Fractal Noise

A Fractalverse Novel

De: Christopher Paolini

Narrado por: Jennifer Hale

Long-listed, Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year 2023

This program features sound design and special effects to enhance your enjoyment of Fractal Noise. Listen out for the sounds of the anomaly at the center of Talos VII and original music evoking the barren landscape.

"Narrator Jennifer Hale's outstanding performance brings this story of alien invasion to life....every unique voice enhances the listening experience." AudioFile, on Earphones Award winner, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.

"Jennifer Hale's narration of this sci-fi novel is exemplary work. Her variety of voices and characterizations, as well as her grasp of the intense drama, is stunning. And just when you think she can't get better, she sings in character, and it transforms her entire performance into art. The combination of Paolini's gripping drama and Hale's voice acting should not be missed."- AudioFile on Fractal Noise

"Narrator Hale’s performance backed by immersive sound effects, elevate this science fiction audiobook about a small team of scientists on the precipice of a major discovery."- Booklist

A new blockbuster science fiction adventure from world-wide phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller Christopher Paolini, set in the world of New York Times and USA Today bestseller To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.

July 25, 2234: The crew of the Adamura discovers the Anomaly.

On the seemingly uninhabited planet Talos VII:a circular pit, 50 kilometers wide.

Its curve not of nature, but design.

Now, a small team must land and journey on foot across the surface to learn who built the hole and why.

But they all carry the burdens of lives carved out on disparate colonies in the cruel cold of space.

For some the mission is the dream of the lifetime, for others a risk not worth taking, and for one it is a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe.

Each step they take toward the mysterious abyss is more punishing than the last.

And the ghosts of their past follow.

The Fractalverse Series

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars

Fractal Noise

The audiobook is read by Jennifer Hale, a prolific and highly acclaimed Canadian American voice actress and singer, who has performed an impressive array of characters for video games, audiobooks, and animated television shows. Hale is renowned for her portrayal of Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series and as Rivet in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA. She made her audiobook debut with Christopher Paolini’s To Sleep in a Sea of Stars.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

©2023 Christopher Paolini (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

First Time I've ever been Disappointed in Paolini

I normally love this Authors work, loved the first installment in this verse. But this? I struggled to finish, listen to, and retain any of the story from how mind numbingly boring it was. It's like Christopher didn't even try. I regret my pre-order and hope other books he comes out with don't fall to this low point. The Inheritance Series is my Childhood favorite, I hope it doesn't get effected this way.

Flop

This was a huge let down for me, because I loved to sleep in a sea of stars. The first book in the series was absolutely incredible. This one didn’t seem to have much rhyme and rhythm. I would not recommend it. I feel like the first book should have just been a standalone novel instead of trying to turn it into a series. Don’t waste your time.

Poor effort

this author seems a little repetitive with the nature of the main character. they lose a loved one that's important to them and then spend in ordinant amounts of time being depressed. this drags the storyline down makes the whole thing an esoteric discussion between the author and the main character about the nature of relationships and feelings and how long it should take for someone to move on or grow beyond the pain they feel. I really feel like this author should spend some time reading up on the cycle of loss. and incorporate that into the growth cycle with his characters it would certainly move the storyline along better and allow him to delve deeper into other characters building a better story overall.

A depressing slog to a big hole.

Being a fan of the Inheritance series and especially TSIASOS, I can’t express how disappointed I was with this follow up. While I was drawn in by Jennifer Hale’s incredible voice acting, sound effects of the hole, and the worldbuilding established by the previous novel, my excitement faded when I realized this story just…wasn’t very good.

The protagonist is understandably grief stricken, but that’s the only thing of note about him, he is quite bland. He and the chemist never have much of an opinion on anything. The other two characters spend a great deal of time arguing about neochristianity for some reason. The main characters relationship with his late wife is explored in an interesting and nuanced way, however the remaining characters are cliche and one dimensional, and the dialogue between them is weak and shallow; and this takes up the majority of the book as they make their way to the hole. I kept hoping the book would lean further into sci-fi or even horror elements, when that never happened, I at least hoped for an interesting ending after the boring 10 hour slog, and that never happened either.

Painful

I really wanted to enjoy this book but sadly came away disappointed. The story is well written but begins in grief and goes into a long nightmarish misadventure that just goes on and on. I kept waiting for the story to get better. It never did. If anything, it just kept getting worse. Mr. Paolini offered no respite for the reader with the ending of the story the most dispiriting part of the entire experience. All that suffering and nothing for the reader to be able to put the book down and feel satisfied at the end.

Zero substance

Worst book Paolini has written. no character development. main character whined the entire time. if you took out the main character flashbacks to his dead wifeand arguing between crew, book would be 15 minutes long

Slow as a turtle

So much unfulfilled potential - but maybe the author ran out of ideas. I ran out of patience and just got bored. This story could have been told three chapters.

A story about walking.

Fractal Noise was very different from Paolini’s usual work. Which… on the surface would be fine. But personally I found this book profoundly uninteresting. And rather off-putting in fact.

I had a very hard time empathizing with the main character and his broken relationship. I also had a really hard time believing the whole premise of why they’re doing this expedition in the first place, and why they have to walk.

The parts of the book that I did find interesting - the world development and exploration/discovery of alien technology, were only a small part of the story, and left me unsatisfied. If you extracted just those portions into a 30-page short story, that would have been an improvement.

If you like moody, grim, watch-it-all-slowly-deteriorate stories, you might like this.

Otherwise steer clear.

Disappointing

This didn’t really add much in terms of fleshing out the fractalverse further. The plot was predictable and kind of played out. The characters were meh. Kind of bland. Jennifer Hale was fantastic, though. Overall I feel like I wasted time and money. Better luck next time Paolini!

A Solid Short Story

The audio performance is the best I’ve ever heard. The voice actor was incredible and the sound effects on point. Both added to the overall experience.

The story itself isn’t typical. There’s a character, quest, challenges and resolution but it feels dark and hollow. The Afterward by the author helped put a lot of it in perspective. At times I was worried the author was doing okay, but it makes sense after hearing his inspiration for the piece.

Not every piece needs to be a trophy. This is a solid short story with an incredible performance, the characters and situation feels real. Worth a listen.