I really enjoyed this prequel to To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars - it captures the atmosphere perfectly, especially with the sound effects that are in the audiobook!

Amazon Summary
On the planet Talos VII, twenty-three years before the events of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, an anomaly is detected: a vast circular pit, with dimensions so perfect that it could only have been the result of conscious design. So a small team is assembled to learn more – perhaps even who built the hole and why. Their mission will take them on a hazardous trek to the very edge of existence.

For one explorer, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. For another, a risk not worth taking. And for xenobiologist Alex Crichton, it’s a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe. But every step they take towards that mysterious abyss is more punishing than the last. Ultimately, no one is prepared for what they will encounter.

My Review
I love to sleep in a sea of stars so much and had high hopes for this book, it didn’t let me down. I was hooked right from the start. The world building is amazing and so detailed. I love all the characters and how they develop through the book. Another great book from Mr Poaolini.

Fractal Noise, the prequel to the masterful space opera To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by internationally bestselling author of Eragon, Christopher Paolini published today with Tor (UK) @blackcrow_pr

A complex and intense yet thrilling and mesmerising read - this book comes at you packed full of adventure and space operatic atmosphere that you won’t be able to put it down. A great edition to the fractalverse series that can be read entirely as a standalone.

Thank you BlackCrow PR (Tor UK) for my gifted arc, audiobook and finished copy.

4.5 stars ✨

Enjoyed the plot and the premise. Introduction to setting and characters worked well. Wouldn’t change anything. 5 stars

Listening to the audiobook of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars a few years back was a real highlight, so I was extremely excited to get the chance to listen to Paolini’s new novel before publication.

First off, the narration is just perfect. Jennifer Hale does such a remarkable job, it’s a real pleasure to listen to.

Fractal Noise is a lot shorter than its predecessor, and as such I felt it lacks some of the depth that made the first book so great. The story is fun and enjoyable, but it lacks the sizes and gravitas that makes the space opera what it is.

Its still a hugely enjoyable book, and I love the Fractalverse as a setting. Look forward to reading/listening to more in the future.

Christopher Paolini is one of my favorite authors of all time, naturally for his renowned Inheritance series which was one the first fantasy series I recall immersing myself in as a child. That aside, I had no idea what to expect from his more recent science fiction books which isn't a genre I usually pick up, but I couldn't resist giving it a go. And I have to say I was quite impressed!! Kudos to the audiobook narrator and everyone else involved in producing the sound effects for it, but Paolini's brilliance continues to shine all the way through.

Fractal Noise follows the story of a mixed group of scientists on an explorative mission when they come across a giant hole on planet Talos, and follows their journey as they struggle to overcome various challenges to reach their destination, not the least of which is trusting each other. The group dynamics plays well alongside the challenges the MMC, Alex Crichton is going through as he struggles to cope with the effects of losing his partner, Layla. Grief is such an individual experience and the way Palonini weaves his magic using this mission to explore all the various stages and effects of grief really struck a chord with me. This is a book I will definitely be reading again with a physical copy to better soak in the beautiful writing. But would highly recommended the audiobook to anyone who hasn't read it yet!

Special thanks to MacMillan UK and Netgalley for providing an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audio book, and initially found the chapter numbering a little confusing (I probably wasn’t paying close enough attention), but once I realised what was going on I quickly got the hang of it.
I did reach a point fairly early on where Alex’s Layla-related introspectives become a bit tedious, but I’m being a bit picky. If you’d lost the person you loved most in the world then that would probably occupy much of your waking thought too. These also turned out to be a major plot point in story; I hadn’t expected them to play such a large part, and they did take over a major chunk of the book. Around halfway through, they got a little more interesting, especially as Alex began to replay Layla’s memories, and it felt like they were building towards something. (There is an awful lot of navel-gazing in this book, which I wasn’t expecting, and it tends towards philosophy a little too much for my taste.)
None of the characters are especially likeable. Alex is a bit of a pitiful character with a tendency to wallow in his misery and self loathing; not really my thing.
I was hoping for a big revelation on the Layla front, and also for a more meaningful climax on Talos, but ultimately, this whole story is less science fiction and more about Alex battling his personal demons.
It’s well written and kept me engaged, but I can’t get excited about it, there was no big twist, and it hasn’t made me want to read more from the Fractalverse series.
Sadly, not my type of sci-fi.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan U.K. audio for the review copy

I will be forever impressed with Paolini, and how young he was when he imagined the world where Eragon lived.
Here he delves into Sci fi rather than fantasy, and for me it's a genre that works particularly well for audio.
This book is at its best when the team is together, and working out problems.
Each of them so different, and important to the mission.
It drew me in enough that I will (eventually) read the series it's a prequel for, but not so much that I'm rushing out to buy it.

