Fractal Noise (Fractalverse #0.5)
by Christopher Paolini
An amazing story from a remarkable author. Per his own account the book comes from a second part of a dream. The gripping struggle of man against nature, teaches readers many lessons of theology, science, and relationships. I am glad that he added the relationship trials in the story about love loss, and grief. The personals struggles of the four characters on the alien planet shows their conflict against the unending trial of the surface, to their inter personal relationships. This shows our personal struggle between parts of our selves, each struggling figure a part of one persons personality in conflict in thought and deed. The book is a remarkable catharsis of grief, and finding your own hope. Christopher stated in the notes that he would not create a book that would take hope from the reader. This story although tragic shows how we find balance and personal focus from facing our own beliefs, finding balance, and working for a goal, even if its just one step at a time.
I see this book as a great book to share with middle schools students, showing theology, and diverse philosophical debates without causing conflict of the students religion or family beliefs. Paolini has created a universe that shows the scientific, theological and political struggles we all have without invalidating our current world politics, and theology.
The audible book is phenomenal form the reader presentation, to the music, to the repetitive haunting sound of the surface of the planet.

Despite my familiarity with Christopher Paolini's works, I still find myself surprised by the unexpected twists and turns in his stories. This was particularly true for Fractal Noise, which shares the same universe as To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars. While I was initially anticipating a politically charged and action-packed adventure, the novel instead delves into more philosophical themes, pondering our purpose in the universe, our interactions with other sentient beings, and our place in the cosmos. Despite this shift in tone and focus, I was thoroughly captivated by Fractal Noise from start to finish.

At first glance, Fractal Noise may give the impression of a seemingly straightforward tale, centered around the discovery of a sizable and unnaturally perfect hole on an apparently deserted planet and the strange signal that seems to be emitting from it. However, it really seems to me like the story is more about the characters themselves than anything else.  Within the pages of Fractal Noise, Christopher Paolini has created a story where the depth and complexity of Alex and the other characters truly shine, propelling the story forward. As they are forced to land far from the enigmatic hole and undertake a demanding journey on foot, the characters become the driving force behind the plot. This character-driven approach really makes Fractal Noise stand out when compared to a lot of the science fiction books I've read so far this year.

I must confess though that I might be slightly biased in expressing my enjoyment of this book. I opted for the audiobook format and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was narrated by the extraordinary Jennifer Hale. For those unfamiliar with her work, Jennifer Hale stands as one of the most exceptional voice artists of the past 25+ years, lending her talents to portray some of the most iconic characters in television and video games. Her narration of Fractal Noise was nothing short of fantastic. In fact, knowing that she was the narrator alone would have been reason enough for me to choose this book.

In summary, my overall experience with Fractal Noise was immensely enjoyable. From the compelling storyline to the remarkable narration by Jennifer Hale, every aspect of the book left a lasting impression on me. I found myself completely absorbed in the characters' journeys and captivated by Hale's exceptional talent as a narrator. Without hesitation, I would highly recommend this book to anyone in search of a captivating read or a mesmerizing audiobook experience. It is a great addition to the genre and I can't wait to read more in Paolini's Fractalverse.

 I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Fractal Noise (Fractalverse #0.5)
Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After loving To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, it was really something of a no-brainer to want to head toward a prequel.

Ah, but this is where I'm forced to warn you that you must manage your expectations a bit. If you wanted another To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, you might be slightly disappointed.

If, on the other hand, you wanted the tragic expedition, with all the feel of a number of classic novels that deal with danger, perseverance, and the desire to DISCOVER something truly great, then this is a very fine SF novel. This is a first contact novel without true resolution, a lot of mishaps and a long trudge within an unknowable alien find, and wonderful characterizations.

Again, it isn't TSiaSoS, but IF you were of a mind to simply trust the author, reading this one first and then moving onto the primary novel WOULD give a lot of depth and slow-build to both.

I definitely recommend. The primary novel transitions perfectly. Or rather, read both together for the sense of a VERY long, excellent story.

I was drawn to this audiobook because Jennifer Hale is the narrator. She is an incredibly talented voice artist. She performed To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, the first novel in the Fractalverse, and she performs this one, too. This takes place before the first book, but it isn’t like that one at all, and it doesn’t feel very connected to it.

