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    Vale of Stars
    Vale of Stars
    Vale of Stars
    Ebook545 pages8 hours

    Vale of Stars

    By Sean O'Brien

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Jene Halfner awaits the end of a hundred-year-long, deep-space colonization journey begun by her ancestors generations before. She has spent her life preparing for planetfall on Epsilon Eridani III, taking care of the growing number of victims of interstellar radiation aboard Ship. What she will find upon arrival will change her perspective on life, and she and her descendants will live to face the incredible challenges their new world holds. As generations pass, the women of the Halfner line uncover stunning secrets about their original mission, their new home on Epsilon Eridani III, and the future of the human race. Secrets that will challenge what they believe in, who they trust, and their perception of the ones the love.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJournalStone
    Release dateDec 14, 2012
    ISBN9781936564620
    Vale of Stars
    Author

    Sean O'Brien

    Sean O’Brien’s poetry has received numerous awards, including the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize (three times), the E.M Forster Award and the Roehampton Poetry Prize. His Collected Poems appeared in 2012. Europa is his ninth collection. His work has been published in several languages. His novel Once Again Assembled Here was published in 2016. He is also a critic, editor, translator, playwright and broadcaster. Born in London, he grew up in Hull. He is Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

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    Reviews for Vale of Stars

    3.5/5

    140 ratings68 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Starts slow but worth getting through the first 30 pages! By the end of the book I was very drawn in by the characters and the evolution of humanity in space. I was actually sad to finish it. I would love to know more about the next evolution- won't say the name so I don't ruin it for anyone. I loved the commentary on science, fascism, racism, religion, socialism, gender... I could keep listing all the topics that are artfully woven into the story line. Usually I find myself only reading an Early Reviewer's book once, just enough to give it a review. Well this book is definitely different and I know I will be rereading it in the future. I look forward to more of Sean O'Brien's books!
    • 5/5
      Vale of Stars actually drew me in and kept me going to the last page. I usually do not like stories where there are multiple generations and social issues and political conflict however, the author was able to draw me in and keep my interest all the way to the end. This may be for the very reason some others will not like it however; because the political and social aspects were presented at a high level instead of long drawn out details of those conflicts.It was interesting how the evolution of the social structure was presented for family, science, religion, and government. For example there was the symmetrical presentation of how the colonists came to view the ship dwellers as gods and how the sea dwellers looked at the colonists as gods.There are gaps between the generations, and the respective generational stories while tied together thru a common bloodline, seem to start at a new stage of the social evolution for the colonists at the beginning of each one. I can see that there could be more stories written in this same universe. I will definitely be looking for more from this author. Anyone who can hook me into a story that I would usually get bored with someone to keep an eye out for.
    • 3/5
      This is a fascinating book that takes science fiction and uses it in a loose way as a lens to look at the concept of the history of man; circling back to the theory that humanity was partially, or wholly, a product of an alien species.Jenes Halfner is the first in a long line of strong women that make radical impacts on their community - first in the spaceship that takes them to their new "home," and then on the planet's surface. Nothing is as expected when the travelers land and it ends up causing a major schism between two factions. This takes places over several generations and is filled with interesting ideas and looks at the different ways people approach the same issue or problem.The book is somewhat cyclical, which lends to keeping the reader's interest, as do the astounding discoveries that are made over time, straight through to the climactic ending.O'Brien does a nice job at world-building, giving us interesting characters to be invested in, and a well designed story arc that is smoothly paced. Definitely take the time to read this book, though some may find the very beginning a bit slow, it is worth sticking with it as it does pick up fairly quickly and keeps you interested for the remainder of the book.
    • 3/5
