To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

”Knowing the organism had a name (and not one she had given it) changed Kira’s view of it. Instead of thinking of the xeno just as an interloper and a potentially deadly parasite, now she saw it more as a … companion. It was a profound shift. And not one she had intended or anticipated. Though as she belatedly realized, names changed—and defined—all things, including relationships. The situation reminded her of naming a pet; once you did, that was that, you had to keep the animal, whether you’d

”Knowing the organism had a name (and not one she had given it) changed Kira’s view of it. Instead of thinking of the xeno just as an interloper and a potentially deadly parasite, now she saw it more as a … companion. It was a profound shift. And not one she had intended or anticipated. Though as she belatedly realized, names changed—and defined—all things, including relationships. The situation reminded her of naming a pet; once you did, that was that, you had to keep the animal, whether you’d planned to or not. The Soft Blade …”

Kira Navárez is a xenobiologist. She aspires to be the Howard Carter of her chosen profession. She dreams of finding her own Tutankhamun tomb, only of the alien origin variety (though I’ve read some speculation that the pharaohs were descended from aliens, but that is a different discussion). Little does she know she is about to make the largest discovery in human history. Circumstances, much of it beyond her control, will determine whether she is about to become famous or infamous.

Kira is on what began as a routine check of equipment when she falls through a hole in the planet’s surface and emerges with a second skin, an alien skin that cannot be removed. She is bonded with it and soon learns that, if she doesn’t master it, The Soft Blade will make threat assessments for her with sometimes very dire outcomes. Draconian measures may be inflicted swiftly without hesitation on friends or foes. Her dream has come true, and she has found a new alien lifeform, but first contact is nothing like what she imagined it would be. She is entwined with this xeno for…life

Christopher Paolini was a teenage sensation. He was homeschooled and graduated from high school at age fifteen. He published his first book, Eragon, when he was only nineteen. The book became an international best seller, which spawned several sequels and a series of blockbuster movies. He continues to write short stories in the Inheritance Cycle universe, but he had an itch to write something different. Something even more challenging. He wanted to write for an adult audience. He wanted to write an epic, science fiction novel.

Paolini from the afterward: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars isn’t perfect, but it’s the best version of this story I could write, and I’m proud of the final result. To quote Rolfe Humphries from the foreword to his translation of The Aeneid: “The scope of an epic requires, in the writing, a designed variety, a calculated unevenness, now and then some easy-going carelessness.” I really liked this quote because I think sometimes books are overzealously edited. I like the plot to be a bit loosy-goosy. There is a comfort in it that allows me as the reader to settle back into my favorite reading chair and know I’m in for a long, somewhat meandering journey, even if it is at a speed faster than light.

Paolini confesses he wrestled with this novel and experienced the same frustrations as any novelist trying to capture the concepts in his head and put them down in hard cold print. Despite the expanded vocabulary of English, the largest in the world I believe, it is still a struggle to find the proper words and put them in the proper order to take the picture in the mind of the writer and bring it to life in the mind of the reader. Neil Gaiman has discussed this with the writing of his book American Gods. A wonderful concept and a hugely successful book with readers and also with the watchers of the series, Gaiman will tell you that he didn’t quite get it. He worked his ass off trying to recreate exactly what his mind had conceived, and he ultimately fell short. The TV series, in some aspects, is better than the book. It benefits from a team of talented writers who are collectively grappling with a concept that is as large as history itself.

If I were to ever get a chance to ask Paolini a question, it would be, what didn’t make the transition from your mind to print? Keep in mind, I give this book five stars. I think it is a brilliant epic that manages to present large concepts in a sometimes playful and yet very serious way.

