Quirky Cat
Book Summary:
Alex is lost. He's a xenobiologist in space – but that isn't the problem. The problem is that Alex doesn't know how to live without his wife. So he signed up on tour and put himself out there – literally.
Now he and his crew are circling Talos VII, and there's a problem. Well, maybe not a problem. Not yet. There's a massive hole, and it's emitting sound on a scale you wouldn't believe. Given the choice to run or investigate, Alex would rather look into the mystery.
My Review:
So, Fractal Noise is the prequel to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. To be honest, I never considered the original novel needing a prequel – but I certainly wasn't going to complain about more from this world (er, universe).
That said, I don't believe Fractal Noise holds a candle to the original. It's still a decent read; it doesn't have the same magic if that makes sense. For me, the biggest problem had to be some of the storytelling decisions. I understand that static (and other factors) made communication difficult, but this, in turn, did make it harder to read certain scenes. Ironically, there is one place where this format worked really well – Thud. You know what I'm talking about if you've read the book.
Alex's internal dilemma and how it flowed outwardly fascinated me. I almost wish there had been more room to explore these concepts. I do believe that the addition of other crewmates resulted in too much to work with (and thus portray). But that's just me.
**I didn't hear about the AI art controversy revolving around Fractal Noise until after I finished the book. I'm not thrilled with this new trend and hope somebody puts a stop to it sooner rather than later. My review of the book is not reflective of this opinion or vice versa.
Highlights:
Part of a Series
Science Fiction
Existential Crisis in Space
Trigger Warnings:
Graphic Injuries
Death of a Loved One
Mental State
Suicidal Ideation
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