      I wish I had more to say about this one. Initially it intrigued me but there just was nothing stellar (no pun intended). I wouldn't rush to add it to a library collection, but I wouldn't avoid it if the general idea of different viewpoints of a new and different civilization appeals. I think this is one which just has to be approached for a reader to determine whether he appreciates it, it's very hard to predict or say that if you like a certain genre or writer you'll like this one.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this book. The writing style was such that I was immediately drawn into each story. I liked the strong women in the stories and I hated the weak and evil men. The world building worked for me. The only downside was that each chapter could have been its own book with a longer and more developed story. I was unsatisfied when each chapter ended and then we moved another generation of characters. I would have enjoyed reading each story as a separate more in depth book. Well written well edited and interesting.
    • 2/5
      Interesting premise, but I never really got hooked. For one thing, the book feels like four separate mini-books, with little to no real flow between each segment. There is a common thread of the underdog, but it wasn't enough to keep the stories connected. The writing, especially the dialogue, is a tad on the juvenile side, too. Pass this one up.
    • 4/5
      A nice science fiction novel. The style in which it is organised reminds me of Asimov's Foundation: the story is told in several parts, each set in a different time; the story follows different generations of a single family.I did very much like the story, I think O'Brien did a good job in creating a realistic alternative 'earth', and the story ahs plenty of developments that keep you intrigued and make you want to find out how it will continue.One thing I found is that it can be a bit difficult to stay into it because the timeframe shifts; it took me some time and effort to get into the different settings and to make sense of the relationships between the different characters. Though the different timeframes serve to keep the story interesting, it also means there is less of a flow in the story.I did very much like the way in which O'Brien uses themes of genetical engineering, discrimination and religion in his story; I found the way he treats these topics interesting and the way the new society handles these issues gives you something to think about. Definitely a story that will stay with me, and I would definitely like to read other novels by this author.
    • 4/5
      An interesting sf concept showing the colonization of a planet. Both personal and planetary discoveries are explored through 4 generations in a direct matriarchal line. The politics, exploration of power and the villain Tann are written about in a rather heavy handed way. Exploration of relationships as well as self realizations aren't fully explored but rather come as flashes. Sean O'Brian has written an entertaining, soft SF book.In the review copy there were typos and editorial corrections that will hopefully be corrected before the book is issued for sale.
    • 4/5
      Vale of Stars By Sean O’BrienPublisher: JournalStonePublished In: San Francisco, CADate: 2012Pgs: 360Summary:A generational saga told through the actions of the maternal line of a single family about a voyage from Earth to colonize another world and the changes and evolution that humans go through in the depths of space and under alien suns on an alien world.Genre:science fictionMain Character: Jene, Kuarta, Yallia, SirraFavorite Character: SirraLeast Favorite Character: Tann...he’s the villain of the piece. He’s the one I was supposed to hate. It worked.Favorite Scene: The whole last section of the book, the climax and denouement. Although Tann’s final scene is pretty awesome.Plot Holes/Out of Character: Last Page Sound:Wow! Those last 50 pages were awesome. The pacing and the story kicked up a couple of gears in the race to the end.Author Assessment: I would give something else by this author serious consideration.Disposition of Book: I liked it.Why isn't there a screenplay?:Not sure that the generational saga aspects of the story would convert very well to the big screen. Could be a Syfy series though with a season or half-season covering the adventures and lives of each of the female protagonists on their journey through time.
    • 3/5
      Early Reviewer copy, Advance Reading Copy.Did notice several editing mistakes in the book, hopefully fixed for the main release.That said, the story itself is a very nice concept. Following several generations of a family in a colonization attempt.Execution: not great, but not horrible. In some places, it dragged, in some places it was rushed.One of the things that I think should have been brought up earlier in the book was the origin of the Odyssey colony as an exile for Socialists, but that may just be me.The fourth section/generation I had trouble keeping people straight. This was the hardest section to read, and had the most proofreading mistakes.The Epilogue, strained my disbelief very much.
    • 3/5
