A review by ashlightgrayson
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I don't usually read hard sci-fi like this, but this one gradually grew on me. It reminded of original Star Trek in terms of pacing, but with really enthralling action scenes in between the lulls of the plot. There is an emphasis on the vastness of outer space and this first book feels like an introduction to the Fractalverse overall. It takes a while to really get to know the characters, but by the end I really appreciated the humor and friendship amongst the crew. I would say it is definitely more of a plot dye l driven story, though.

The conclusion of the story is open ended and emphasized how far in the future the story is occurring. I think some people may see some aspects of fantasy in the world and story. Personally, I found that interesting and enjoyable. I’m not one to nitpick at the minor aspects of a world if it doesn’t really affect the story. It’s a fictional story with aliens, spaceships, and impossible space travel, so a symbiotic relationship that modifies the host party isn’t really where I draw the line is what I’m saying. If you want to just read this first book and stop here you totally can. However, I definitely think I'm going to read the sequel. I feel like I appreciated the story most after finishing it and having time to digest everything that happened. It’s one of those books that I think you have to sit with for a bit in order to determine if it’s for you or not. Even if it’s not for you, I think it’s not a bad introduction to hard sci-fi. I'm looking forward to more.
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