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The Stargazer's War #2
To Catch a Falling Leaf
Training is over. The hunt is on.
With Fyrion a distant speck behind us and the resources of the Dragon’s Right Eye out of reach, there’s only one place in the system we can go to gather the materials we need to advance to bronze.
Ilirian beckons.
But dangers lurk in those dark jungles, and the ruins of a civilization long dead house threats the likes of which no amount of training or meditation could’ve prepared us for. It’s advance or fall behind, and with the infinite sea at my back, there’s only one real option.
At least the monsters only want to kill me.
With Fyrion a distant speck behind us and the resources of the Dragon’s Right Eye out of reach, there’s only one place in the system we can go to gather the materials we need to advance to bronze.
Ilirian beckons.
But dangers lurk in those dark jungles, and the ruins of a civilization long dead house threats the likes of which no amount of training or meditation could’ve prepared us for. It’s advance or fall behind, and with the infinite sea at my back, there’s only one real option.
At least the monsters only want to kill me.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2024
358 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
October 8, 2024
+1 for the recap.
Lost 5 stars for pandering to the TRANS AGENDA. Out of nowhere, the author made one of the Macho characters Trans Man and tried to preach it to the parents (readers)
Absolutely, I hate it when authors try to foist their real-life politics or woke carap on an unsuspecting audience. I read fiction to avoid all this crap, coz sitcoms, or TV in general are chock-full of this bs.
Book 1 was awesome, but there was something missing with this one.
Lost 5 stars for pandering to the TRANS AGENDA. Out of nowhere, the author made one of the Macho characters Trans Man and tried to preach it to the parents (readers)
Absolutely, I hate it when authors try to foist their real-life politics or woke carap on an unsuspecting audience. I read fiction to avoid all this crap, coz sitcoms, or TV in general are chock-full of this bs.
Book 1 was awesome, but there was something missing with this one.
October 27, 2025
Cal, Xavier, Charlotte, and Lucy venture off out of the reach of The Dragon's Right Eye. They aren't simply running away, they are running to a place to gain the power they need not to be crushed by those who oppose them. They have headed to Illirian to push their advancements. However there are threats looming in the darkness that none of them could've been fully prepared to face.
To Catch a Falling Leaf wasn't quite what I had expected as a sequel to the first book. The end of To Flail Against Infinity made it seem as though the gang would be facing off against Cedric's family. That doesn't happen. Instead new threats emerge. I realize when it comes to books everything is made up, but everything doesn't typically feel made up in a rush. A lot of aspects simply happen and everyone understands their importance except the reader. For instance, I had no idea nanites were like the plague in this universe, but they are. When they arrive I didn't even know they existed in the universe, let alone the danger they posed. Aspects like that happen far more often than I would like in this book. It made the book feel long in a bad way.
The strength of the story remained the core characters Cal, Xavier, and Charlotte. Their dynamic and interactions are interesting even if Charlotte is a bit on the duller end. I'm far more intrigued by Cal and Xavier after this book. The reveals about each character were certainly satisfying.
I was glad they left the sect setting, but nearly all cultivation explanation seem to have left with it. I have some prior knowledge of cultivation from other series, but if I didn't I would have been lost. Random cultivation just kept happening, the majority of which were no surprise to the characters, but were complete surprises to me as the reader. I would have really appreciated at least a little bit of foreshadowing. Even the title To Catch a Falling Leaf is barely relevant to the story until nearly the end.
To Catch a Falling Leaf was just good enough to make me interested to find out what happens next.
2.5 out of 5 stars
To Catch a Falling Leaf wasn't quite what I had expected as a sequel to the first book. The end of To Flail Against Infinity made it seem as though the gang would be facing off against Cedric's family. That doesn't happen. Instead new threats emerge. I realize when it comes to books everything is made up, but everything doesn't typically feel made up in a rush. A lot of aspects simply happen and everyone understands their importance except the reader. For instance, I had no idea nanites were like the plague in this universe, but they are. When they arrive I didn't even know they existed in the universe, let alone the danger they posed. Aspects like that happen far more often than I would like in this book. It made the book feel long in a bad way.
The strength of the story remained the core characters Cal, Xavier, and Charlotte. Their dynamic and interactions are interesting even if Charlotte is a bit on the duller end. I'm far more intrigued by Cal and Xavier after this book. The reveals about each character were certainly satisfying.
I was glad they left the sect setting, but nearly all cultivation explanation seem to have left with it. I have some prior knowledge of cultivation from other series, but if I didn't I would have been lost. Random cultivation just kept happening, the majority of which were no surprise to the characters, but were complete surprises to me as the reader. I would have really appreciated at least a little bit of foreshadowing. Even the title To Catch a Falling Leaf is barely relevant to the story until nearly the end.
