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geny444's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I came to read this after reading to sleep in a sea of stars. If you compare this book to hid other work, this will let you down. While not bad, this reads more like a short story about the daily life of a scientific crew. Interesting at times, but not thrilling.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Suicidal thoughts
bean_7088's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Would make an excellent Sci-fi episode.
Oof this was a hard one. I think I really wasn't in the mood for it? I could tell I would like it, but I had to keep pausing and going back and was distracted a lot.. which really ruins the tension.
I feel like if Sleep in a sea of stars was ever adapted into a show, this would make a really great episode or parallel B plot kind of thing.
I also realized that I don't much like the enhanced audio thing much? Aaaand Paolini is fond of Apenicies and whatever and they are torture in audio book. Not as bad at texting chats, but they suck. The whole last hour was just that.
Anyways, I didn't rate it because I didn't know what to do with it. I liked it, but my listening habits ruined it? So
Edit:jk, I hated seeing it without a rating. So I just gave it something appropriate for now.
Oof this was a hard one. I think I really wasn't in the mood for it? I could tell I would like it, but I had to keep pausing and going back and was distracted a lot.. which really ruins the tension.
I feel like if Sleep in a sea of stars was ever adapted into a show, this would make a really great episode or parallel B plot kind of thing.
I also realized that I don't much like the enhanced audio thing much? Aaaand Paolini is fond of Apenicies and whatever and they are torture in audio book. Not as bad at texting chats, but they suck. The whole last hour was just that.
Anyways, I didn't rate it because I didn't know what to do with it. I liked it, but my listening habits ruined it? So
Edit:jk, I hated seeing it without a rating. So I just gave it something appropriate for now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and Death
Spoilersthat_boi_eliza's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Violence, and Self harm
Minor: Vomit and Gun violence
menacingmarble's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Very stressful read. I had to put it down for a few weeks. It's
THUDS
the way that things
THUDS
get interrupted often is what really got me
THUDS
the way that things
THUDS
get interrupted often is what really got me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Blood, Gore, Murder, and Violence
lymadebell's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I loved this book! It was tense and dark and emotional. It was told partially through flashbacks to a previous time and present day events. I thought the crew that was listed in the book was diverse and interesting and sort of fully formed people. But mostly the ground crew that was on the strange planet was who you got to know and I felt like they were all very fully formed people and that's always great. The narration for this was really good. They had some music that was done and some sound effects that I think really added to the book. I was really happy about the constant building of tension throughout the book. I don't think this book really had an ending per se, more of a possible continuation. Although, that makes sense as this is technically a prequel to "to sleep in a sea of stars." So that does make more sense when you think of it that way. Either way, strong characters, really tense Interesting plot and an amazing narration and musical score. Musical score was unexpected but still very good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying and Medical trauma
momokomoon94's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked this book, I wanted to like it more. Spoiler alert:
The whole book is the journey to the freaking hole. Also Alex’s character is a little one dimensional imo.
The whole book is the journey to the freaking hole. Also Alex’s character is a little one dimensional imo.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Violence
daniparvu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I have far too many unanswered questions finishing this book. Some are okay; some are even necessary... but most of them, in this case, should've been answered. This book is very bleak and somehow also not as emotional as it could've been so it left me feeling dazed and confused. I'm sure someone will love it, but it's not for me. That said, based on reading other reviews, I recommend listening to the audiobook of this one rather than reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Drug use and Violence
smoakwithwifi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Grief
Moderate: Death, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
krysley's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this digital audiobook in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
While I thought the first book in the Christopher Paolini's Fractalverse, his foray into adult sci-fi, was too long, Fractal Noise ends up being too short. It's a journey novel, but nothing is resolved at the end or explained.
Things I did like:
The narrator, Jennifer Hale. While I questioned the reasoning behind having a female narrator for a book written entirely from the point of view of a man, I liked the continuity from To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. Hale is an excellent narrator and performs great once again.
The thuds. I know other readers found these unnecessary and repetitive, but I loved the thuds interspersed throughout the story. Just when you forget about it - thump - its insidiousness is back. It makes you really think about how that sound/feeling could drive a person insane with it's constant repetition.
There are a few things that really work for me here, but, ultimately, most of it doesn't.
While I thought the first book in the Christopher Paolini's Fractalverse, his foray into adult sci-fi, was too long, Fractal Noise ends up being too short. It's a journey novel, but nothing is resolved at the end or explained.
Things I did like:
The narrator, Jennifer Hale. While I questioned the reasoning behind having a female narrator for a book written entirely from the point of view of a man, I liked the continuity from To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. Hale is an excellent narrator and performs great once again.
The thuds. I know other readers found these unnecessary and repetitive, but I loved the thuds interspersed throughout the story. Just when you forget about it - thump - its insidiousness is back. It makes you really think about how that sound/feeling could drive a person insane with it's constant repetition.
There are a few things that really work for me here, but, ultimately, most of it doesn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
spec_tacles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood