Sunborn (Chaos Chronicles) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: disrupter grenades, threading space, sentient stars, John Bandicut, The Long View, Miss Stone (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The long-anticipated fourth entry in Carver's Chaos Chronicles (after 1996's The Infinite Sea) is space opera at its most agreeably and classically science fictional. Someone or something is plotting murder on an interstellar scale, and a small company of exiles led by human John Bandicut may be the galaxy's only chance of salvation. The prospective victims are sentient stars living in the Orion Nebula; half the challenge is simply opening communications. Luckily, Bandicut's allies and sponsors include robots, noncorporeal symbiotes and the incredibly ancient multidimensional entity Deeaab. With such a large cast and a parallel plot involving a threat to Earth itself, character development is necessarily sketched broadly. Some may find the narrative overly stage-managed, but Carver skillfully rotates viewpoints and weaves the choreography directly into the plot. This installment is a cut above the earlier books and will be entirely accessible to any reader who appreciates high-powered stellar and n-dimensional physics blended with old-school space-faring. (Nov.)
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From Booklist

Carver’s galaxy-spanning new novel is a welcome return to his popular Chaos Chronicles after a decade-long hiatus. In it, he reprises the adventures of space pilot John Bandicut and the assorted aliens and androids, each possessing extraordinary gifts, that comprise an unlikely team of world-saving philanthropists. Fresh from a recent mission to rescue an ocean-dwelling race from imminent destruction, the crew is summoned to an interstellar way station threatened by vast, unpredictable gravity waves. The ultimate destination is the Orion Nebula, where a multidimensional civilization is imperiled by an unstable sun, and Bandicut and his comrades must confront the most daunting adversary they have ever faced, an enigmatic star-shredding entity from another universe. Carver does his usual outstanding job of juggling multiple viewpoints and plot threads while casting his protagonists’ adventures against a sweeping, intergalactic backdrop. Yet Bandicut’s story is ultimately a very human one about determination, seat-of-the-pants ingenuity, and courage in the face of overwhelming danger. --Carl Hays

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312864531
• ISBN-13: 978-0312864538
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #255,623 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Chaos Chronicles entry, December 25, 2008

By	Dean Prosser (Pataskala, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I discovered Jeffrey Carver online and am so glad I did. It's been a long time since I've been excited by a new (to me) author. This guy writes a book that is enjoyable to read; not pretentious nor simplistic, in plot or character development. The characters in the Chaos Chronicles, John Bandicut and friends, are realistic and interesting.

Sunborn, fourth in the series, continues the adventure in a universe spanning series of "Chaos" events. You won't be disappointed in Carver's latest. Buy it and read it! :-)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the wait, February 21, 2009

By	M.L. (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This is my first time writing a review on Amazon (so forgive any rambling I may do). Normally, don't feel strongly enough about a book to bother with a review, or someone else has already written a review expressing my opinion. But this book is definitely worth the effort.

I got into reading the Chaos Chronicles years ago and would periodically check the author's website for any news on the next book. So I was thrilled when I heard Sunborn was to be released. The first chapter teaser offered on the site whetted my appetite, and the book definitely did not disappoint. The author's skill at weaving a compelling story have refined rather than faded in the years between the previous sequel and this one.

I have enjoyed science fiction books for many years and one of the things I love about Jeffery Carver's books is that they do indeed delve into the realm of "hard core" science fiction, with all of the science background that requires, without stifling the plot or making it overly cerebral. The descriptions written by Carver take previously unfathomable things, like sentient space entities such as stars and black holes, and make those characters feel as real and alive, though definitely alien, as any human character I've read about. I have enjoyed watching the character development of John Bandicut and his fellow travelers throughout the series, and Sunborn takes that to the next level.

Usually I prefer the POV of a book to focus only on the main character, with few detours. Sunborn alternately switches points of view to advance the story and make the reader feel they have a more complete picture of what's going on. Normally I hate switching POV b/c I find I don't care enough about the other characters in a story, as much as the main character, to care what they are thinking or what's going on with them. But Sunborn manages the switches while only building the interest and tension, rather than feeling like the story is losing steam or taking an unnecessary break from the main action.

Most books have certain lulls that tempt me to skim and skip pages to get back to "the good stuff" but I didn't find myself doing that in Sunborn. I found the secondary story, involving Julie and the translator launching their own mission, just as engaging as John's newest Shipworld mission.

The other "side kick" characters in the book became more vibrant and in the forefront, without pushing John Bandicut, the previous main character focus, into the background. Even the robots, which started off in the series just a few generations ahead of what could be created today, managed to blossom in their personalities and their sacrifices to achieve the goal of the book felt important and emotionally resonant. Also the romance between John and Antares deepened, without overtaking the science fiction feel of the book. And the conclusion of the book hinted as some interesting conflicts for the next book in the series, and I only hope it doesn't take as many years for the next installment to be published.

And if you haven't read the first three books in the Chaos Chronicles: Neptune Crossing (The Chaos Chronicles, Vol 1), Strange Attractors: Volume Two of the 'The Chaos Chronicles', & The Infinite Sea (Chaos Chronicles), you'll definitely want to check those out first.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chaos Rules!, December 31, 2008

By	Fran B. Giuffre - See all my reviews

I expected to enjoy this fourth volume of the "Chaos Chronicles" but "Sunborn" is more than a good story, it is a real achievement in science fiction writing. Unlike a lot of modern series that are fun to read but tend toward repetition, every "Chaos" book travels to exotic new places, introduces different characters and explores the latest real-science ideas. Proven human hero John Bandicut keeps the reader grounded - a grand feat since he's racing through space-time on all cylinders. As usual Bandie is accompanied by a stylish group of aliens some of whom are difficult - but not impossible - to imagine. Their challenge is to track down and defeat a threat to star life. As the plot unravels a variety of wonderful themes are explored including the tender relationship between John and the lovely Antares, the friendship and trust between Ik and Li-Jared and everyone's reliance on robots Copernicus and Napolean. Toss in the translator stones, the Charlie variations and new friends nicknamed Deep and Dark and you've got a cast of characters unlike any other in the genre. Additionally, John's old flame Julie Stone is following in his footsteps back in the Solar System! Jeffrey Carver employs cutting-edge science, speculation and old-fashioned, way-out imagination to create a gem of a novel.