Fractal Noise

A Fractalverse Novel

By: Christopher Paolini

Narrated by: Jennifer Hale

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Too dreary and depressing

A nearly suicidally depressed main character combined with fellow characters who spent most of the time bickering over existential and operational issues made for an exhausting read.

A walk to no where. Boom. Boom. Boom.

A preordered this on the merits of the first book. An interesting premise the discovery of the hole turns into be a painfully boring slog to no where.

Boring and Disappointing

Jennifer Hale is god-tier, as she was in To Sleep In a Sea of Stars, but I'm not sure what happened with Paolini. I'm 5 hours in and have no connection to the characters, and the main character is so whiney and 1-dimensional that I find myself wanting bad things to happen to him. After the epiphany that TSIASOS was, this is a major disappointment. There was so much opportunity to expand the mysterious, rich, creative universe a lot of us fell in love with, and there's just...none of that. No numenists, entropists, new human colonies, or extraterrestrial life-forms; just old-hat debates about the purpose of suffering that provide nothing insightful or original, sandwiched in the tedium of walking. If this had come out first, or as a short story have some have suggested, it might (?) have worked. As a prequel-advertised-as-sequel, it was a major step backward. The best thing I can say is that Alex-and-co's arc is independent of Kira's; there's hope for redemption. We all bomb from time to time, so I have faith Paolini will bounce back, but maybe save your money on this one.

Narration is good, Story could be more compelling

Having listened to this book directly after To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, I was a bit disappointed by this one. Comparing the two, I feel that this one does not have the same attraction or attachment to the characters for me as I had for the first one.
On its own, I find the whole plot quite straightforward: a hazardous expedition on an unknown planet with a group of individuals whose personalities, beliefs, and backgrouds are at odds from the start. Such an adventure seems doomed from the start! The characters were definitely different, and it showed.
Probably what I enjoyed the most in the plot was the descriptions of the planet, the wear of the journey on their minds and bodies, and the gradual decay of their relationships and selfishness. Overall, for that part, I think it is worth reading.
I do wonder though what the hole is exactly and if it ties into the passage in To Sleep in a Sea of Stars where the Seed describes a twisted area of space that felt wrong. Perhaps it has something to do with it, but perhaps it does not.

Love Paolini. HATED this story.

There is so much possibility. So much hope. And, consequently, an exponential amount of disappointment. I loved To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars. This had less than nothing to do with it. The characters refuse to have any redeeming qualities. The story poses puzzle after puzzle work no answers. NONE. How do you write in questions without ever answering a single one? Not even accidentally??? It doesn't even feel like experimental fiction. It feels like a pointless free-write that accidentally ended up at the publisher's office.

Small personal story happens to be set in a scifi setting

Good story, just don’t go into this expecting a big sci-fi epic. Its a shorter story with a very personal and introspective narrative. Overall I enjoyed it very much.

Great Story and Narration

A good follow up, although a prequel to, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. Jennifer Hale is awesome and hopefully she will do more audiobooks in the near future. My only nit to pick is some of the sound effects. I generally dislike them. The loud “booms” worked as a plot device but the static on the radio noise did not. Still worth a download.

Interesting, but falls short of expectations

I was looking forward to this prequel to "...Sea of Stars," which I loved. The same narrator does a superb job of bringing the characters to life, but the storytelling was too maudlin and plodding for my taste. Too much introspection vs. action, and too little of the central mystery revealed for the amount of time and effort (of the characters and the readers) expended in the effort.

Missing a Story Line

Loved the first book in this universe. enjoyed the story arc, liked the detail and background on the characters but unlike this book there was substance to the story. it progressed and had an arc with great original sci-fi ideas. this book was almost completely comprised of background character detail. Wondering if the author was working through some sort of loss. There is so much potential in this universe and the authors ability. unfortunately this book fell short.

the narration was excellent so even though the story was disappointing it was actually enjoyable to listen to. not a huge fan of the extra audio effects.

I really wanted to know what the hole was about

I was left devastated that we never find out what the hole was about. It was the only thing after the hardship, deaths, and riveting storytelling, that I wanted to know about. But this book did grip me very much.. I wanted Alex to jump. I was hoping he'd find his dead wife in the hole, or the aliens.. Or some existential threat. Really dissapointing. I guess the author is telling us it's the journey, not the destination? But yet there's no resolution at the end. The only thing that saves this book is the narrator.