![]() ![]() We ended up with each having a set of hardbacks, plus a set of paperbacks for travel, and I had a set of audiobooks for travel. Christopher Paolini was one the I found that helped fill in the time gaps on Harry Potter books. But because of the long delays between next book availability, I searched for other YA writers. By the time the series was read by all, each had their own set of hardback books for the series and I had a complete set of audiobooks to play while driving. Since it was not available in the US yet, they had to wait their turn. So after learning about the book, I bought one and read it before I got home. I had spotted a couple copies being carried by YA and some adults. I picked up the first Harry Potter book in a UK bookstore as they were setting up a display to attract sales. Grounding was not an effective punishment as both daughters had TVs in their rooms that they seldom watched, but both loved to read. I would read as I travelled then pass the book on for the others to fight over. I used to travel extensively and often brought back new books or new authors that looked good for my wife or our daughters. I was not sure of what to expect from one of my favorite authors. Rejecting this book on the basis of the bad bits would be like burning a house because some mould was found in the basement. This is a very generous offering for sci fi readers, it has very good bits and others which are frankly bad and could have been cut out. The sex scenes were terrible though: these are notoriously diffucult for writers, and if anything, their inclusion in the published manuscript is testament to the ambition of this book. The characters were all interesting and nuanced. The book certainly meanders at times, seemingly going nowhere, until it goes and 100 pages click in your head. There was enough emotion and action to keep me hooked. I rolled my eyes several times reading this book, but I couldn't put it down. Paolini's take on what are rather tiresome tropes used and abused in videogames (precursors, the chosen one, found family, etc.) was surprisingly refreshing. Old hands like myself may be too cynical to appreciate that intertextuality in science fiction, when done elegantly and with grace as is the case in this book, isn't just French for "plagiarism". ![]() This could well be a book for future generations of readers too. There has been an insane amount of work invested in creating a believable universe for a story which I think is best described as a love letter to countless science fiction (modern) classics. This is a massive book, a very rare one too that presents a story in one single volume, rather than fileting it into several books as seems to be now a norm in scifi. ![]() I am too old to enjoy YA, and Eragon definitely wasn't my cup of tea. I got the book after reading some excerpts on Tor.com, which was a good and generous idea by the editor. News & World Report A #1 New York Times Bestseller A #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller A #1 USA Today Bestseller A Wall Street Journal Bestseller About the Author "The new 'It' book of children's lit."- U.S. "Christopher Paolini make literary magic."- People "Christopher Paolini is a true rarity."- The Washington Post "Paolini is a spellbinding fantasy writer."- The Boston Globe "A breathtaking and unheard of success."- USA Today "An authentic work of great talent."- New York Times Book Review "Just as he did with his fantasy series, Paolini again captured my complete attention with the sheer breadth of his imagination."-By Hook or By Book "Sure to be one of the biggest literary moments of the year."-The Portalist Kira is my queen of thorns, and I would trust her with my life and with the fate of humanity. " The character cast in To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is perfection. The ending was fantastic, big and exciting and with the same outside-the-box thinking I now expect from one of Paolini's endings."-Novel Knight ![]() It's accessible and engaging and left us wanting more."- Starburst Magazine "Has that charm that is unique to writing. "Dazzles with otherworldly delights-and unearthly nightmares."- Newsweek "This is Paolini's best book so far, skillfully done, brilliantly imagined and cleverly executed. Corey's The Expanse series and for fantasy fans willing to try space opera."- Booklist, starred review Paolini populates this universe with a large cast of interesting and relatable characters, and mostly avoids reductive good guy/bad guy dynamics, lending the story a sincere emotional depth. "The skills honed in his YA fantasy series, Inheritance ( Eragon, 2003), are on full display here in his vibrant world building, especially in the mythology of the alien tech. "Fans of all kinds, one can be sure, will come to question, and stay to explore."- The Wall Street Journal "A powerful piece of SF, with intelligent writing and big ideas."-Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time ![]()
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