Audiobook Review: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (September 15, 2020)
Length: 32 hrs and 29 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Jennifer Hale
Best known for his YA fantasy Eragon, Christopher Paolini has taken a massive leap with To Sleep in A Sea of Stars, venturing into the world of adult sci-fi, and I won’t lie, I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about the book. I believe this would be his first full-length novel in almost ten years following the end of The Inheritance Cycle, and I do emphasize full-length because this sucker is nearly 900 pages long in print, a whopping thirty-two and a half hours in audio. I mean, trying his hand at a completely different genre is one thing, but that’s also a pretty big ask from readers in terms of time and emotional commitment.
So how did it all work out? Well, I think the answer to that would depend on whether or not this is your first Paolini, and to a greater extent, how much experience you have with the science fiction genre. Speaking for myself, I’ve never read any of The Inheritance Cycle books so I went into this as a complete newcomer to the author’s work, and I have to say I enjoyed his storytelling style and writing. On the other hand though, I am also a voracious reader of sci-fi, and I couldn’t help but notice a lack of originality and depth to the plot and themes of the book, which encompasses and rehashes a lot of genre elements that will feel very familiar.
To Sleep in A Sea of Stars follows Kira, a xenobiologist stationed at a research facility on a far-flung moon with a team of her fellow scientists, which includes her boyfriend Alan. Upon the completion of their assignment, Kira and Alan have plans to get married and join a group of colonists sponsored by their employer to settle on a new world and start a new life together, but before those dreams could come to pass, disaster strikes. While doing a final run-through of the system before they leave, Kira notices the remnants of a strange alien relic on the planet and decides to investigate. At her touch, however, something ancient is awakened, causing the dust to swirl about her and cover her entire body in a mysterious black substance.
Kira loses consciousness, and when she wakes up again, much time has passed. She finds out that her team had rescued her, but they too are at a loss as to what happened. What’s clear though, is that the alien “suit” has become a part of her, and she can no more get rid of it than she can rid herself of her skin. To her astonishment, it is also sentient, forming a connection with her mind and calling itself “The Soft Blade.” Without revealing too much, all I’ll say is that what comes next doesn’t end well for Kira or her friends. Soon, our protagonist finds herself hunted, presumably by the alien species alerted by her discovery of the symbiont. Drawn into a galactic war, Kira has no choice but to take a stand and defend humanity from its enemies on all sides.
As I said, there’s nothing too groundbreaking about the novel’s premise, and after a promising start, the plot ultimately settles into a comfortable pace while remaining safe within well-trodden territory, becoming a rather pedestrian space opera. It pretty much has all the tropes, from alien invasions to out-of-control AI. Still, to his credit, Paolini does have some cool ideas which include interesting world-building concepts related to alien worlds and technology. Yet perhaps what’s most significant of all about To Sleep in A Sea of Stars is the fact that it is a labor of love. In the author’s afterword, he pours his heart out on the writing process behind the book, which was years in the making, and needless to say, that kind of enthusiasm is very catching especially when you can sense that passion for his creation in every word.
That being said, it would be a lie to claim that every single page of this doorstopper of a novel provided non-stop engagement. It helped that the focus of the story was mostly on Kira, removing the need to divide my attention between multiple perspectives, but that didn’t mean the plot didn’t meander or drag on at times. In fact, given the book’s length, it was probably inevitable. There’s no sugarcoating it; there was a lot of bloat, and sections where not much seemed to be happening. Paolini also tends to focus all of his attention on Kira and everything that is immediately around her, and so while I cared a lot for her as a character, I couldn’t really say the same about most of her supporting cast. Of course, there were exceptions, like Falconi, and I particularly enjoyed the slow-burn build-up to the romance between Kira and the roguish captain. Unfortunately though, many more secondary characters fell to the wayside, drifting in and out from the periphery without making much of an impact.
In sum, To Sleep in A Sea of Stars was my first book by Christopher Paolini, and maybe it’s because I listened to the audiobook, but I found that his writing style flowed well with an assessable quality that made it easy to get into. The problems I had were mainly in the storytelling and pacing—like an overreliance on timeworn sci-fi tropes, underdeveloped side characters and an uneven plot. And yet, although this was not a perfect novel, I was impressed with its scope and the sheer amount of love and effort the author obviously poured into it.
In the end, should you read this book? Well, I personally thought it was worth the read—or in my case, the listen. Given the novel’s length, I’m sure not everyone will feel the same way, but I especially enjoyed my time with the audiobook edition of To Sleep in A Sea of Stars. I confess I chose to review this format specifically for the narrator, the amazing Jennifer Hale, whom I adore for her voicework in video games. The end of the audiobook edition also includes a brief but fantastic interview between Paolini and Hale, which was very illuminating. For one thing, I did not know this was her first time narrating an audiobook, but considering her years of experience in voice acting, I was not surprised at the phenomenal quality of the performance that she delivered, and her heartfelt reading simply made the hours fly by because I could listen to Commander Shepard talk at me forever.
