This book acts as a prequel to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars and is a good introduction to the Fractalverse
The sense of dread that this book built up was so well done. With the uncertainty of what the giant crater in the planet is, and the constant, steady stream of thuds combine to create this tense atmosphere, with an almost horror inducing tone. I enjoyed this element to the book because it had me wanting to come back for more as I very desperately wanted to know what the true source of this was, and what purpose it held. There was also this ever-present sense of doom, and as a result anxiety for the characters because it felt as if they were heading towards something they might not be able to escape from with their lives. These were such strengths of this book and what really drew me into it, despite what at times felt like a very slow-paced novel.
On this note, sometimes Fractal Noise did feel a little too slow as far as I was concerned, suffering a little from seeming like the characters were always walking to their destination with not much else of note happening – at least as far as action. Where this is redeemed a bit, is the fact that it felt like more of a psychological journey than anything. While there were moments of note on the journey that amped up the tension and action, much of it was more focused on the psychological effects of the experience for the characters, and the tone of psychological horror to the entire book.
Altogether, I did find it an enjoyable read, however I was perhaps a little disappointed by the ending, though the note from the author afterwards does explain the reasoning behind it. I just felt it didn’t quite match the tone of the rest of the book and I think it could have been a lot more effective had it been done differently and more in line with the expectation set up to that point, at least for how I was expecting it to go. But I do recommend it as set up for the next book, and it did amp up my excitement for To Sleep in a Sea of Stars effectively.