      A story of generations and change and exploration and discovery.A generation ship sets out to found a colony in another star system. What they find there, and how they adapt to it is the main concerns of the story. All of this is set to a background of socialist political division and distrust.I enjoyed the story, and thought the concept intriguing. I had some problems with the writing, however. For one thing, the politics was heavy handed. Dwelt on in far too obvious a way. Secondly, there was far too much 'telling'. The author had done a fair job of having characters act and speak in ways that made their thoughts and intentions clear, but then went on to detail those same thoughts and explain the actions and thoughts to us. I found that annoying as heck. Trust your readers! We got it! We don't need to be hit over the head with it! Glad I read it though, as the concepts and ideas were quite compelling.
    • 2/5
      This is a very bad novel with very good ideas. The main problems are that’s overambitious and its themes are very heavy-handed, just to make sure you get the point.The author wants to tell so much and so many things happen in this novel that with this material you could write a complete saga of several volumes.You don’t care about the characters and the situations are underdeveloped and the all the endings are rushed. Besides, the evolution of the parts is implausible because only few years passed between them: somehow a bunch of outcasts manage to create a civilization in few years; somehow a character creates a religion based on the ship the arrived just a few years before (and I think there’re still some people, who travelled in there, living)…It’s tiring and boring.
    • 4/5
      Vale of Stars was an exciting book read and an interesting take on the idea of extraterrestrial colonisation.The structuring of the book into four short-story-like sections, each set a generation apart, did break up the flow of the story and did not leave much room for the development of individual characters. However, it allowed the novel to cover its long timespan in a natural way without letting the pace drop. My main criticism of the book is that the first sections seemed too long, and served mostly to set up the back-story for the more interesting final parts. The conflicts in the early sections seemed somewhat arbitrary, and I was much more interested in the later parts where the themes of religion, science, and first contact came into the fore. Overall, however, it was very enjoyable and thought-provoking, and an interesting piece of science fiction story-telling.
    • 4/5
      Early Reviewers.This novel is the story of several generations of people, the protagonists are women of the same family, first living on a generation ship and then on the destination planet. A lot of the book centers on the mother-daughter relationships, and how a decision in one generation can have far reaching consequences in the next one.I found it interesting and enjoyable, some parts more than others (Sirra was my favourite character). The ending left room for a sequel, which I wouldn't mind reading.
    • 4/5
      I often keep a journal of the books I read, and my first entry after completing Vale of Stars by Sean O'Brien is this, "I can't say whether the story is brilliant, or simply frustrating." Many of my written thoughts aren't worth additional reflection, but I mention this one because the truth is I've been thinking about this book every day since I finished it.On the surface, Vale is about humans colonizing the alien world Epsilon Eridani by way of a planned 100-year journey from Earth. Transporting these pioneers is a multi-generational endeavor that requires an enormous breadth of long-term planning, but is equally susceptible to things not going as planned. The book is epic, or at least wants to be, though you can almost feel it starting to break apart at the seams.But Vale isn't really a story about large-scale colonization. It's more about the individuals, over a span of generations, who are vying to find their place within the new society, which for many was never a choice in the first place.I recommend you read this book just to see for yourself what I'm talking about.
    • 3/5
      I liked this book. It's hard to write a multigenerational book and keep the characters real and interesting. O'Brien managed to do this very nicely. I found the world that was built interesting and it was nice to have a book end and not be an obvious set up for a series. The sub-plots supported the overall theme very well and I liked the characters, even when I disagreed with their choices.Worth reading.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed reading this book, although it never pulled me in, so to speak. I really liked the different female protagonists, and I enjoyed reading a sci-fi book that addressed bioethical and social issues. It was interesting to see how some major decisions altered the future for the other characters. I thought the book was well-written and the science discussed was basic enough for readers across the board to understand. It would have been nice to see more discussion about the different types of humans that were designed, for example the physical differences of the flight crew and how that was achieved. In other words, it would have been nice to see more of the science-y stuff peek through, or take the primary focus. The story definitely felt more attentive to the social issues, and while that is not a bad thing perhaps avid sci-fi readers might be disappointed with this altered focus. The story did not necessarily have all that much of an action-driven plot feel to it, and that might have made it a more engaging tale. Perhaps it was the perspective/narration/tense that gave it that sideline-esque feel to it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. All in all I enjoyed reading this book.
