History Literature / ToSleepInASeaOfStars

While surveying a colonizable planet in 2257, xenobiologist Kira Navárez accidentally makes contact with a swarm of alien nanomachines that [[BodyHorror replace her outer tissues]] with a quasi-biological suit of PoweredArmor. After the Earth military locks her up to study TheSymbiote, they are attacked by alien spaceships of overwhelming firepower -- the worst case scenario for humanity's FirstContact. In the chaos of battle, Kira manages to free herself and races back to the inhabited worlds to warn them of an impending AlienInvasion, while also hoping against hope that someone can help her get rid of the alien symbiote instead of making her a [[TestedOnHumans guinea pig]] again.

While on a seemingly routine survey mission on an uncolonized world in 2257, xenobiologist Kira Navárez accidentally makes contact with an alien nanomachine swarm, which latches onto her as a quasi-biological suit of PoweredArmor [[BodyHorror replacing her outer tissues]]. While Earth military locks her up to study TheSymbiote, they are attacked by unknown spaceships of alien make and superior firepower -- the worst case scenario of a FirstContact. In the chaos of battle, Kira manages to free herself and races back to the inhabited worlds to warn them of an impending AlienInvasion, while also hoping against hope that someone can help her get rid of the alien symbiote instead of making her a [[TestedOnHumans guinea pig]] again.

While on a seemingly routine survey mission on an uncolonized world in 2257, xenobiologist Kira Navárez accidentally enters symbiosis with an alien nanomachine swarm, manifesting as a quasi-biological suit of PoweredArmor [[BodyHorror replacing her outer tissues]]. While Earth military holds her prisoner in an attempt to study TheSymbiote, they are attacked by unknown spaceships of alien make -- the worst case scenario of a FirstContact. As human ships are being sunk, Kira manages to free herself and races back to the colonized worlds to warn them of an impending AlienInvasion, while also hoping against hope that someone can help her get rid of the alien symbiote instead of making her a [[TestedOnHumans guinea pig]] again.

While on a seemingly routine research mission on an uncolonized world in 2257, xenobiologist Kira Navárez discovers an alien relic that will dramatically change both her own life and the course of galactic history. With Earth and its colonies threatened, Kira may be humankind's only hope.

''To Sleep in a Sea of Stars'' is a science fiction novel by Creator/ChristopherPaolini. Notably, it's Paolini's first novel not set in the universe of the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' and his first novel aimed at adults. It was published on September 15th 2020.

While on a seemingly routine research mission on an uncolonized world, xenobiologist Kira Navárez discovers an alien relic that will dramatically change both her own life and the course of galactic history. With Earth and its colonies threatened, Kira may be humankind's only hope.

A prequel, ''Fractal Noise'', is slated for publication on May 16, 2023.

A sequel ''Fractal Noise'', is slated for publication on May 16, 2023.

While on a seemingly routine research mission on an uncolonized world, xenobiologist Kira Narávez discovers an alien relic that will dramatically change both her own life and the course of galactic history. With Earth and its colonies threatened, Kira may be humankind's only hope.

* MinovskyPhysics: Most of the fictional science in the book is predicated on the fictional 22nd century scientist Ilya Markov's formulation of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_field_theory unified field theory]], which had not only enabled FasterThanLightTravel by wrapping spaceships in a "Markov bubble" that would travel through superluminal space, but also resolved potential time-travel paradoxes forbidden by special relativity by discovering superluminal particles (which are accidentally behind both the dark matter and the dark energy). The whole theory is presented as a transcript of an in-universe physics lecture included in the appendices.

* TheVerse: The book is the first installment of Paolini's "Fractalverse" -- his original science fiction setting where [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal fractals]] (such as that which Kira finds at the core of the [[spoiler:Seed a.k.a. Soft Blade]]) appear to play an important role.

You can read excerpts from the first eight chapters [[https://www.tor.com/2020/06/15/read-to-sleep-in-a-sea-of-stars-by-christopher-paolini-chapter-1-dreams/ here]].

* LastNameBasis: No one ''ever'' addresses Major Tschetter by her first name, to the point you'd be forgiven for thinking it actually ''is'' "Major". She introduces herself as "Major Tschetter" to Kira in her first scene, and the only time her given name, Ilina, is mentioned in the entire book is when [[spoiler:Falconi demands to know who she is when his crew runs into her on Bughunt]]. Not even the official website mentions it!