The good- Jennifer Hale! She is amazing. I’ll add a whole star because of the audiobook experience. She breathes life into the characters. There are also fantastic sound effects of the BOOMS from the hole the characters are trying to get to for most of the book.

So, there’s an issue- nothing much happens in this book. They travel and travel to the hole. And they keep traveling. I generally need to have likable characters in a book for me to enjoy it, especially if there isn’t much plot. But these characters weren’t very likable. I didn’t feel for any of them. I guess I think it was okay, but that doesn’t mean other people won’t like it more. It has received some great reviews. It comes out May 16. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Tor Books for my copy.

This book had the same great writing as the other book in the universe, To Sleep in A Sea of Stars
I enjoyed the narrator, they did a great job with the voices and also with the emotions and delivery
The other sounds included in the audiobook were also awesome and added to the effects
Paolini has greatly improved his writing and I really enjoy his world building. His characters feel real, at time, they are annoying, which tells me that they had true faults that come through
I enjoy the space travel and the wide galactic scope of this world that Paolini is building, I look forward to more if he chooses to write them.
I was unsatisfied with the ending of this book - it was "fitting" but also it felt like a cop out. It should have had a more conclusive ending, or AT THE VERY LEAST, connected this story to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.

This review is of the audiobook narrated by Jennifer Hale. The narration is absolutely superb. The use of special effects, the sound of the comms when the crew communicate, and the thump of the hole made this novel feel like a movie playing out in Dolby Digital. Honestly, this is one of the best narrations I’ve ever listened to and an absolute must if reading this book. Having already been familiar with the author’s work, The Inheritance Cycle, I was geared up for some fabulous world creation. I was absolutely not disappointed.

The story played out slowly in the beginning. The protagonist, Alex, is barely holding it together as he grieves the death of his wife. We’re not let on to how she died in the beginning, but there is a sense of violence that is adding to Alex’s trauma and guilt. Then comes the discovery, a black hole on another planet that may host sentient alien life.

A team is put together with four main crew members including Alex. The other three each have their own idiosyncrasies that foreshadow tension and hostilities. A series of misfortunes bombard the crew as they embark on the mission; the likelihood that they all return becomes slim.

The story was an interesting mix of world creation and space thriller. I would recommend this book for anyone that loves space or new world stories.

Much like Fractal Noise’s predecessor, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, Paolini is able to draw in the reader to a fully realized world without ever dumping information. Each scene can be clearly pictured in your mind like you are watching a movie. While some characters felt much stronger than others, I felt like I understood our core cast well by the end. I have read all of Paolini’s work since I was in middle school (almost 20 years!) and don’t plan on stopping now. The audio performance by Jennifer Hale was also spectacular, but I expected as much since it’s through her voice that I experienced To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. The additions of the booming fractal noise and the radio intercoms really helps to set the scene as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC. I recently read the ARC of Fractal Noise but was excited to see the audiobook available. My favorite genre to listen to is Sci-Fi. The narrator was perfect for this book. I loved all of the sound effects included in this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: May 16, 2023

4.5 stars rounded up. I love Paolini's writing. I will say I didn't expect the emotional depth and thoughts this book went to, I was expecting it to be more about space exploration, and the evidence of sentient life other than ours but wow, did this book explore a lot. The main character not only grapples with all the questions pertaining to evidence of other sentient life and why and how they may have done the things they did, but also with his past and himself and everyone in the exploration with him. It is amazing what got packed into this book (which really is a short story for Paolini).

And Jennifer Hale (the narrator), I could listen to that woman read a phone book and be entertained. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and she is THE BEST narrator I have ever listened to. The author wrote lyrics to a song and she came up with a melody and freaking SANG it in the book!

I also really enjoyed the sound design and special effects that were used in this audiobook. The *thumps* that got put in really helped you feel more connected with the characters and what they were going through.

Thank to netgalley for the audiobook. I have loved this book. I have not finished the book yet, but as the book will be coming out soon, I wanted to get my review in now. I am 30 % in and I am loving it. The characters are fleshed out and I feel as though Christopher Paolini has just gotten better in his writing. 4 stars its an excellent read!