So Kira, needless to say, makes critical mistakes while on her quest to understand and control this “gift” she has been given. There are many moments when she wishes she could rip it from her skin. She wants to be normal, chasing her old dreams, not superhumanalien. She is soon persona non grata with her own species as they are, understandably, more interested in scientifically probing her than helping her. She, fortunately, soon finds herself joined with a band of misfits on the small, but powerful, smuggling ship, the Wallfish. Captain Falconi is comfortable taking in strays and giving them new purposes. He’s never encountered anything like Kira before, but he is quite possibly the best man, with a shady past of his own, to deal with Kira’s peculiarities. Paolini does a fantastic job with developing the characters of this band of outcasts. The crew are all well-defined, distinct personalities who quickly wedge their way into any reader’s heart.

Gregorovich, the ship’s mind, is my favorite character. He is a castaway, salvaged from a crashed ship, and is progressively going mad. Here’s a sampling of his melted synapses at work: “Once my mind was cleared of perfidious visions and debilitating doubts, it was quite a simple challenge to circumvent, oh yes it was. A twist of that, a dab of this, lizard’s leg and adder’s fork, and a sly bit of mischievous torque.” Anybody else sensing a Shakespearean influence on his madness?

There are the Jellies, an alien species who came from some distant planet’s oceans with a corpulent dictator intent on conquering the humans. There is the Maw, which is creating these broken, terrifying creatures that exist in only the nightmares of people like Stephen King. “Four meat-red ships sailed overhead, their tortured hulls glistening like raw flesh. Nightmares.” #*shiver*

Kira is the best chance the universe has to achieve peace between the humans and the Jellies and at the same time keep the Maw from devouring the universe. Kira is unique, and though most of us desire to be unique, those who achieve it soon discover that much is expected, and being normal starts to look very attractive. Kira feels that loneliness acutely, and despite all the gifts of The Soft Blade, she will need the help of others if she hopes to achieve a peaceful existence for humans and aliens alike.

This is truly a “galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation.”

I never paid any attention to Paolini when he was writing about dragons. I had no interest in a young, upstart crow having the audacity to write a bestselling novel at age nineteen. My son did, though. He read all of the books in the series, and really Eragon was probably one of his first obsessions about anything. Paolini made more than enough moolah off the Inheritance Cycle to never have to pick up a quill or queue up a word processing program ever again, but he still had the itch to share the ideas that were still percolating in his mind. When I was approached about reading and reviewing this book, my first thought was that I was not the right reader for a young adult writer, but Paolini has deftly made the transition from his youthful ventures in Alagaësia to his adult travels in the sea of stars.

”Enough. I’ve said my fill. The air is cold, the stars are bright, and this tale has reached its end, both for Kira and for me. Eat the path.”—Christopher Paolini

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I wanted to share a couple of pictures of the beautiful signed copy that Tor Books and Goodreads sent me in exchange for an honest review. I also have shared some of my highlights and added some comments.

