From the Publisher
Instant New York Times bestseller
"Breathes new life into the classic first encounter narrative. . . . Paolini makes the experiences of his well-shaded explorers vivid and gripping through smart worldbuilding and believable stakes. James S.A. Corey fans will be especially riveted."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This pulse-pounding science-fiction novel pits human curiosity and technology against alien tech deep in the cosmos. . . . An excellent starting point for the series as a whole."—Library Journal
"Paolini understands that in the best character-driven science-fiction stories, the alien tech is never as interesting as the human relationships. Tense and gripping."—Kirkus Reviews
"Mounting tension, danger, and uncertainty. . . . Shows Paolini’s range as a storyteller."—Booklist
Praise for Christopher Paolini and the Fractalverse series:
“Vibrant world building.... A large cast of interesting and relatable characters.... Sincere emotional depth. Highly recommended for fans of James A. Corey’s The Expanse series and for fantasy fans willing to try space opera.”—Booklist, starred review
“A powerful piece of SF, with intelligent writing and big ideas.”—Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time
“Fans of all kinds, one can be sure, will come to question, and stay to explore.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Dazzles with otherworldly delights—and unearthly nightmares.”—Newsweek
“An authentic work of great talent.”—New York Times Book Review
“Paolini is a spellbinding fantasy writer.”—The Boston Globe
“A breathtaking and unheard of success.”—USA Today
“Christopher Paolini is a true rarity.”—The Washington Post
“Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic.”—People
Kirkus Reviews
2023-04-24
When crew members aboard the spaceship SLV Adamura discover that the planet Talos VII is sporting a strange alien artifact, they decide to investigate.
Xenobiologist Alex Crichton isn’t very engaged in his work aboard the Adamura. He's in the depths of grief after his partner, Layla, was killed on the planet where she and Crichton were colonists. But then the crew picks up something strange on the surface of remote planet Talos VII: a hole. An enormous, perfectly circular opening that was clearly made by a race of intelligent beings and seems to function as a huge speaker. After heated debate on whether the Adamura crew should try to investigate the phenomenon themselves or wait for a mission better equipped for such an exploration, Crichton joins a small team tasked with crossing the hostile Talos VII landscape to explore the alien artifact. It doesn’t take long for things to start going wrong, and as the team gets closer to the crater, their equipment, bodies, and minds start to fracture. What starts off as a bitter but contained tension between geologist and rationalist Volya Pushkin and the deeply religious team leader, Talia Indelicato, heats to a boiling point as supplies and patience run low. And Tao Chen, the timid chemist, struggles to stay out of their arguments until he hurts his leg and becomes a literal, physical pawn in their fights. Crichton, who was already on shaky psychological ground, becomes determined to make it to the site if only to honor what Layla would have done had she been in his place. Paolini effectively creates a gradual creep of dread as the doomed team slowly falls apart. While some aspects of the crew tensions fall a bit flat—the ongoing talking points between Pushkin and Talia about religion versus reason feel uninspired—the team’s descent into paranoia and violence is effectively rendered. Paolini understands that in the best character-driven science-fiction stories, the alien tech is never as interesting as the human relationships.
Tense and gripping.
