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

mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This book is really interesting. It's wildly different than Paolini's Inheritance cycle, and it seems to blend a variety of different sci-fi, fantasy, and fiction conventions. His use of "exeunts" between chapters and systems shows the influence from his unsuccessful playwriting endeavors, and yet, it helps with the pacing of the book. I've read that some think this is a sluggish read, but for me, the balance between fast and slow pace feels apt for this particular story, using playwriting conventions to set up every action scene.
The main character of the story is a Latina woman, but the inclusivity in this book doesn't feel robust. The writing also feels rather male-focused, as Kira develops
relationships with primarily two male characters, Gregorivich and Falconi (aka Salvo) but doesn't develop any deep female friendships. The queer couple in the book is casually mentioned (at an attempt at normalization?), and Kira's family is always on the periphery of the story without getting any fleshed-out details. As a result, Kira's primary relationships are to two male characters, even becoming intimate with one of them. It feels limiting. And, the voice does not feel so different from that of Eragon's, only mentioning her "parts down there" in an early scene to remind us that Kira is female-identifying. The take on gender in this book also feels a little neoliberal. The alien species' focus on two-forms being ship minds and bipedal humans renders gender an afterthought, but gender norms nonetheless feel very classically reinforced. I feel like Paolini could have done a bit more with this. The ending with Kira becoming this Gaea-like god for the entire universe is disappointing. She becomes defined by reproductive power, instead of transcending it with the possibility for a post humanist feminist theory (see Donna Haraway's A Cyborg Manifesto. In that regard, gender defines the future, instead of being something to transcend.
. Despite that, I've read some reviews that find the banter of the characters to be childish or out-of-place. I'd disagree. There seems to be a realness in Paolini's writing when it comes to camaraderie and humor. It's easy to dismiss that as low-hanging dialogue fruit, but it resembles a lot of the silly merriment of real friend groups. And that's commendable. I'm satisfied with this book. It didn't feel long. The pacing was really enjoyable. And, it is very well-researched, making it feel like I'm diving into a world already there, in which Paolini has fully fleshed out the edges and spots that never make it into the narrative at all. 
Despite the drawbacks, I found myself really enjoying this book, especially Paolini's commentary at the end. For what it is, it's really beautiful. 
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