn't seem very fleshed out or relatable.

Mostly, I think this book is about 400 pages too long. Most of the middle portion of the book takes place on a spaceship as the characters go into cryo sleep, travel to a planet, have a small misadventure, and then get back in the ship. I believe this could've been broken down into multiple books or had the entire middle removed. Great character work doesn't have to happen through dialogue, but unfortunately this is the device that Paolini relies on the most throughout the story.

Overall, it was a fun read and I do recommend it for sci-fi fans. Just be warned that you may be getting more story than you bargained for.

IF you like Sci-Fi you should read this book. Loved the 1st contact element. Liked the characters. I enjoyed reading this book. It is similar to his writing style of the Eregon series. It seems that this book has a love it or hate it sense in looking at other reviews, but I really liked it.

Kira, a xenobiologist, and her crew are on an uncolonized planet doing a survey when Kira finds an ancient alien relic and accidentally sets off a chain reaction.

This one was a mixed bag for me. There were some things I really liked, and some things I really didn't. It's a fast-paced, space opera, interspersed with very drawn out, slow sections. I really quite enjoyed the action scenes, the adventure, the intensity of what was going on, and the world-building, but at the same time there were lots of scenes that left me thinking 'does this really need to be in here?'. The book could have easily dropped about 150-200 pages and probably not have lost anything to the story. There was some excellent characterization with the secondary characters, but I was left wanting with the development of our protagonist. There didn't seem to be much of an emotional connection to her. Honestly, I felt more connected to the ship mind, Gregorovitch. She fell flat, and at times seemed almost robotic. To me, that was probably the biggest disappointment of the story.

I recommend this to any sci-fi fan, or Paolini fan. It's not without faults, but it is an enjoyable read, even at almost 900 pages.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Good: Fun, action-packed, twisty-turny galaxy-spanning first contact story
The Bad: Limited characterization and development, even for the POV
The Literary: Thorough appendix with all the world-building that didn’t fit into this already lengthy novel

Kira Navarez and her team of xenobiologists, including her new fiance, are on an uncolonized planet for a routine terraforming survey. Then she falls into an unknown alien cave and finds a strange alien relic, which under normal circumstances would catapult her career and start a new field of study. But when Kira toes it with her boot, it climbs up her leg and into her suit before she passes out.

First contact is something every scientist dreams of, but Kira’s find sets off a chain reaction that only gets bigger and bigger, both for human civilization, and Kira herself. There’s a lot that goes on in this lengthy, action-packed space opera. Kira’s world gets turned completely upside down. The first part of the novel is tightly plotted with lots of surprises. She ends up on a ship with a rag-tag group, their pet pig, and a particularly lovable ship-mind. Together, and against all odds, they risk their lives to save humanity, multiple times over.

There is a lot to this story, and a lot to appreciate. But, for the length of the novel, the character arcs are disappointing. Kira has less personality than most of the secondary characters, and despite the tragedy handed to her early on, she doesn’t seem to grieve. Her quiet, introspective sections during FTL travel are less about overcoming any emotional flaw and more about unraveling the mystery of the alien relic. The secondary characters work better, but they’re stereotypes (including the gruff captain, the moody engineer, the young enthusiastic crew member, etc) without surprises.

Although the genre is technically scifi, none of the individual scifi elements feel new, consciousness-expanding, or provide a particular commentary on humanity’s future or present. Several of the major plot elements seem to be lifted from popular sources, like the Alien franchise and even a seminal Spiderman story-line. Ultimately, the brave underdog crew in an old ship, the capitalist corporation and play-by-the-book military, and the technologically advanced body-swapping alien species all amount to an enjoyable if somewhat familiar read.

Highly recommended for fans of action thriller scifi stories in spaaaace!

Wow. A good majority of the book was very slow. I found myself skipping sections of the book so I could find a part to grab my attention again. But once it did..... I was clutching my iPad too tight because I was so invested in what was going on.

I really enjoyed the story, characters, and extensive world-building.

The writing was fine. Like I said, it lost me in a couple of places and sometimes I was confused on what was happening. Although, it did have its moments when it had me absolutely sobbing. ESPECIALLY at the end!

Overall, this is perfect for fans of in-depth sci-fi.

I received a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is an adult sci-fi novel that is of the space opera variety. It is following the main character named Kira who is on a scouting missing when she falls through an alien structure. It is the first sign of other intelligent life that humans have found even though it is set in the very distant future. It kind of starts a war. I enjoyed many aspects of this book. It is very character-focused and has really subtle interesting character moments and world-building. But it is also really action-packed especially in the second half of this book. The last third of this book is just all action and I loved every second of it.

Here is my video for a more comprehensive review: https://youtu.be/AylLB6bdz2E

I will say this book felt a little long for the story that it gave. From about the 25% mark to the 50% mark the story dragged a bit. But now that I have finished the book and I’m so attached to these characters, I can totally see myself re-reading that section and completely loving it.

One thing I did forget to mention in the video is my feeling about the audio narration. I’m going to be honest I didn’t love it. There was nothing wrong with the audiobook narrator, but there was a slight echo that made her voice sound a bit mechanical. Perhaps if the main character were a robot this would not have annoyed me. But it did annoy me, especially in the beginning. I got used to it after a while. This was the first audiobook that I listened to in the net galley app though, so not sure if that was the actual audiobook or just the app being weird.