To Catch a Falling Leaf was just good enough to make me interested to find out what happens next.
2.5 out of 5 stars
October 19, 2024
Better than the first, I think. My main gripe with the previous one was how annoying the protagonist was, and that was dialed down a bit in this one. I'm not sure if other people complained or if it was because the author realized how bad it was or even if he thought it made sense for this story and it's just a momentary thing.
I liked the story quite a bit more too. Instead of the annoying sect with the annoyingdisciplescadets, we got a "lost" (not really) in the jungle with mysterious ancient ruins plot. I also appreciated the focus on the main group and that the author came up with a way to make them keep up with the MC and not be left behind (though how it happens is kind of BS).
As for the negatives, again the progression felt too easy, too smooth. I get that Cal has a cheat, but I had never seen a story make power-ups so unsatisfying. It's just "let me use my cheat one second... oops! I've got to the next stage". Even though they need some MacGuffin, they get that pretty easily and without tension.
Also, the foreshadowing is pretty obvious. I called Xavier's thing in the first book, and the new love interest in the first paragraph.
My main gripe this time is a general thoughtlessness. Why did the mysterious woman even need them? Why did the bad guy not kill Cal instantly? Why did he leave the one thing that could cause him problems laying around, instead of hiding it? Why didn't the grey goo defeat them at the end? Why are the elders so weak?
To Catch a Falling Leaf only reinforced my opinion on the first book, that this is just an average story wrapped up in a beautiful package. Though my main complaint from the first book was considerably improved, I just found new things to be disappointed by. But if you liked the first, I think you'll like this one even more. Personally, I'm not sure if I'll give the next one a chance, but either way I'm not too hopeful.
I liked the story quite a bit more too. Instead of the annoying sect with the annoying
As for the negatives, again the progression felt too easy, too smooth. I get that Cal has a cheat, but I had never seen a story make power-ups so unsatisfying. It's just "let me use my cheat one second... oops! I've got to the next stage". Even though they need some MacGuffin, they get that pretty easily and without tension.
Also, the foreshadowing is pretty obvious. I called Xavier's thing in the first book, and the new love interest in the first paragraph.
My main gripe this time is a general thoughtlessness. Why did the mysterious woman even need them? Why did the bad guy not kill Cal instantly? Why did he leave the one thing that could cause him problems laying around, instead of hiding it? Why didn't the grey goo defeat them at the end? Why are the elders so weak?
To Catch a Falling Leaf only reinforced my opinion on the first book, that this is just an average story wrapped up in a beautiful package. Though my main complaint from the first book was considerably improved, I just found new things to be disappointed by. But if you liked the first, I think you'll like this one even more. Personally, I'm not sure if I'll give the next one a chance, but either way I'm not too hopeful.
September 10, 2024
Confronting Nihilism
A sci-fi xianxia series is a strange thing. The mix of medieval culture and high technology, of mysticism and science, of swords and lasers creates a dissonance that an author must address.
This author uses that dissonance to examine and confront the philosophy of nihilism; the idea that an infinite universe renders all human activity meaningless, that human existence is meaningless against the vast cosmos. As the protagonist faces the void of space, he presents a potent counter point that encapsulates the action of the preceding book.
That book is adventurous, challenging, and littered with strong characters. Recommended.
A sci-fi xianxia series is a strange thing. The mix of medieval culture and high technology, of mysticism and science, of swords and lasers creates a dissonance that an author must address.
This author uses that dissonance to examine and confront the philosophy of nihilism; the idea that an infinite universe renders all human activity meaningless, that human existence is meaningless against the vast cosmos. As the protagonist faces the void of space, he presents a potent counter point that encapsulates the action of the preceding book.
That book is adventurous, challenging, and littered with strong characters. Recommended.
November 27, 2024
DNF.. really wanted this one improve but the mc is just dumb. It was explainable in the first book the second just felt hollow.
October 3, 2024
2.5
Not as good as the first. But still ok.
Not as good as the first. But still ok.
January 23, 2025
Fun story
So many twists and turns and some exquisite philosophizing. Feels like an elevated version of Aurora rising or Illuminae Files
So many twists and turns and some exquisite philosophizing. Feels like an elevated version of Aurora rising or Illuminae Files
January 7, 2025
Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, these are among the most human.
TL;DR: The second book continues the trend of the first one of perfectly integrating the most mundane elements into a setting filled with larger-than-life power fantasy stereotypes and it's the most endearing thing ever while also being extremely subversive
Wow, the author did it again
I was kinda slightly worried the writing would be moving away from the way the first book was written. It didn't and I loved it.