First, I have not read the first book, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, but I hear that this is part of a series, which knowing Christopher Paolini's writing style (I'm one of those who have read the full Eragon series), doesn't really surprise me. This is not like his previous set of books in that instead of a wide world an individual is discovering their place in, this book takes us on a journey inside the character himself. Alex, who is part of a four person team from the Adamura, who discover an anomaly on the uninhabited planet Talos VII. Each member of the team has their own agenda and behaviors that have put them on this team to complete the mission, but we really get an inside view of Alex's struggle as he is still trying to grieve the loss of his wife, and in the process, his foundational beliefs of the world around him. Very well done and I'm excited to see whatever else Christopher Paolini brings to the table.
On another note, I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Jennifer Hale, who has been absolutely outstanding to listen to, from the change of tone and inflection to her voice, to giving each character their own separate voice and intonation that really brought the story to life. Excellent job to Jennifer Hale as well.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Ugh… I’m so disappointed. This was one of my top ten most highly anticipated books for the year and it really let me down. After reading To Sleep in a Sea of Stars and it becoming one of my favorite books of all time, I had really high hopes for finally getting another book in this universe. But this prequel lacked everything I loved so much about the first book in this series, and failed to add any depth to the overall arc of the story world itself.

I felt zero connection with any of the characters. All of them were surface level at best. The protagonist had no other qualities to speak of except mourning the loss of his wife, but we couldn’t even empathize with him because we got no real glimpse into their relationship whatsoever. Two of the other characters were melodramatic caricatures and over-the-top with seemingly having only the purpose of creating meaningless conflict over their religious beliefs.

The plot itself is thus: a team finds a hole on a supposedly uninhabited planet and ventures to discover its secrets. And that’s literally it. It was a really boring slog to read through. It takes the entirety of the book for them to actually get to the hole and even then we learn absolutely not one single thing about who made it, why, how, when, etc. Honestly, the entire story seemed rather pointless in the end. We learned nothing, we experienced nothing, and it added absolutely nothing to this series. Other than the fractal pattern, there are no connections to anything else.

I’m really at a loss for this book. I don't know what happened here. I would have never guessed this as being written by Paolini nor of being a part of the Fractalverse series. Fans of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, you can honestly just skip it.

The one think I liked was the dramatic audiobook narration with the sound effects, which really added to the immersion of the story and kept me engaged.

The narrator and production quality for the audio book of Fractal Noise was excellent. The premise of the story was interesting, but overall failed to really captivate me. This science fiction book is really less about the science and the discovery and more about the internal, existential troubles of the main character, Alex. I normally prefer character driven stories, but this was one where I unfortunately felt let down by the plot.

I enjoyed the narrator and the effects. The story was good. I had no idea this was part of a series, I will read the other one soon.

I loved the narrator she brought the characters to life, she gave a personality to each of them that made me feel like I know them.
The ending was a little disappointing because the buildup was good. The love story for me was the essence of the book.

I was fortunate enough to receive an arc from NetGalley and Tor of the audio book. This is my fair and honest review.

I will say I am beyond excited that I got to experience this book through audio! I feel the experience is different! The narrator is one of my favorites and she does one heck of a job voicing the many characters in this book!

I can definitely see how this book starts the world that exists in To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars. This book is our introduction into the many facets that exist in this futuristic novel! Alex is our main character in this book. He is on the Adamura and chooses to go on a mission with a smaller group to explore a whole on Talos VII! This mission is more than exploration though! The mission really challenges the 4 in all matters of life as they all face their pasts and begin to question what is and what’s to come!

The ending is very open ended and l aves the reader wondering what exactly happened and though most won’t like that I will say I loved it! If you paid attention to the story it leaves you the reader depending on your beliefs and feelings to create an ending of your own. I loved that Paolini really pushed the ideas introduced into the book. It has you questioning good, bad, right, wrong and if there a shade of gray in life’s choices!

I now am going to go back and reread To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars and piece it all together! Another great read and I highly recommend listening to the audio because it allows you to truly experience the book as if you are there.

Performance: *****
Book: ***

The second book in the FractalVerse series following “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” and is [unexpectedly] a prequel to the first; which I liked a lot. However, the connection is not obvious, so I think you can read them in any order.
Previous Review of <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3515949480>To Sleep in a Sea of Stars</a>

This review is for the audiobook and had a production quality and narration as good as any that I have experienced before short of an actual cast and/or full sound effects dramatization. I think this is a major reason that the exceptional level of internal dialog and navel gazing introspection as a four (4) man team walked across an alien landscape to investigate a hole was actually bearable (I doubt I could have slogged through reading it on my own). By way of comparison, you could make a case that it has about as much action as "The Martian" by Andy Weir or "2001: A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C Clarke … fortunately the storyline, as well as the quality of prose, is similar so it all sort of works the same way. If you didn’t like either of those books in comparison, this may not be the book for you. The only complaint I have with the audiobook would be the uselessness of the bookmarks (I hope this is fixed before it is released).