Kira Navárez is a xenobiologist. She aspires to be the Howard Carter of her choose profession. She dreams of finding her own Tutankhamun grave, merely of the alien origin kind ( though I ’ ve read some speculation that the pharaoh were descended from aliens, but that is a unlike discussion ). small does she know she is about to make the largest discovery in human history. Circumstances, much of it beyond her dominance, will determine whether she is about to become celebrated or infamous.Kira is on what began as a everyday check of equipment when she falls through a hole in the satellite ’ mho surface and emerges with a second skin, an stranger skin that can not be removed. She is bonded with it and soon learns that, if she doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate overlord it, The Soft Blade will make menace assessments for her with sometimes very desperate outcomes. draconian measures may be inflicted swiftly without hesitation on friends or foes. Her dream has come true, and she has found a new alien lifeform, but beginning contact is nothing like what she imagined it would be. She is entwined with this xeno for … lifeChristopher Paolini was a adolescent sensation. He was homeschooled and graduated from high educate at historic period fifteen. He published his first book, , when he was lone nineteen. The ledger became an international best seller, which spawned respective sequels and a series of blockbuster movies. He continues to write short stories in the Inheritance Cycle universe, but he had an scabies to write something different. Something even more challenge. He wanted to write for an adult audience. He wanted to write an epic, science fabrication novel.Paolini from the subsequently : I actually liked this quote because I think sometimes books are overzealously edited. I like the plot to be a bit loosy-goosy. There is a comfort in it that allows me as the reader to settle back into my darling reading president and know I ’ m in for a long, slightly meandering journey, even if it is at a accelerate faster than light.Paolini confesses he wrestled with this novel and experienced the like frustrations as any novelist trying to capture the concepts in his question and put them down in hard cold print. Despite the elaborate vocabulary of English, the largest in the global I believe, it is still a struggle to find the proper words and put them in the proper order to take the visualize in the thinker of the writer and bring it to biography in the mind of the reviewer. Neil Gaiman has discussed this with the compose of his book. A fantastic concept and a enormously successful reserve with readers and besides with the watchers of the series, Gaiman will tell you that he didn ’ metric ton quite get it. He worked his fuck off trying to recreate precisely what his thinker had conceived, and he ultimately fell curtly. The television receiver series, in some aspects, is better than the record. It benefits from a team of talented writers who are jointly grappling with a concept that is vitamin a large as history itself.If I were to ever get a prospect to ask Paolini a question, it would be, what didn ’ t make the transition from your mind to print ? Keep in mind, I give this book five stars. I think it is a brilliant epic that manages to present big concepts in a sometimes playful and so far very good way.So Kira, phonograph needle to say, makes critical mistakes while on her quest to understand and control this “ endow ” she has been given. There are many moments when she wishes she could rip it from her clamber. She wants to be normal, chasing her erstwhile dream, not superhumanalien. She is soon character not grata with her own species as they are, intelligibly, more concerned in scientifically probing her than helping her. She, fortunately, soon finds herself joined with a band of misfits on the small, but mighty, smuggling ship, the Wallfish. Captain Falconi is comfortable taking in strays and giving them new purposes. He ’ s never encountered anything like Kira before, but he is quite possibly the best man, with a shady past of his own, to deal with Kira ’ second peculiarities. Paolini does a fantastic job with developing the characters of this band of outcasts. The gang are all chiseled, discrete personalities who promptly wedge their way into any reader ’ s heart.Gregorovich, the ship ’ mho mind, is my front-runner character. He is a castaway, salvaged from a crash ship, and is increasingly going harebrained. here ’ s a sample distribution of his fade synapses at exploit : Anybody else sensing a shakespearian determine on his madness ? There are the Jellies, an stranger species who came from some distant planet ’ mho oceans with a corpulent dictator purpose on conquering the humans. There is the Maw, which is creating these broken, terrifying creatures that exist in entirely the nightmares of people like Stephen King. # *shiver*Kira is the best luck the population has to achieve peace between the humans and the Jellies and at the same time keep the Maw from devouring the population. Kira is singular, and though most of us desire to be alone, those who achieve it soon discover that a lot is expected, and being normal starts to look very attractive. Kira feels that loneliness astutely, and despite all the gifts of The Soft Blade, she will need the help of others if she hopes to achieve a passive universe for humans and aliens alike.This is rightfully a “ I never paid any attention to Paolini when he was writing about dragons. I had no concern in a young, kip brag having the audacity to write a bestselling novel at historic period nineteen. My son did, though. He read all of the books in the series, and reallywas credibly one of his first base obsessions about anything. Paolini made more than enough moolah off the Inheritance Cycle to never have to pick up a quill or queue up a news process plan ever again, but he silent had the rub to share the ideas that were inactive percolating in his mind. When I was approached about read and reviewing this book, my first thinking was that I was not the right proofreader for a young adult writer, but Paolini has dexterously made the transition from his youthful ventures in Alagaësia to his adult travels in the sea of stars.If you wish to see more of my most holocene record and movie reviews, visit hypertext transfer protocol : //www.jeffreykeeten.com I besides have a Facebook blogger page at : hypertext transfer protocol : //www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account hypertext transfer protocol : //www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/ I wanted to plowshare a copulate of pictures of the beautiful signed imitate that Tor Books and Goodreads sent me in substitute for an good review. I besides have shared some of my highlights and added some comments.