You see, what I loved by far the most about the first book wasn't the worldbuiling (which was and is surprisingly consistently good) but the character interactions and how down-to-earth (pun intended) it felt. Ok, so the main character is a vacuum welder normie from a random space station stumbling upon more or less the greatest secret in the known Universe? He's basically 10 times more chosen one than Paul Atreides? The potentially single most overpowered character in high fantasy? Yes, that all applies, but then... Then the dude basically remains himself. It doesn't turn him into a larger-than-life godlike entity every Cultivator around him wishes to be and strives to behave like. He's a vac-welder normie all the way to the end, high fantasy epic events be damned. He has friends who are actually nice people you'd want to spend time with, despite everyone being traumatized in one way or another. The character interactions are absolutely golden, I once again didn't get enough of this goodness and want more. It's a book where yes, there are power junkies who deal in and speak with universe-shatternig cosmic grandeur. In the second book more so than in the first, they speak of doom prophecy, war, cleansing their ranks of the weak, even some less powerful characters (even some who by the second book have been ) still deal in this larger-than-life high fantasy stereotypes. Which... None of them are the good guys. The good guys sleep in, get headaches and hangovers, want to make food and even have to drive the point home. The good guys want none of this chosen one BS. The second book is woven through with this plot thread of The thing is, I am still not even convinced that the
To sum it all up, what these books do best is successfully have empathy-filled genuinely nice and very human characters be themselves in a world that really strives to be this nihilistic socially Darwinian dystopia but fails ultimately. Because we get to see that while the Cultivators may be these power freaks, every time normal (mortal) humans are involved (or even cultivators who aren't part of the big important hierarchy of space warriors), the MH is suddenly not alone in his empathy. The author may not have invented anything particularly new when it comes to Space Opera or Epic Fantasy (though granted, the way the two are integrated here is unique and almost perfect, some more epic scenes also work really well, and the symbolism of every event and action is through the roof, everything is foreshadowing). But then that's not even why I'm here. I'm here for the way the books integrate the mundane into the epic and make it feel like home. I'm here for the way the MH is anti-power fantasy because he never thinks of his empowered self as his better self. He's certainly using the power given to him to change things alright, but he's ultimately still a vacuum welder dude. I'm here for "four people are alive because we went there". I'm here for catching falling leaves. Because these characters are alive in all the most important ways, which are the simplest ones. Because the books themselves make you wish to spend more time withh these people.
Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, these are among the most human.
5/5, hope it keeps going this way.
TL;DR: The second book continues the trend of the first one of perfectly integrating the most mundane elements into a setting filled with larger-than-life power fantasy stereotypes and it's the most endearing thing ever while also being extremely subversive
Wow, the author did it again
I was kinda slightly worried the writing would be moving away from the way the first book was written. It didn't and I loved it.
You see, what I loved by far the most about the first book wasn't the worldbuiling (which was and is surprisingly consistently good) but the character interactions and how down-to-earth (pun intended) it felt. Ok, so the main character is a vacuum welder normie from a random space station stumbling upon more or less the greatest secret in the known Universe? He's basically 10 times more chosen one than Paul Atreides? The potentially single most overpowered character in high fantasy? Yes, that all applies, but then... Then the dude basically remains himself. It doesn't turn him into a larger-than-life godlike entity every Cultivator around him wishes to be and strives to behave like. He's a vac-welder normie all the way to the end, high fantasy epic events be damned. He has friends who are actually nice people you'd want to spend time with, despite everyone being traumatized in one way or another. The character interactions are absolutely golden, I once again didn't get enough of this goodness and want more. It's a book where yes, there are power junkies who deal in and speak with universe-shatternig cosmic grandeur. In the second book more so than in the first, they speak of doom prophecy, war, cleansing their ranks of the weak, even some less powerful characters (even some who by the second book have been ) still deal in this larger-than-life high fantasy stereotypes. Which... None of them are the good guys. The good guys sleep in, get headaches and hangovers, want to make food and even have to drive the point home. The good guys want none of this chosen one BS. The second book is woven through with this plot thread of The thing is, I am still not even convinced that the
To sum it all up, what these books do best is successfully have empathy-filled genuinely nice and very human characters be themselves in a world that really strives to be this nihilistic socially Darwinian dystopia but fails ultimately. Because we get to see that while the Cultivators may be these power freaks, every time normal (mortal) humans are involved (or even cultivators who aren't part of the big important hierarchy of space warriors), the MH is suddenly not alone in his empathy. The author may not have invented anything particularly new when it comes to Space Opera or Epic Fantasy (though granted, the way the two are integrated here is unique and almost perfect, some more epic scenes also work really well, and the symbolism of every event and action is through the roof, everything is foreshadowing). But then that's not even why I'm here. I'm here for the way the books integrate the mundane into the epic and make it feel like home. I'm here for the way the MH is anti-power fantasy because he never thinks of his empowered self as his better self. He's certainly using the power given to him to change things alright, but he's ultimately still a vacuum welder dude. I'm here for "four people are alive because we went there". I'm here for catching falling leaves. Because these characters are alive in all the most important ways, which are the simplest ones. Because the books themselves make you wish to spend more time withh these people.
Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, these are among the most human.
5/5, hope it keeps going this way.
September 29, 2024
To Catch a Falling Leaf was not the slam-dunk success of the first novel.
In fact, to start with, I worried this was one of those series that delivers a banger of an opening novel but nothing else of quality. Luckily, the book does pick up, but there will be more on that later.
The primary issue is the last book didn't provide a strong motivator leading into book two. The first book focused firmly on Cal's first steps in cultivating dark qi. This is to the book's credit as it delivered a focused, character-driven story. Within the setting of the cultivator sect, there was a clear path our protagonist needed to follow, both in cultivation and to grow as a character. That same path worked for the supporting cast, as everyone's motivations were clear and well-defined. Because of how that book ended, many of these paths were cut short, and what replaced them was not nearly so strong.
This led to a book that felt directionless in its opening quarter. It sends the characters after a placeholder goal, then tries multiple different story paths to see what will stick best. Conflicts between characters flare up and then lead nowhere. Magical obstacles are made into a massive issue, then almost nullified a few chapters later. There are lots of what felt like false starts, and as a result, the pacing of the opening chapters was lacking.
The book picks up when it finally discovers the path it wants to take, and the story becomes more focused. Given a clear driving goal and delivering plenty of character growth moments along the way set this story back on track again. By the halfway mark, I was once more immersed in this world, and the rest of the story flew by.
There are still issues in the rest of the novel where the book tries to do too much by introducing too many huge new concepts without properly grounding what has come before. However, at this point, the narrative has found its stride, and it's easy to overlook these issues.
The only issue that was harder to ignore was that this book was considerably less character-focused than its predecessor. Cal gets plenty of attention, so it's not too much of an issue, but Charlotte and Xavier are pale imitations of their previous selves. Despite significant changes to both characters, they felt hollow in this book and not so much like real people. I think this is because most of what we see from them is surface level, and when monumental things happen to those characters, their response is flat and underdeveloped, leaving them feeling underserved.
So overall, this was a rocky sequel that is probably about a 3.5 that just scrapes its way into being rounded up to a 4. By the end of this novel, I enjoyed what I read and liked where this story was headed, but it was far from a smooth experience getting to this point. The real worry is that, considering how this book ended, there is a danger of the same experience happening again in the next novel. However, I do think that many of the book's flaws were transitionary flaws where the author struggled to introduce the necessary elements to open up this story beyond the narrow focus of what is personally happening to Cal in the moment. Now that the story has been opened up, I hope it can pick up the baton and instantly get running in the next book.
In fact, to start with, I worried this was one of those series that delivers a banger of an opening novel but nothing else of quality. Luckily, the book does pick up, but there will be more on that later.
The primary issue is the last book didn't provide a strong motivator leading into book two. The first book focused firmly on Cal's first steps in cultivating dark qi. This is to the book's credit as it delivered a focused, character-driven story. Within the setting of the cultivator sect, there was a clear path our protagonist needed to follow, both in cultivation and to grow as a character. That same path worked for the supporting cast, as everyone's motivations were clear and well-defined. Because of how that book ended, many of these paths were cut short, and what replaced them was not nearly so strong.
This led to a book that felt directionless in its opening quarter. It sends the characters after a placeholder goal, then tries multiple different story paths to see what will stick best. Conflicts between characters flare up and then lead nowhere. Magical obstacles are made into a massive issue, then almost nullified a few chapters later. There are lots of what felt like false starts, and as a result, the pacing of the opening chapters was lacking.
The book picks up when it finally discovers the path it wants to take, and the story becomes more focused. Given a clear driving goal and delivering plenty of character growth moments along the way set this story back on track again. By the halfway mark, I was once more immersed in this world, and the rest of the story flew by.
There are still issues in the rest of the novel where the book tries to do too much by introducing too many huge new concepts without properly grounding what has come before. However, at this point, the narrative has found its stride, and it's easy to overlook these issues.