The BiblioSanctum 
I HATED Paolini because of his blatant copycat Eragon novel and all the buzz around it as if there were no far better books.
I‘d have given him another try now but your review lowered my expectation. I‘ll give it a pass and thank you for it.
I guess it will do a good thing bringing his vast fanbase to the SF genre.
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Hmm, I’ve been hearing a lot that “copycatting” is a big issue when it comes to Paolini
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Only an issue if one read the originals. I‘ve read Eragon to my son some 15 years ago and he absolutely loved it.
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Ok I see that one everywhere and wanted to give it a try. After your review I’ll go the audioroad!
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Absolutely go for the audio. Narrator is great, and with a long book like this, the format also makes it easier 🙂
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I couldn’t help but notice a lack of originality and depth to the plot and themes of the book, which encompasses and rehashes a lot of genre elements that will feel very familiar.
This sums up his Inheritance series to a T…
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I’ve heard! I’ve never read it, but I don’t think I ever will.
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I haven’t read him either, and i do want to read this at some point. Sigh. Maybe for Sci Fi Month?
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Sounds like a plan! Hope you set aside some time, it’s a doorstopper 🙂
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Thanks for the review, Mogsy. I’ll give this one a miss.
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You’re very welcome! 😀
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Your decision to go with the audiobooks sounds like a great one, because it would seem that the talented narrator helped you overcome the problems I had with this story, mainly the excessive wordiness and the not-so-original themes – and it allowed you to get to the end of this massive novel, which is a feat in itself… 😉
Thanks for sharing!
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I think Jennifer Hale’s narration definitely helped. She’s just awesome! And I know the format itself helped me power through 🙂
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Yeah this would probably be one I pass on just based on the length. I don’t mind a tome now and then but it does take a commitment!
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Yup, that’s why I find I don’t read as much epic fantasy anymore, I still love the genre but the time commitment it takes can be too much sometimes!
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I was wondering about this one since its announcement. Maybe one day!
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Crossing my fingers!
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I am not sure,and it is SO long. Eh, if it comes my way then yes
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Haha, the page count always intimidates!
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Oh, LOL, that setup sounds like Venom origin story 😀
Unoriginality is Paolini’s main problem, I believe – I read Eragon and couldn’t believe it was actually published, it was such a blatant ripoff of SW and Tolkien 😉
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It totally does sound like the venom story! I was thinking the exact same thing as the scene played out, down to the oily black skin suit thing!
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It is exactly like Venom, a black oily alien symbiote with a mind of its own that somewhat obeys the wearer but has a preference for violence. Paolini is not creative.
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I think I will probably avoid this one for now. Like you, I haven’t yet read this story but the lack of originality and length give me pause. Never say never though and I am intrigued – but 900 pages. Like I’ve said before I don’t mind a lengthy book – I just mind if they feel lengthy.
Lynn 😀
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I understand. And it’s one thing if it was average length, but at almost 1000 pages, it should make anyone hesitate.
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I watched and have mostly forgotten about the Egagon movie, but that’s my only exposure to his work. Right from the start, though, the size alone gives me pause. That’s a big time commitment. Granted, the story does sound interesting. I guess I’m undecided on this one. But I loved the review, how you shared its strengths and weaknesses.
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Before this, the Eragon movie was my only exposure to his work as well. And it wasn’t…great 😛
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Lol. Paolini’s books are super long. I read Eragon, then most of the sequel, but didn’t finish haha.
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I’ve not read the Eragon books, and well, from what everyone’s been saying about it, I probably never will 😛
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I was looking forward to another book by him because I liked the Inheritance Cycle when I first read it (not so much on reread), but I’m gonna end up passing on this because I’m not big on sci-fi and this doesn’t seem like a book to just wet my toes with being almost 900 pages long.
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I definitely think it was a bold move to write a 900 pager after so long. And there’s so much content, I really think he could have made it a duology or even a trilogy, that didn’t demand so much time and commitment from readers.
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Hmm I have mixed feelings about picking this up, cos I tried the Inheritance Cycle as an adult and wasn’t blown away (though perhaps I would’ve enjoyed it more if I’d tried it as a teen). I don’t know if I’m up for a book as long as that, which doesn’t bring anything new to the table (incidentally those were some of my biggest issues with Eragon).
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Yeah, I don’t think I’ll ever try his Inheritance Cycle, precisely because I think I’m way past the age I would appreciate it! And from what I’ve been hearing, originality (or rather, the lack of) seems to be his main issue!
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