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bibliomania_express's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini is a prequel to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, and I was not at all prepared for what this book would be.
This is a book about pain, grief, hope, religion, love, and humanity's unceasing desire to know. I don't think I've ever read a book like this where I so viscerally felt the atmosphere. Paolini's writing brings the barren sand of Talos and its rhythmic "thud"s vividly alive. As Alex descends into himself, I could feel his fragmenting mind and the progressively louder THUDs.
I'm impressed that this book, while full of pain and gore and anger, ultimately has a lot of say about hope and coming out of grief. That sometimes answers are impossible, reasons unknowable, and everything we think we know wrong, but we keep going, keep trying, and keep caring about each other. Alex is set against himself, his team, and the physical environment, and yet he persists - sometimes foolheartedly, sometimes irrationally.
I think what makes this book so good is that Alex's interal struggle is reflected in the physical struggle to reach the beacon, coupled with the debated about human nature and religion in the face of potential alien lifeforms. The inherent contradictions of it all play out against the backdrop of an unwaverily empty and monotonous world.
This book needs major trigger warnings for death of a spouse, depression, grief, suicidal ideation, religious zeal, physical assault, death, body horror, blood, and medical content.
This is a book about pain, grief, hope, religion, love, and humanity's unceasing desire to know. I don't think I've ever read a book like this where I so viscerally felt the atmosphere. Paolini's writing brings the barren sand of Talos and its rhythmic "thud"s vividly alive. As Alex descends into himself, I could feel his fragmenting mind and the progressively louder THUDs.
I'm impressed that this book, while full of pain and gore and anger, ultimately has a lot of say about hope and coming out of grief. That sometimes answers are impossible, reasons unknowable, and everything we think we know wrong, but we keep going, keep trying, and keep caring about each other. Alex is set against himself, his team, and the physical environment, and yet he persists - sometimes foolheartedly, sometimes irrationally.
I think what makes this book so good is that Alex's interal struggle is reflected in the physical struggle to reach the beacon, coupled with the debated about human nature and religion in the face of potential alien lifeforms. The inherent contradictions of it all play out against the backdrop of an unwaverily empty and monotonous world.
This book needs major trigger warnings for death of a spouse, depression, grief, suicidal ideation, religious zeal, physical assault, death, body horror, blood, and medical content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
actuallyahorsereads's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Is Christopher Paolini okay?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
geny444's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I came to read this after reading to sleep in a sea of stars. If you compare this book to hid other work, this will let you down. While not bad, this reads more like a short story about the daily life of a scientific crew. Interesting at times, but not thrilling.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
lymadebell's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I loved this book! It was tense and dark and emotional. It was told partially through flashbacks to a previous time and present day events. I thought the crew that was listed in the book was diverse and interesting and sort of fully formed people. But mostly the ground crew that was on the strange planet was who you got to know and I felt like they were all very fully formed people and that's always great. The narration for this was really good. They had some music that was done and some sound effects that I think really added to the book. I was really happy about the constant building of tension throughout the book. I don't think this book really had an ending per se, more of a possible continuation. Although, that makes sense as this is technically a prequel to "to sleep in a sea of stars." So that does make more sense when you think of it that way. Either way, strong characters, really tense Interesting plot and an amazing narration and musical score. Musical score was unexpected but still very good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying and Medical trauma
herceia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The only reason I finished this was bc I love Paolini as an author. The Inheritance Cycle is my favorite series. However, I would have stopped at about a third of the way through if I didn't have this weird loyalty to him. I almost stopped anyway at several points beyond that. I gave it a 1 because the story was actually pretty interesting to me when the main character, Alex, wasn't in his woe-is-me mood (which was very often. Too often. Almost unbearably often.).
My main complaint with this book is how utterly upset and despondent Alex is for the entire book. We get it, your wife died and you're sad. You're really about to make your attitude everyone else's problem? I also have complaints about the character of the people he's traveling with. At this point, you think they'd send a better-vetted group out on missions like this.
The struggles in the book were very real, but I was almost too distracted by Alex's feelings to feel any compassion for any of their situations. That was frustrating during the read bc I really wanted to feel for them, but just couldn't.
This book is a close look at humans in extreme and unknown conditions, and for that, the book is a 2. I was missing anyone or any thing, thought, or feeling to root for. I could have had about fifty pages less of self-pity.
My main complaint with this book is how utterly upset and despondent Alex is for the entire book. We get it, your wife died and you're sad. You're really about to make your attitude everyone else's problem? I also have complaints about the character of the people he's traveling with. At this point, you think they'd send a better-vetted group out on missions like this.
The struggles in the book were very real, but I was almost too distracted by Alex's feelings to feel any compassion for any of their situations. That was frustrating during the read bc I really wanted to feel for them, but just couldn't.
This book is a close look at humans in extreme and unknown conditions, and for that, the book is a 2. I was missing anyone or any thing, thought, or feeling to root for. I could have had about fifty pages less of self-pity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
spec_tacles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Murder