The only issue that was harder to ignore was that this book was considerably less character-focused than its predecessor. Cal gets plenty of attention, so it's not too much of an issue, but Charlotte and Xavier are pale imitations of their previous selves. Despite significant changes to both characters, they felt hollow in this book and not so much like real people. I think this is because most of what we see from them is surface level, and when monumental things happen to those characters, their response is flat and underdeveloped, leaving them feeling underserved.
So overall, this was a rocky sequel that is probably about a 3.5 that just scrapes its way into being rounded up to a 4. By the end of this novel, I enjoyed what I read and liked where this story was headed, but it was far from a smooth experience getting to this point. The real worry is that, considering how this book ended, there is a danger of the same experience happening again in the next novel. However, I do think that many of the book's flaws were transitionary flaws where the author struggled to introduce the necessary elements to open up this story beyond the narrow focus of what is personally happening to Cal in the moment. Now that the story has been opened up, I hope it can pick up the baton and instantly get running in the next book.
January 24, 2025
Well this is annoyingly good
This has got me stumped cause I love it, despite there being a few little sticking points.
In all honesty it’s frigging awesome and you should read it and I can’t wait for the next one.
Aight so besides that a quick review;
Characters are good as always, good amount of humor, decent plot development and world building. It starts off a little slow and works its way up, but doesn’t take long before you get sucked in.
At the rate I do wonder how long the series will span book wise as there seems to be a long way to go, but that could be easily managed with appropriate time skips. And from the looks of things it’s being applied well so far, so 10/10 for that, not enough authors use time skips where it’s sorely needed or appropriate.
However, bc there’s always a caveat, there are a couple uhhh fairly decent looking plot holes to my mind unless I missed something.
So spoilers ahead be aware.
The whole nanotech/ nanite thing looks to be one big ass plot hole.
First up is when charlotte gets pricked in the finger. For the level of intelligence/competence they’d shown so far it was kinda a surprise that that wasn’t picked up on immediately and dealt with. Cause I mean, old ass sus ruins with unknown enchantmeants, and your gonna stick your finger in it, and then when it zaps you your not gonna be sus as hell on it? Doesn’t ring true with how smart they’d been showing before hand.
Second on that nano arc is:
You’ve got several people who were compromised and yet despite the week plus the mc and crew spent in there plus the months long time the others spent in there they never got infected except for two people??
It seems kinda an oversight without an explanation of why bc it doesn’t make sense.
Not only that but during the battles being hit with nano weapons and its getting a straight shot into the blood stream and Just does nothing?
Plus all they’d need to do is literally as their namesake, grey goo swarm, literally just swarm over each person ?? And then they’d literally be inside and with how quick that moves you’d be dead in an instant?
I point this out simply because there’s ways of steering a story that leaves no room for doubt as to how or why something happens.
Anyway good stuff and after binge reading this in like 5-6hiurs imma sleep now.
This has got me stumped cause I love it, despite there being a few little sticking points.
In all honesty it’s frigging awesome and you should read it and I can’t wait for the next one.
Aight so besides that a quick review;
Characters are good as always, good amount of humor, decent plot development and world building. It starts off a little slow and works its way up, but doesn’t take long before you get sucked in.
At the rate I do wonder how long the series will span book wise as there seems to be a long way to go, but that could be easily managed with appropriate time skips. And from the looks of things it’s being applied well so far, so 10/10 for that, not enough authors use time skips where it’s sorely needed or appropriate.
However, bc there’s always a caveat, there are a couple uhhh fairly decent looking plot holes to my mind unless I missed something.
So spoilers ahead be aware.
The whole nanotech/ nanite thing looks to be one big ass plot hole.
First up is when charlotte gets pricked in the finger. For the level of intelligence/competence they’d shown so far it was kinda a surprise that that wasn’t picked up on immediately and dealt with. Cause I mean, old ass sus ruins with unknown enchantmeants, and your gonna stick your finger in it, and then when it zaps you your not gonna be sus as hell on it? Doesn’t ring true with how smart they’d been showing before hand.
Second on that nano arc is:
You’ve got several people who were compromised and yet despite the week plus the mc and crew spent in there plus the months long time the others spent in there they never got infected except for two people??
It seems kinda an oversight without an explanation of why bc it doesn’t make sense.
Not only that but during the battles being hit with nano weapons and its getting a straight shot into the blood stream and Just does nothing?
Plus all they’d need to do is literally as their namesake, grey goo swarm, literally just swarm over each person ?? And then they’d literally be inside and with how quick that moves you’d be dead in an instant?
I point this out simply because there’s ways of steering a story that leaves no room for doubt as to how or why something happens.
Anyway good stuff and after binge reading this in like 5-6hiurs imma sleep now.
