Tag Archives: Tor

Review of “Fractal Noise” by Christopher Paolini

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Title: Fractal Noise
Author: Christopher Paolini
Narrator: Jennifer Hale
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 9 hours 57 minutes
Published: 2023, Tor
My Grade: 4 out of 5

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

July 25th, 2234: The crew of the Adamura discovers the Anomaly.On the seemingly uninhabited planet Talos VII:a circular pit, 50 kilometers wide.
Its curve not of nature, but design.
Now, a small team must land and journey on foot across the surface to learn who built the hole and why.
But they all carry the burdens of lives carved out on disparate colonies in the cruel cold of space.
For some the mission is the dream of the lifetime, for others a risk not worth taking, and for one it is a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe.
Each step they take toward the mysterious abyss is more punishing than the last.
And the ghosts of their past follow.

 

MY REVIEW

This is a prequel to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, only in the sense that it takes place in the same universe (literally) 23 years earlier. There are no connections with the much longer book that was released three years ago, except the mention of the discovery of the “Anomaly” which this book cover the events of. Although, since this one is much shorter, there are less descriptions of the science-fiction things than the other one. So I might suggest reading that one just to understand a bit better. Not that it is complicated, and there is a dictionary at the end.

Fractal Noise feels very similar to To Sleep story-wise since it is about first contact but two different kinds. They find something out of the ordinary, discuss whether or not they should explore, decide to explore and then things happen. When the book was finished and I sat down and reflected on what I had just listened to, I realized that this 10 hour long book consisted of one event, more or less. It is impressive that Paolini (and Jennifer Hale) manages to captivate the reader (listener) so they kind of forget that it revolves around just one event.

And on that note: Jennifer Hale as a narrator is incredible! I’ve only listened to Paolini’s works narrated by her, but she is something else. Maybe she is the one making me love these two books?

There is much dialogue in this book, it’s strong, it’s believable, and it is what makes this story feel alive. The characters are real. There are deep conversations about religion and general views on life and it feels like you’re a part of their exploration.

I can’t say what this book would have been like if I read it, but listening to it was amazing. I wouldn’t put it right at the top amongst my very favorites, but a strong 4 for sure.

Review of “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune

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Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Author: T.J. Klune
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 394
Published: 2020, Tor Books
My Grade: 5 out of 5

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION 

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

MY REVIEW

This book was a change of pace and kind of reminds me of Rick Riordan’s books. It was a long time ago I read anything of his, but the type of writing and the wittiness reminded me of him.

It was fast paced, many things happened, nothing too extreme, but there was always something just about to happen so it was hard to put down.

In the beginning I felt like all the characters were to witty and sometimes also mean. They always had snarky remarks to everything but that eventually toned down but I guess that makes sense. As the story progresses, they get to know each other and relax in each other’s companies and the dialogue gets more clever rather than witty.

Like I just mentioned, there was always something happening, not too many setbacks and I have to admit that the bad turns of this story were a bit lame. The story built up intensely and you kept wondering why that was so, and they made a big deal out of something that then turned out to be nothing at all basically. Which leads me to the conclusion that this was just a feel-good book. It was cozy, super well-written, it was funny, and cute as well as inclusive. It was an easy read with a happy ending and honestly, not a very surprising one either.

I feel like I have to write something about this Sixties Scoop thing as well. Honestly, I’ve read reviews of this book where they say they loved the book, until they heard about the Sixties Scoop in Canada and then they rated the book on the minus scale. These children are orphanages and are being taken care of in an orphanage. Sure, they are regulated, but that’s just the harsh reality of this FANTASY novel where “normal” people are afraid of the supernatural. So should all books about orphanages be boycotted? This is hardly the first or the last. Super silly to even make this comparison in my opinion. It was a great book, and you definitely didn’t get a “glorified version of the Sixties Scoop”. It was a cute fantasy novel about including everyone and finding family.

I give it a full rating of 5. No questions there!

Review of “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” by Christopher Paolini

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Title: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Author: Christopher Paolini
Narrator: Jennifer Hale
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 32 hours 28 minutes
Published: 2020, Tor
My Grade: 4 out of 5

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds. Now she’s awakened a nightmare. During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.

As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.

While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope…

 

MY REVIEW

I’m really glad I listened to this book rather than worked my muscles out while holding this brick of a book for countless of hours. I’m not sure how I would have perceived the story, had Jennifer Hale not narrated it. She was brilliant with her many different voices for all the characters. They really came alive.

But of course, she’s not the only one who needs to get credit for this incredible story. I have to admit that I haven’t read too many science fiction books yet, but this one felt original. And it felt legit. Paolini’s take on futuristic science felt realistic, he addressed the question of speeds faster than light and how that didn’t mean you could travel in time. Like with any magic system, he put the limitations on science and did it really well. I really enjoyed that nothing seemed exaggerated. It just was.

The book contained so many characters and they were all interesting and contributed to the story. I felt sympathy for all of them because they all felt real. They had their backstories and stayed true to their goals.

Even if Jennifer Hale was a very good narrator, I sometimes had difficulties following. But I think that has more to do with the fact that I’m not very used to listening to fiction. Last summer, when I started listening to books, I only listened to facts, mostly science but some economic and psychology books. I hope I get used to it soon. I really enjoy listening to someone tell me the story. Also, I just got a bike and can’t really read a physical book while riding, haha!

It was a long book, and maybe it could have been a bit shorter, but I can’t really say which scenes felt unnecessary. But my overall impression was good. And listening to Paolini himself read the after words, I could really feel his relief after the struggles that were this novel. It was inspiring. I wouldn’t put it among my favorites, but it was definitely a four out of five.