To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars by Christopher Paolini

Kira Navarez is a xenobiologist who, during a routine investigation, discovers an unidentified structure on the planet of Adrasteia. Little does she know that she is about to set in motion a series of earth-shattering consequences that will propel her to the frontline of an ancient battle against alien species.

I’m not one to enjoy books that are heavily imbued with scientific or political themes, but even I found myself engrossed for the most part while reading this novel.

While the plot is not unique in any way, what with the underlying structure conveying a story about an individual fighting an otherworldly threat that could destroy their home, it is the sense of awe I felt due to the world-building that mesmerised me.

The writing style leaves no room to doubt the author’s calibre. It is driven by action and envisages the future of mankind in space with such precision & detail.

I really liked that the story combines the contemporary lives of its characters with the advanced technology of a futuristic League of Allied Worlds, and delivers a wholesome adventure to its readers. The first few pages of the book ease you into the story by helping you understand Kira, her love for Alan, her background and such. That way, you don’t get intimidated from the beginning.

Gradually, you begin to learn more and more about these colonies in space, the aliens in the galaxy, and how the struggle between the two sentient species has been the product of thousands of years of greed, power abuse, and intolerance.

Every time there’s a twist in the story, I kept thinking that the narrative couldn’t get any more intricate, but it does!

The only thing preventing me from giving the book a full 5-star rating is the frequency and duration of the battle scenes. I don’t particularly enjoy reading elaborate battle sequences; because, after a point, I get distracted and am unable to retain any interest in the passages. And this book has quite a few of them.

One of my favourite aspects of the book was the camaraderie between Kira & the crew of the Wallfish (a spaceship). As time passed and they dealt with obstacle after obstacle together, they formed such a tight-knit bond. I was happy to see that Kira found a sense of belonging among them.

The ending left me stunned. While the general idea of it is common, the way the author has arrived at such a resolution is commendable! The last scene is still etched in my mind, and I don’t think I’ll forget it anytime soon.

I’m not a sci-fi connoisseur but this book makes me want to read more of the genre. Highly recommend it!

Note: I have been provided with a copy of this book by Pan Macmillan India in exchange for an honest review.