September 23, 2024
I think I enjoyed this one more than the first, some more life and death scenarios, you get a bigger sense of the story as a whole (the stargazer things feels like its going to be amazing) Its so close to a 5 star for me and I feel like each book is just going to get better.
The reason I didnt rate it a 5 is mostly down to pacing issues. The author has an odd habbit of lingering and giving undue attention in slow somewhat unimportant moments then speed rushing through others that felt like they could use more time. The biggest culprit for these is the iron bodies, now I tend to think of these as the same as cradles version but we had no information on them (requirements, effects etc) but 2 characters advance suddenly and with no preamble, we'd never even heard of nanites before this yet suddenly its a core part of a characters way.
Now in fairness you can piece together most things and its not a huge deal. I do think its done intentionally so the reader cant yet grasp the full scale of power in this verse, but the characters obviously know as they make the occasional comments about gem level for example but it loses impact as we have no reference. I think the author would benefit in giving a bit more structure to the next advancement level at least so we can see what they are working towards, what they need to do, what the benefits will be, and when they are going to do it (the work for bronze early on in the book was great) If the characters themselves dont know thats fine, we can learn with them and enjoy their revelations or their suprise at new abilities, but they appear to know so it feels like we are the only ones who dont and the advancement itself loses impact.
It all sounds fairly negative but I did enjoy this book more than the first, I think i nitpick so much because I see so much potentional and its right on the cusp of being something really special. I certainly plan to purchase the next book on release.
The reason I didnt rate it a 5 is mostly down to pacing issues. The author has an odd habbit of lingering and giving undue attention in slow somewhat unimportant moments then speed rushing through others that felt like they could use more time. The biggest culprit for these is the iron bodies, now I tend to think of these as the same as cradles version but we had no information on them (requirements, effects etc) but 2 characters advance suddenly and with no preamble, we'd never even heard of nanites before this yet suddenly its a core part of a characters way.
Now in fairness you can piece together most things and its not a huge deal. I do think its done intentionally so the reader cant yet grasp the full scale of power in this verse, but the characters obviously know as they make the occasional comments about gem level for example but it loses impact as we have no reference. I think the author would benefit in giving a bit more structure to the next advancement level at least so we can see what they are working towards, what they need to do, what the benefits will be, and when they are going to do it (the work for bronze early on in the book was great) If the characters themselves dont know thats fine, we can learn with them and enjoy their revelations or their suprise at new abilities, but they appear to know so it feels like we are the only ones who dont and the advancement itself loses impact.
It all sounds fairly negative but I did enjoy this book more than the first, I think i nitpick so much because I see so much potentional and its right on the cusp of being something really special. I certainly plan to purchase the next book on release.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2025
I was waiting for this book for what felt like forever - the first book, "To Flail Against Infinity" was one of my favorite reads and I was excited for more. But, "To Catch a Falling Leaf" wasn't what I was expecting.
To start off, this book is really, really well written - go read my review of the first book if you want to read me spend too many words to explain why I really enjoy how J.P. Valentine writes. I'm not gonna relitigate it here, but needless to say, the writing was very good and the editing was spot on.
So, this book is different from the first, in a way that, initially, I was annoyed with. Everyone we know and love is back, and now they're stuck in a jungle looking to continue on their cultivation journey. And, for the whole book, they are in or around this goddamn jungle and, on top of all that, for the most part its just five characters: our main character, his sentient spaceship, his two best friends, and a new character who is trapped in a weird maze. And that's it. Things happen, but they all happen with a smaller cast of characters and in a single location.
It fucking rules.
I have no idea if the narrowing of focus was intentional, but it fits the central theme of this book so well: the small, little, fleeting things have just as much weight and importance as the enormous, important, infinite things. By providing us with a narrower scope, the author is forcing us to learn what Cal spends most of the book learning: how to recognize that the big things are important while also making sure that the little things that are just a blip stay in focus. Its a pretty clever refutation of nihilism, which is also in line with the first book.
So, same great characters (plus a new one!), same excellent writing and editing, and a really clever story with a really good theme, plus there's a space crow. Who doesn't love a space crow? You should read this book.
To start off, this book is really, really well written - go read my review of the first book if you want to read me spend too many words to explain why I really enjoy how J.P. Valentine writes. I'm not gonna relitigate it here, but needless to say, the writing was very good and the editing was spot on.
So, this book is different from the first, in a way that, initially, I was annoyed with. Everyone we know and love is back, and now they're stuck in a jungle looking to continue on their cultivation journey. And, for the whole book, they are in or around this goddamn jungle and, on top of all that, for the most part its just five characters: our main character, his sentient spaceship, his two best friends, and a new character who is trapped in a weird maze. And that's it. Things happen, but they all happen with a smaller cast of characters and in a single location.