    • 4/5
      A series of interconnecting stories about colonizing a new star system. It would have been interesting to fill some of the gaps between the stories. Maybe in another book?
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the book and really liked how the author went through 4 generations of women, one for each section of the book (5 if you count the epilogue). Each generation dealt with their own issues including politics, religion, racism, and bio-engineering.
    • 2/5
      I'll come right out and say it: Vale of Stars is a frustrating book. It's not well-written. It's heavy-handed. It tries to do to much. The characters are obnoxious. The science is laughable.And yet....In a nutshell, the story follows four generations of women, with each woman being the protagonist of her quarter of the book. It begins aboard a generation ship as it approaches its destination world, skips ahead in time to the planetbound colonies, and then expands out from there to the wider world beyond the colony domes.From the very beginning, the characters drove me crazy. The bad guy(s) are bad guys just to be bad guys; sure, we get more insight to their motivations as the book progresses, but it turns out to be nothing more sophisticated than "I hate these people, so I'm going to be evil." The good guys (or gals, as it were) are just as unsubtle, always interpreting every action or opinion taken by the bad guys as this totally evil thing—not because it would make any sense to do so, but simply because these are the good guys, those are the bad guys, and this is the thing that needs to happen for the plot to go, and also because the author has his points that he needs to hit you over the head with as unsubtly as possible.There is so much in this book that doesn't make any sense, beyond the non-existent character motivations. At one point, there's a biological transformation that's completely ridiculous. A little girl gets banished to the planet's surface, where she somehow founds a complete society including technology and infrastructure.But buried inside all of the ridiculousness are some genuinely-interesting sci-fi novel concepts, including a halfway-decent first contact story, and the exploration of the worship of more advanced beings as divinities. And that's the most frustrating thing about this book: it takes three-quarters of the novel to get to the truly interesting stuff, but those ideas feel like distractions simply because of the way they're shoehorned into the rest of the story.I would love see some of these concepts expanded into their own proper novel (or novels) but I can't actually recommend this one. [2 out of 5 stars]
    • 2/5
      I received this book as part of the Early Readers program, as the concept intrigued me, but the book itself turned out to be disappointing. The plot is fine, probably the best part of the book, and it definitely improves the further you get into it, but the writing put me off. Especially in the beginning, before the implications of plot events had time to interest me, I felt like the characters were all similar, and the fact that their emoting is constantly told rather than shown (she was surprised and upset that blah blah, she tried to control her rage blah blah blah) grated on my nerves. The whole thing is, as one other reviewer mentioned, overwrought. Even further on, characters other than the main women were rather shallow, although that, too, got a bit better towards the end, and each section felt disconnected from the others (maybe a side effect of having so many years pass in between each section?). It was more like reading 4 short stories all set on the same world, rather than a novel, so every so often, you'd have to start over in terms of learning about an entirely new cast, and unfortunately, the book wasn't good enough at convincing me to care about these women. Also, the questions raised by the ending were not entirely answered in the epilogue, which felt superfluous, like many a word throughout the book.Of course, it wasn't all bad, I did read all the way to the end, after all. Like I said, the concept itself is intruiging, and the world that our characters explore is well thought out and feels real, but the exploration of social concepts and authority structures was carried out a bit more clumsily. In the fourth section, some of the characters finally come alive (perhaps because it's closer in time to the previous section than the others were to the sections before them, and we had longer to get to know these characters?) and the things that they discovered about their world were very interesting. I guessed almost everything long before the characters did, but the way in which they discovered things was organic and natural, and the way in which the book cycled around from ship to land to ship again shows an attention to structure that I always like to see. But, it wasn't enough to make me want to read it again, and I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I'd read the first page or so in a book store...