* LastNameBasis: No one ''ever'' addresses Tschetter by her first name, to the point you'd be forgiven for thinking her given name is actually "Major". She introduces herself as "Major Tschetter" to Kira in her first scene, and the only time her first name, Ilina, is mentioned in the entire book is when [[spoiler:Falconi demands to know who she is when she suddenly pops up on Bughunt, surrounded by friendly Jellies]]. Not even the official website mentions it!

* HeroOfAnotherStory: Kira last hears from Major Tschetter on Adrasteia, before running into her again on [[spoiler:the Precursors' homeworld, where it turns out that Tschetter had her own share of adventures off-screen and somehow managed to ingratiate herself with (a faction of) the Wranaui, enabling a measure of cooperation between the two species for the first time]].

* {{Doorstopper}}: The first published edition is 880 pages long (although, a significant chunk of that is made up by multiple appendices). In fact, the book's scope is actually closer to a ''trilogy'', as each of its three main story arcs could easily have been its own novel: acts "Exogenesis" and "Sublimare" cover Kira's discovery of the Soft Blade and humanity's first contact with the Wranaui [[spoiler:and the Maw]]; "Apocalypsis" and "Fidelitas" concern the deep-space expedition to Bughunt and its immediate aftermath; and "Malignatem" and "Quietus" see the heroes take the fight directly to the [[spoiler:Great and Mighty Ctein and, immediately thereafter, the Maw]].

* {{Doorstopper}}: The first published edition is 880 pages long (although, a significant chunk of that is made up by multiple appendices). In fact, the book's scope is actually closer to a ''trilogy'' of novels, covering three major story arcs that each could have been its own novel: acts "Exogenesis" and "Sublimare" cover Kira's discovery of the Soft Blade and humanity's first contact with the Wranaui [[spoiler:and the Maw]]; "Apocalypsis" and "Fidelitas" concern the deep-space expedition to Bughunt and its immediate aftermath; and "Malignatem" and "Quietus" see the heroes take the fight directly to the [[spoiler:Great and Mighty Ctein and, immediately thereafter, the Maw]].

* {{Doorstopper}}: The first published edition is 880 pages long (although, a significant chunk of that is made up by multiple appendices). In fact, the book's scope is actually closer to a ''trilogy'' of novels, covering three major story arcs that each could have been its own novel: chapters "Exogenesis" and "Sublimare" cover Kira's discovery of the Soft Blade and humanity's first contact with the Wranaui [[spoiler:and the Maw]]; "Apocalypsis" and "Fidelitas" concern the deep-space expedition to Bughunt and its immediate aftermath; and "Malignatem" and "Quietus" see the heroes take the fight directly to the [[spoiler:Great and Mighty Ctein and, immediately thereafter, the Maw]].

* {{Doorstopper}}: The first published edition is 880 pages long (although, a significant chunk of that is made up by multiple appendices). In fact, the book's scope is actually closer to a ''trilogy'' of novels, covering three major story arcs that each could have been its own novel: chapters "Exogenesis" and "Sublimare" cover Kira's discovery of the Soft Blade and humanity's first contact with the Wranaui [[spoiler:and the Maw]]; "Apocalypsis" and "Fidelitas" concern the deep-space expedition to Bughunt and its immediate aftermath; and "Malignatem" and "Quietus" sees the heroes take the fight directly to the [[spoiler:Great and Mighty Ctein and, immediately thereafter, the Maw]].

* {{Doorstopper}}: The first published edition is 880 pages long (although, a significant chunk of that is made up by multiple appendices). In fact, the book's scope is actually closer to a ''trilogy'' of novels, covering three major story arcs that each could have been its own novel: chapters "Exogenesis" and "Sublimare" cover Kira's discovery of the Soft Blade and humanity's first contact the Wranaui [[spoiler:and the Maw]]; "Apocalypsis" and "Fidelitas" concern the deep-space expedition to Bughunt and its immediate aftermath; and "Malignatem" and "Quietus" sees the heroes take the fight directly to the [[spoiler:Great and Mighty Ctein and, immediately thereafter, the Maw]].