It fucking rules.
I have no idea if the narrowing of focus was intentional, but it fits the central theme of this book so well: the small, little, fleeting things have just as much weight and importance as the enormous, important, infinite things. By providing us with a narrower scope, the author is forcing us to learn what Cal spends most of the book learning: how to recognize that the big things are important while also making sure that the little things that are just a blip stay in focus. Its a pretty clever refutation of nihilism, which is also in line with the first book.
So, same great characters (plus a new one!), same excellent writing and editing, and a really clever story with a really good theme, plus there's a space crow. Who doesn't love a space crow? You should read this book.
September 27, 2024
Pretty Good
Sci-fi Space Cultivation with young masters culture on steroids but down to earth slightly funny protagonist. I give the series a ringing endorsement. In an oversaturated repetitive genre it hard to find a good, entertaining, diverse read, my only real issue is that the author has not taken the time to list the stages of cultivation and the character speak about them as if we should know there significance. It makes it difficult to conceptualize the difference in powers and the hierarchy. Is black hole more or less than celestial? Are they in the same stage? How many levels apart?
The last thing I will say is, so far, the first two books seem more like primers for the real story, trying to put things in context before telling the real story. If this is not on purpose I would suggest flushing out the story more so reader have a better understanding of the world, it politics, size, breakdown of powers, and so on.
I would recommend this series to other as stated, it is a good read.
Sci-fi Space Cultivation with young masters culture on steroids but down to earth slightly funny protagonist. I give the series a ringing endorsement. In an oversaturated repetitive genre it hard to find a good, entertaining, diverse read, my only real issue is that the author has not taken the time to list the stages of cultivation and the character speak about them as if we should know there significance. It makes it difficult to conceptualize the difference in powers and the hierarchy. Is black hole more or less than celestial? Are they in the same stage? How many levels apart?
The last thing I will say is, so far, the first two books seem more like primers for the real story, trying to put things in context before telling the real story. If this is not on purpose I would suggest flushing out the story more so reader have a better understanding of the world, it politics, size, breakdown of powers, and so on.
I would recommend this series to other as stated, it is a good read.
September 13, 2024
Overall I would say that this was a very satisfying sequel to a promising series. That said, I worry about the next installment in the series. Already you start to see the same issues that plague this genre. To my mind those are an inability to conceive a good pacing for the character's progression. What starts out as a slow progression gets an infusion of rocketfuel at some points to meet the demands of the plot. Already we see this here where things that are supposed to take years if not decades to develop only take months. The character advances through two ranks of development that are supposed to take years. Then there is the inclusion of overpowered abilities that serve to extricate the character from the impossible situation they have been put in. Hopefully the author will take time to solve these issues before publishing the next book or this series is doomed. That would be too bad since the first two books were really good.
September 11, 2024
Worth the wait!
I've been waiting for this book for awhile and it was worth it, really fun and interesting can drag a little on some of the more esoteric descriptions and some of the change in perspectives can be a bit jarring. For example how Cal sees the world is soooooo different than from how Charlotte sees Cal, but still interesting and good and I like all the characters. There's one big pet peeve that I hope is removed from the series, we just have to stop the whole swearing and then saying language thing. Either just have the characters swear like normal people or have them not swear but Cal and Lucy correcting people after every time is just so pointless and breaks the flow of the conversation every time. Super fun book though and excited for the next. (Please please stop the swearing thing)
I've been waiting for this book for awhile and it was worth it, really fun and interesting can drag a little on some of the more esoteric descriptions and some of the change in perspectives can be a bit jarring. For example how Cal sees the world is soooooo different than from how Charlotte sees Cal, but still interesting and good and I like all the characters. There's one big pet peeve that I hope is removed from the series, we just have to stop the whole swearing and then saying language thing. Either just have the characters swear like normal people or have them not swear but Cal and Lucy correcting people after every time is just so pointless and breaks the flow of the conversation every time. Super fun book though and excited for the next. (Please please stop the swearing thing)
September 12, 2024
Great book with some excellent character development and plot. The plot itself stays on track while the subplots move quickly to keep you interested. The characters continue to have their flaws and own worries which let's you really dive into this world. Enough questions are answered in this book to keep you interested in the overall plot while more questions are presented to you.
The author likes to somewhat predictably subvert expectations like in times of crisis getting a revelation or a cultivation technique instead they don't. This happens frequently throughout the book and isn't the worst thing to have wrong with a book but it is there.
The author likes to somewhat predictably subvert expectations like in times of crisis getting a revelation or a cultivation technique instead they don't. This happens frequently throughout the book and isn't the worst thing to have wrong with a book but it is there.