    • 3/5
      I don't read much Sci-Fi novels, but found the description of this one to be interesting. The plot and idea behind the story is really good even though it could have been better. I enjoyed reading about all of the women in this one family and the situations they all become involved in as they travel space to settle. This book isn't for everyone, so I suggest you borrow it from a friend or the library and if it is something you will over and over again then buy it.
    • 2/5
      A multi-generational treatise on morals and ethics in a science fiction setting, and I must admit I found it overwrought. The writing was leaden and felt juvenile, blunted and undeft, with the dialogue being particularly bad. Plot actions were heavily hammered into place, and the shallow characters failed to draw me in in any way. Two stars, maybe one. I found it unreadable, but I suppose it could have been worse.
    • 3/5
      Received as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer November 2012 batch.This speculative science fiction saga, Vale of Stars, by Sean O'Brien has to be admired for its ambitiousness and goals. While it makes a valiant attempt to reach those goals, however, it doesn't always succeed. The multi-generational space travel/settlement tale of earthlings bound for colonization on Epsilon Eridani 3 focuses on a family of women who each face heart-breaking decisions that ultimately cause irreparable harm to relationships, lives, and the fate of the colony, but mostly lead to angry regret. O'Brien stirs in ideas about genetic manipulation, philosophy, religion, politics, and prejudice, which might result in some juicy speculation had there been enough time – four actual books instead of one book divided into four sections called “books.”There are several very interesting conceits within the book regarding how humans might adapt to persistent weightlessness and living in space, how a religion develops, how class warfare develops, and the more common – how one can go wrong when first encountering another sentient species. The development of these ideas is mostly satisfying, but – again – always seems to be dealt with as more summary than in-depth examination. Finally, there are very few male authors who can write effectively from a female perspective – Michael Dorris an outstanding exception to this – and O'Brien doesn't fare much better. I found his women characters in each section to be a bit angrier, quick to judge, and slow to forgive than was reasonable. This is not to say that women don’t do this, but while O’Brien’s characters exhibit these characteristics, they also choose men as partners who are their exact opposites – partners who are somehow flawed either in fact or in the eyes of these women – who they completely ignore when choosing the paths that so deeply affect the rest of their lives.While this may sound as if it’s a negative review, it’s not meant to turn the potential reader away. Vale of Stars is an enjoyable read; however, it may leave the reader wanting more, not so much in a sequel but in a rewrite that lifts the narrative and dialogue a few grade levels, that develops characters a bit more, and that perhaps considers dividing the tale into several books rather than sections.On a purely cosmetic level, I have to commend the JournalStone on the small number of typos in Vale of Stars. Having become an avid ebook reader and a composition professor and former technical editor, nothing frustrates a reading experience more than a multitude of typographical errors, which seem to be so commonplace in ebook editions.
    • 3/5
      I Received this book from the LibraryThing's Early Reviewer November 2012 batch in exchange for a review.To start off, I enjoyed the book.Of the 3 parts, Ship, Colony and Planet; only the middle part the Colony was weak. It felt rushed and did not have nearly enough depth, unfortunately.The beginning of the book started very strong and really draws you in, it has good characterization and conflict. I have issues with the conflict resolution, but sometimes some things are not explained; it happens in life and sometimes in fiction.The last section, Planet again starts strong but in the middle kind of limps along then surges and drops back off again to a satisfactory finish. It could have been an excellent finish I believe with a bit more editorial input. This book has everything it needs to spectacular, but needs some polish and fleshing out of some scenes and characters. I think the desire to get a socio/politic/economic message across was more important to the author than the end product.Vale of Stars is not the best book I have read this year, but it is also far from the worst. I am not sorry I read it.
    • 4/5
      Vale of Stars did what few books have done for me lately. It hooked me in early. The Ship portion of the book seemed the best written part. It had a more solid foundation to it's world building. The colony had some good portions to it as well. By the time we got to the planet things started breaking down. The copy editing towards the end was atrocious. There were so many typos that it really took me out of the story. The ending was rather telegraphed, and not very satisfying. I think a much larger story arc would have worked better using each part as a separate book and giving each one the attention the first part of the book had. I think the author put forth interesting and plausible scenarios on the human condition in the future. Let's hope we evolve better than he thinks we will.