The basic plot is a world exploration and quasi first contact story with the expected set backs and drama needed to generate the required plot conflict that makes this more a psychological character study with some interesting but limited world building and a few science details/predictions that serves as the McGuffin. Each of the four (4) members of the exploration team have personalities that are difficult to connect with despite the heavy emphasis on back stories and motivations. More to the point, it seems that each team member is broken in a way that fosters a bit of 'roid rage between the other team members that is sure to generate some head scratching. How any of them got through a basic psyche eval is anybody’s guess.

Half way through their terrestrial trek (and the book), it is pretty obvious the mission was now at risk and prudence would typically demand an abort … but where is the story in that right? They will be there tomorrow if they can just survive today. So instead we get a classic example of group think that really stretches credulity. On the plus side, the story does pick up the pace a bit. As everything starts to fall apart, the glacial pace begins to pick up. If you are looking for a tradition ending, you may be disappointed. This story is primarily about self discovery aided by the surreal storytelling where the “hole” is really just a prop in that story. Although not really needed, there is a terminology glossary and over all timeline at the end.

1. Opening Credits (1m)

2. Apprehension - Chapter 1: Perspective Shift (23m)
3. Apprehension - Chapter 2: Questions (59m)
4. Apprehension - Chapter 3: Arrival (37m)

5. Confusion - Chapter 1: Alpha Zone (55m)
6. Confusion - Chapter 2: Beta Zone (53m)
7. Confusion - Chapter 3: Gamma Zone (74m)
8. Confusion - Chapter 4: Delta Zone (28m)
9. Confusion - Chapter 5: Epsilon Zone (76m)

10. Desolation - Chapter 1: Zeta Zone (52m)
11. Desolation - Chapter 2: Eta Zone (30m)

12. Consummation - Chapter 1: Breaking Point (20m)
13. Consummation - Chapter 2: Apotheosis (47m)

14. Addendum - Appendix 1: Terminology (28m)
15. Addendum - Appendix 2: Timeline (4m)

16. Afterword and Acknowledgements (9m)
17. Closing Credits (2m)
I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#FractalNoise #FractalVerse #NetGalley #Audiobook

I just want to start by saying I loved the narrator of this audiobook! As for the story itself, I liked it. However, I did get a little bored. Their struggles felt repetitive. I also feel like this could have been a short story. I think I understand what Paolini was going for, it just was not enough to hold my interest entirely.

This is the prequel novel to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, or Book ‘0’ in the Fractalverse, and it was long awaited for me for sure. I received the audiobook via NetGalley, and I was so stoked to get it early.

This was definitely a story meant to deepen the lore that’s within TSIASS, but what I liked the most was that it’s also a full story on its own. A small team of scientists leave the Adamura in 2243 after discovering the Anomaly—a 50km, circular pit found on Talos VII. The pit appears to be by design, not nature, and wouldn’t it be incredible to be the first to ever step foot there? Find out when this drops this month!

Jennifer Hale does a fantastic job with the audio performance. She brings personality and style to each character, bringing them to life. The author does a great job also creating a diverse cast that highlights the universe and lore he’s already created. The science reads as believable, and that’s always my favorite kind. The emotional thread the author uses throughout also does a fantastic job to draw you in and hold you tight.

My only nitpicks are that some of the *thuds* the production added in kind of sound like someone literally just tapping a microphone. Then the other one is that I did find the ending to leave a bit to be desired. It’s by no means bad, I just wish for more.

Personally a 4/5*. I can definitely see this stuff being turned into film.

Set in the same world as To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, but you don't have to read that first. Our protagonist, Alex, is trying to sruvie the winds, EMPs, Turtles, and some of his fellow crew as they tried to get to the black hole on Taloa VII. The audiobook is so good. Minor sound effects immerse you in the story. The book has not been released yet but I have a feeling I'm going to end up buying it just like I did with Sea of Stars after listeto it. 5 of 5 🌟