I had an enjoyable few hours walks with this one.

I really liked this! I thought the length of the book was correct and it was a compelling fast paced space opera . It had more to do with the dynamics of team work in high pressure environments and relationships than aliens thought. 2 cons ; why, oh, why did we still get the use of the sentence ‘ I let go of a breath I didn’t know I was holding’ twice? It’s terrible.
Also the ending. Felt like it was an amazing build up and then It ended and we didn’t get any answers.

But I did love the journey and the audiobook was amazing. So well narrated

Thank you to Tor for sending me the audiobook in exchange for a review!

This prequel to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars explores humanity's first discovery of alien intelligence.
Fleeing from personal tragedy, xenobiologist Alex Crichton is assigned to a corporate exploration ship scouting a new star system for potentially habitable planets when the team discovers an anomaly.

Alex is spurned on by personal loss and tragedy, and the rest of the crew have experienced similar calamities.
As you may expect, it’s a pressure cooker that gradually wears away at the characters’ psyches. Things get dark. Hostile.

Paolini puts these characters through some grueling travelling. Describing the wear and red, the hopelessness, the accumulated injuries… awe are forced to reckon with humanity’s perseverance and need for knowledge.

I think the main point of focus is Alex’s journey with his own grief and depression and the acceptance of this loss and suffering and the admittance of others’ problems not triumphing, detracting or being lesser than his own.

I always find the discussion around religion, hope, and belief in science fiction and fantasy literature fascinating. Sometimes, it can become defamatory, but sometimes, authors can show both sides of the argument never mind their own values. This is a sort of mastery I enjoy engaging with.
However, when this is repeated over and over, it can feel condescending as the author argues similar points over and over, leaving you wondering if the premise of the story is being overlooked for philosophical musings and meanderings. I enjoyed the arguments Pauloni put forward, but the characters engaging in this oftentimes only felt there to put those arguments forwards- shallow prototypes if you will.

Sadly, I struggled to connect to any of the characters and didn’t feel myself particularly emotional at any pivotal moments which is disappointing after enjoying the crew of his other work.

I did enjoy the afterword which describes Pauloni’s writing journey and his relationship with this book. It seems like a project dear to his heart and one which wrestled with intimate problems.

Note: the reason the rating appears low is because of preconceived notions of the AI cover art. Don’t judge a book by its cover?

The story itself didn't work for me. Hyped for Paolini and certain parts were handled well but the inconsistency and the monotony really distracted me from the novel.

Looking at the authors previous books they are aimed more at the younger reader not an old fart like me. Saying that I engaged well with the story and found it intriguing and interesting, sci fi with humanity at its core, the narrator was not to my liking nor the exaggerated noise effects

The prequel book to the Fractalverse series, Fractal Noise is your chance to dwell deeper into the world of new plants, space and research.

When my childhood favourite author came with a new book, I had to read it at all costs. I was astonished to see that the person who wrote about Dragons has now mastered yet another genre(scifi). The space setup, research team and an expedition to discover the unknown has been curated masterfully in the story.
I am not much of a Sci-Fi person but I still enjoyed this book (which says something). The book is certainly on the heavier side and I would recommend my fellow readers to pick this up when they are in the mood to venture into space, astrophysics and question our existence. The book in its initial stages did remind me of The Martian, but it swayed in a very different direction. Safe to say the story is novel and a bit creepy.

Thank you @netgalley @macmillan.audio and @christopher_paolini For the Digital review copy.

Genre: #scifi #dystopian
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Let me say from the start that this book is less about aliens and more about the human condition - about grief and death and also life and what drives us to move forward.
That said, in my opinion the best sci-fi stories are exactly about that: humans and humanity.
I have not yet read Paolini's other book in the FractalVerse that comes chronologically after this book, but it did not matter for this.
Usually I write a paragraph about the quality of the audiobook at the end, but here for me the production of this did a lot to keep me at the edge of my seat. Every thud thud THUD is an audio effect, and every time I got goosebumps and feared more for our protagonists. Jennifer Hale's intense narration of this journey is just perfect and I could not stop listening. I also loved that the appendix was included in the audiobook as well, giving more information for this world.
The book is about the internal and literal journey of four scientists towards an alien artefact. It focuses on Alex who still grieves the loss of his wife. With four very different persons who have to work as a team, despite not being one at all, conflict is unavoidable. I'm not going to talk much more about it, just read for yourself. It's worth it, and it's not a long book.
I assume if I want to dive deeper into the mystery of the alien artefact, I'll have to read To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, which I'm now fully intending to do.

4/5 stars

Thank you so much @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the eARC!