At over 800 pages, it is daunting, but WELL worth the time invested!
Thank you to BookishFirst and author Christopher Paolini for the chance to review a complementary Advanced Reader's Copy of the book. I should note that while I am both a sci-fi and fantasy reader, I haven't read the author's other works. That will have to change in the future.
At over 800 pages, before 3 appendices, this book was a daunting read to start. And this book isn't a light-hearted journey but rather a roller coster, lurching from one problem to the next. The author presents a hard science fiction look at space travel and alien interactions, keeping it very realistic and believable. This book presents an accidental first contact with a new alien civilization that quickly results in the main character, Kira, losing her fiancee, crew, and planned future to a alien artifact. This contact, in turn, leads to an oppressive government response AND triggers a three way interstellar war. Through the artistic skill and cerebral description and development of the story, the author weaves a truly believable and enjoyable story.
The author introduces several settings, including a planet under exploration, several spaceships, and a couple of space stations, but really the bulk of the book takes place on board one spaceship. The author introduces several characters early on, and then a host of new characters as circumstances change throughout the book. Paolini does an excellent job with character development, so the reader finds himself truly vested in the resolution of each stage of the book. The plot advances in a smooth, quick pace, with some interludes presented by the FTL travel.
While I anticipated the story's ending over the course of reading the book, I was still surprised upon approaching it. He successfully told the story, and provided resolution for major plot points, while leaving the reader both wanting and hoping for more. While the story could be complete with just this book, the author left enough of a hook to tell more of the story to draw the reader into a second book, if Paolini wishes to make this a series instead of a stand alone book. Paolini stuck his landing in this masterpiece!
At over 800 pages, before 3 appendices, this book was a daunting read to start. And this book isn't a light-hearted journey but rather a roller coster, lurching from one problem to the next. The author presents a hard science fiction look at space travel and alien interactions, keeping it very realistic and believable. This book presents an accidental first contact with a new alien civilization that quickly results in the main character, Kira, losing her fiancee, crew, and planned future to a alien artifact. This contact, in turn, leads to an oppressive government response AND triggers a three way interstellar war. Through the artistic skill and cerebral description and development of the story, the author weaves a truly believable and enjoyable story.
The author introduces several settings, including a planet under exploration, several spaceships, and a couple of space stations, but really the bulk of the book takes place on board one spaceship. The author introduces several characters early on, and then a host of new characters as circumstances change throughout the book. Paolini does an excellent job with character development, so the reader finds himself truly vested in the resolution of each stage of the book. The plot advances in a smooth, quick pace, with some interludes presented by the FTL travel.
While I anticipated the story's ending over the course of reading the book, I was still surprised upon approaching it. He successfully told the story, and provided resolution for major plot points, while leaving the reader both wanting and hoping for more. While the story could be complete with just this book, the author left enough of a hook to tell more of the story to draw the reader into a second book, if Paolini wishes to make this a series instead of a stand alone book. Paolini stuck his landing in this masterpiece!