Paolini’s best work yet.

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This morning, just before 5 am I finished the massive tome that is To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini. It’s taken me over 12 hours to write my review because 1) I had to get SOME sleep and 2) I had to find a way to review this book without giving away spoilers. My feelings for this book can be summed up in three words: I. WANT. MORE!

I want more Kira, more of the crew of the Wallfish, more puns, more tentacles (never thought I’d say THAT!)

If you, like me, came to know Paolini through his earlier works, this book will not disappoint. The book has all of the rich, elaborate world-building you’d expect from a fantasy novel, along with Paolini’s flowery (sometimes poetic) prose. If you are coming into To Sleep as a new reader, you will find a remarkable marriage of fast-paced, action-packed Science Fiction and down to earth (so to speak) approachable storytelling. Puns, quippy one-liners, massive battles, romance, death, sorrow, lasers, tentacles, cats, pigs…you name it, it’s probably in there.

It seems cliche to say, but this book really does take the reader through the entire spectrum of human emotion. At times I laughed (audibly, which got some strange looks from co-workers I assure you), I cried, I was scared, I was happy...I even had a nightmare born from this book.

My only complaint is that (even at over 800 pages) I wanted more. I take comfort in the thought that Paolini is already working on more works in this Universe.