This book is big. Like space big. Usually that makes me very happy, almost as happy as reading a really good, completed trilogy and finding out there are also spin offs. This one though, took me quite a while to read. I received an early sneak peak of the story through Net Galley, which was plenty to get me hooked.
I loved the idea of a xenobiologist living on a new planet, mapping it for life forms. She has all the good things in her life going on for her when she stumbles on ancient alien tech. Luckily, I was chosen to receive an arc through Net Galley and Tor/Forge so I could continue with the story. There is a lot that goes on in the book. Our main character, Kira, finds herself bonded to an alien life form, not tech, as she previously thought. As she learns to coexist with this life form, she learns that space is much larger than she thought and she has quite the role to play.
The writing is very descriptive. Mostly that is a good thing, I can picture the world and the life forms she comes across, but that also makes this story one that you have to pay close attention to, or it is very easy to get lost. The characters were great, I loved Gregorovich, and if you’ve read Christopher Paolini’s previous works, the Inheritance Cycle, then you’ll get a little Easter egg thrown in for good measure.
There are some spots, where the story drags, but then the action ramps up and you are thrown right back in. Thank you, Tor, NetGalley and Christopher Paolini for the ability to read an advance copy and leave a review.

I don’t even know how to begin to explain how amazing this space opera is. There is humor, action, love, mind bending physics, epic battles, redemption, ugh it’s just so damn good. YES, this is a clunker. It’s over 800 pages. Yes, even the audiobook takes 30+ hours. BUT these will be some of the best hours of your life. If you like space, intricate alien technology, sarcasm, romance, and action you will love this. OH and you better love adorable space pigs and recalcitrant AIs. The ending is a little open-ended so will there be a sequel? Will Kira continue her mission? We shall see!!! This book is honestly perfection!

Kira Navarez is a scientist with a passion for exploring new worlds. On a routine check of equipment on one of these worlds, Kira finds an artifact that ends up transforming her life forever...and the universe.

I read this book as a partial galley back in April of this year, and was pleased when I was able to read the full book later on.

When I read the partial galley, I remember that I assumed I was reading a rather large bit of the book. Oh, was I wrong-but in the best of ways! To Sleep in a Sea of Stars covers so much ground, and is quite the lengthy read, but it's worth it. Don't be daunted by the length!

While the synopsis gives hint that there is a malevolent force or beings in the universe, I was unsure starting the book what the tone would be. To my surprise and pleasure, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars feels like classic sci-fi thriller/horror, like Alien. There’s even a colony that is called Weyland, which I feel is an intentional reference! Kira is the Ripley of the story, and she does not disappoint. Kira kicks butt and is a person to be reckoned with, but she is vulnerable and so very human as well. The tone of the story lulls you into a sense of complacency, before everything hits the fan. When the action happens, it’s delightful and disturbing, with a real sense of gravity.

The tone of sci-fi thriller/horror stays throughout the book, though the tone does change at times for us to get some more personal moments with Kira and other characters that she interacts with. I appreciate that while it can be fast paced action, there's still time for moments of growth, and for developing actual characters that you care about. I was attached to every single character, which is quite a feat in a book this long, and with so many characters.

The worldbuilding in this story was incredible. I love seeing how sci-fi books make the aliens so...alien. The aliens in this book were developed and weird and fantastic. Everything felt so visceral and real.

I could go on for days about this book, how profound it is, the themes of entropy and renewal, morals and so forth. Or even just talking about the aliens and how unique they are! Sadly, that would start to move towards spoiler territory. My final words are these: read this book. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is one of the most unique science fiction stories I've read in a long time.

Rating: 9.0/10

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance copy of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is simply astonishing. This is the premiere space opera epic of 2020 and is a fantastic adult debut for Paolini. If you enjoy stories about first contact, traversing the galaxy, uncovering ancient artifacts, and a gigantic space battle, this door-stopper is for you.

I’ll go ahead and lead this review by stating a simple fact: I have NOT read The Inheritance Cycle. I have it. I want to read it. I just simply haven’t. Sorry not sorry.
So to say that I went into this 850+ page work of fiction with high expectations based on the author’s previous works is now mute.

What I can say is that I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this novel; so much so that I devoured it in a matter of a couple of days which I feel that I tend to do with such massive tomes (i.e. Wanderers, Seven Blades in Black, A Game of Thrones, etc). Maybe more authors should stick with this “writing an entire story in one massive novel” idea instead of breaking it off into trilogies or longer (or just for my sake, give me the collection up front).

*Obviously kidding as longer series make for anticipation, mo money, and TBRs. Amirite?*

Paolini’s writing itself was part of what I like most. This doesn’t feel like a YA author taking a stab at writing adult fiction (eyes a couple of authors without mentioning names). The dialogue is smooth and emotionally gripping without all the unnecessary language; romance, though somewhat overshadowed, doesn’t involve a whole lot of fluff or fluffing (get it?); and the characters didn’t make me feel like I was too old to be reading the story and vibing with it.

While world-building played a big piece, I really was enamored with the character of Kira Navárez. From the onset, she is your POV. If you can’t connect with her, its game over. Luckily, she was super easy to root for, and I think an emotional hook in the early stages really helped cement my relationship with her. She also meets a litany of characters along the ride toward a dramatic conclusion that help with comic relief, getting Kira out of her own head, and also keeping her on track with the task at hand.

There is a ton to this book, but revealing one of the biggest pieces practically spoils the whole thing. If you enjoy Paolini’s writing, you probably already have this one pre-ordered. If you like first contact stories with galaxy-wide implications, this should be high on your list. Don’t let the page count scare you off; by the time you are finished, it’ll have been a ride of a lifetime.

What a wonderful book! The world building was excellent, and the writing was beautiful. The only reason I couldn’t give 5 stars is the author occasionally gets bogged down in descriptive paragraphs, so it took me longer than usual to finish. Definitely going to put it on display in my library!