    • 3/5
      Early Reviewer.Vale of Stars started great. After reading less than one chapter I was hooked. The setting, characters, conflict, all made sense and were interesting. I didn't like that the point of view was extremely omniscient, telling me in the same breath what things looked like, what characters were doing, what they were feeling, and what their motivations were. Unnatural and spoonfeeding, and reading like bits of outline notes, not final text.Overall, the first part of the book ("Ship") was good. The second one ("Colony"), even better.It rather went downhill with the last, and longer, section ("Planet"). The writing became even less satisfactory, the copyediting was at points horrendous, there were utterly unexplained elements that felt very much out of place in a science fiction story (mind reading by touch??), and there was quite some buildup towards some final revelations that felt more like "ah, ok..." than "wow, so that's how it was!"All in all, I might have been happier with this book if I had not read its third part.
    • 4/5
      Very few books grab me on the first page, and this book did! I enjoyed this fast paced Sci-fi story with several interesting developments exploring themes of how we fear and react to those who are different to us. The structure of the book is in four parts and while this did speed up the pace of the story there were large gaps of time between each of the parts begging for more stories to be told. Some characters are well developed and I particularly enjoyed the main character in the latter part of the book, Sirra. I will gladly read more stories from Sean O'Brien.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book while on vacation in South America. It is a Science Fiction novel about inter-generational relationships over several generations. The characters were well developed, though I felt some of the characters did not seem to be motivated quite the way the characters were written, or at least stretching the edge of believability. The need for conflict did not come naturally. I also wished there was more scene detail. Often the backgrounds were just sketched out. More detail please.I found it an enjoyable read, and hope the author continues writing this story.
    • 3/5
      This is a sweeping science fiction novel that covers generations of protagonists, starting with a doctor who is part of humanity's first interstellar colonization mission aboard an intergenerational spaceship. Each successive part of the book follows one or more of her descendants as their destination world is colonized and explored. Every protagonist faces 1 or more moral crises, usually predicated on some genetics-based distinction that leads to suspicion and hatred flaring up into full-out conflict between different groups of the colonists. Some of these moral crises were very thought-provoking; others simply annoying. The most fascinating parts of the book for me explored how humanity might evolve through genetic engineering and necessity to adapt to different environments and how different societies would form due to different circumstances. The sections of the book that dealt with the Family and the Flight Crew were particularly interesting. I really was impressed with the author's breadth of vision in regards to space travel and extraplanetary colonization. Additionally, many of the characters were interesting and well-drawn.However, I was often frustrated and even outraged by how each generation acted out what the author seemed to see as humanity's overriding impulse: a fundamental need to differentiate people (usually due to some physical or genetic characteristic) and subsequently discriminate against and oppress the differentiated group. I had a hard time figuring out whether the author was trying to show that this was a misguided and ineffective human impulse or whether the author believed that hatred, selfishness, and fear are inevitable parts of being human. Since it seemed that only as people evolved away from "pure" human genetics that they became more free of these emotions, it does seem that the latter interpretation might be the correct one. Similarly, the author's repeated invocation of a socialist government was confusing. One interpretation was that the author was trying to show that the socialist philosophy is the ideal, but that in practice socialism can be undermined by the short-sightedness of certain particularly cruel and selfish individuals. On the other hand, it was possible that the author was trying to show that socialism is inherently unworkable because so many humans are cruel and selfish that they necessarily defeat the ideals.Fundamentally, it felt like the author had a message to get across, but the message was garbled, which was a shame because the story itself was worth telling, perhaps without any message at all.

    Book preview

    Vale of Stars - Sean O'Brien

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