I am so thrilled that I got to read this massive wonderfully epic space opera. This is not a light read, he sheer volume of the book make sit to where only committed readers can persevere to the end. Oh but what an end it was. I found the entirety of the book to be a gripping story that never quite released you from its tether hooks.
I liked how all the alien species were so very different from humans. Yes they were sentient beings, yes they could travel through space, but beyond that the differences were staggering. I love that the author made it a point to create species that were vastly different than our own, it made it more realistic and interesting to read.
There was so much that happened in this book, the scale of it feels a bit unreal. All the adventures and journeys seemed to merge together by the end. However, they worked to culminate in the grand finale that can only be described as EPIC. This is the kind of book that reads like a big budget action movie. It is grandiose in its sweeping grandeur that builds until you reach the shocking, all encompassing ending.
I found Kira's struggle with the xeno to be poignant and at times heartfelt. I liked how her relationship with it was built up slowly piece by piece until the two were almost in harmony. I also appreciated Kira's recurring comments about her studying all the alien life and culture around her, it made her character stronger as she never really forgot her job as a xenobiologist throughout the book. The crew of the Wallfish were amazing and diverse. I found myself growing closer to them just as Kira was. They added a very human element to the story that kept it grounded. Also I found the idea of a pig an cat in space to be adorable. Plus, Gregovitch. The idea of a space mind is incredible. I think he was my favorite character in the book. The concept of a mix of human intelligence with AI capabilities worked beautifully in this story, and made it stand out even more amongst sci-fi novels.
Overall this was an amazing novel that took my breath away, made me laugh, and stirred my very human heart. Christopher Paolini has done it again and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next!
I liked how all the alien species were so very different from humans. Yes they were sentient beings, yes they could travel through space, but beyond that the differences were staggering. I love that the author made it a point to create species that were vastly different than our own, it made it more realistic and interesting to read.
There was so much that happened in this book, the scale of it feels a bit unreal. All the adventures and journeys seemed to merge together by the end. However, they worked to culminate in the grand finale that can only be described as EPIC. This is the kind of book that reads like a big budget action movie. It is grandiose in its sweeping grandeur that builds until you reach the shocking, all encompassing ending.
I found Kira's struggle with the xeno to be poignant and at times heartfelt. I liked how her relationship with it was built up slowly piece by piece until the two were almost in harmony. I also appreciated Kira's recurring comments about her studying all the alien life and culture around her, it made her character stronger as she never really forgot her job as a xenobiologist throughout the book. The crew of the Wallfish were amazing and diverse. I found myself growing closer to them just as Kira was. They added a very human element to the story that kept it grounded. Also I found the idea of a pig an cat in space to be adorable. Plus, Gregovitch. The idea of a space mind is incredible. I think he was my favorite character in the book. The concept of a mix of human intelligence with AI capabilities worked beautifully in this story, and made it stand out even more amongst sci-fi novels.
Overall this was an amazing novel that took my breath away, made me laugh, and stirred my very human heart. Christopher Paolini has done it again and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next!