November 27, 2024
A great sequel, even if it is a bit shorter and faster than the first book.
Cal and friends must sneak onto the one life-bearing planet in the solar system to hunt spirit beasts to ascend to the next cultivation stage as only with a bronze core can they have enough political clout to escape the consequences of the first book and get the resources to keep going. This was more of the same great stuff as the first book, although it felt a little lighter on plot with the smaller page count. However, the wider universe is starting to be revealed and I can’t wait to read the next one.
Highly recommend the series to cultivation and fantasy fans!
Cal and friends must sneak onto the one life-bearing planet in the solar system to hunt spirit beasts to ascend to the next cultivation stage as only with a bronze core can they have enough political clout to escape the consequences of the first book and get the resources to keep going. This was more of the same great stuff as the first book, although it felt a little lighter on plot with the smaller page count. However, the wider universe is starting to be revealed and I can’t wait to read the next one.
Highly recommend the series to cultivation and fantasy fans!
September 2, 2024
Short and decent
I liked the novel, but felt as if there were a lot of moving parts and concepts that did not receive enough foreshadowing and explanation beforehand, and as a reader, I felt like I was floundering for an explanation as to the nature of these concepts and terms. By the end of the book, I regained some clarity, however Felt a little more confused than I did for the first book.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy my read, if a little short, and will look forward to reading the next installment.
I liked the novel, but felt as if there were a lot of moving parts and concepts that did not receive enough foreshadowing and explanation beforehand, and as a reader, I felt like I was floundering for an explanation as to the nature of these concepts and terms. By the end of the book, I regained some clarity, however Felt a little more confused than I did for the first book.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy my read, if a little short, and will look forward to reading the next installment.
September 3, 2024
Really God (Good)!
Really good cultivation story! The first book is really good and the second (this one) is just as good and has managed to ramp up the series even more! This series is really starting to blossom! (For those of you who have read both books; no pun intended, promise!!) Cal is an excellent main character. He's irreverent to alot of what everyone else thinks of as holy. Love an irreverent main character! They are so much fun! The authors that create irreverent main characters are the BOMB!!! The stories made are ALWAYS so fun and entertaining!!
Really good cultivation story! The first book is really good and the second (this one) is just as good and has managed to ramp up the series even more! This series is really starting to blossom! (For those of you who have read both books; no pun intended, promise!!) Cal is an excellent main character. He's irreverent to alot of what everyone else thinks of as holy. Love an irreverent main character! They are so much fun! The authors that create irreverent main characters are the BOMB!!! The stories made are ALWAYS so fun and entertaining!!
September 4, 2024
Best in Genre
As these things go, this is one of the best written progression fantasies on market. There is a depth to the characters that is rarely found in genre. The prose is elegant, engaging, and interesting. The world thoughtfully built in a way that blends the cultivation tropes with sci-fi. Do yourself a favor and read this followup. My only complaint is how long it took to produce the sequel. The result makes it hard to argue with the author’s investment and is very much well worth the wait.
As these things go, this is one of the best written progression fantasies on market. There is a depth to the characters that is rarely found in genre. The prose is elegant, engaging, and interesting. The world thoughtfully built in a way that blends the cultivation tropes with sci-fi. Do yourself a favor and read this followup. My only complaint is how long it took to produce the sequel. The result makes it hard to argue with the author’s investment and is very much well worth the wait.
September 19, 2024
Happy to see book 2 out
(spoiler below)
But I was very much confused as to the geography of the whole system. I thought book 1 was on a space station of sorts ? Then they go on the surface or a planet? Then travel back elsewhere to the Right eye? That wasn't well explained again in book 2. Also Xav and Charlotte are in the hands of the big bad guy? Sure let's take 5 days of rest and flirting with the pretty girl to go back there. I didn't understand how it made sense.
Also Martha and Maria are 2 different people? Much too close of a name, I'm confused.
(spoiler below)
But I was very much confused as to the geography of the whole system. I thought book 1 was on a space station of sorts ? Then they go on the surface or a planet? Then travel back elsewhere to the Right eye? That wasn't well explained again in book 2. Also Xav and Charlotte are in the hands of the big bad guy? Sure let's take 5 days of rest and flirting with the pretty girl to go back there. I didn't understand how it made sense.
Also Martha and Maria are 2 different people? Much too close of a name, I'm confused.
September 23, 2024
cultivators in space
Better than the first book, but still lacking in many aspects that would put it above most cultivation novels. The start is rough, and it takes a long time to get into the plot/adventure phase of the story. As a cultivation novel there is inevitably a lot of introspective dialogue, and unfortunately it is not that interesting. The story could definitely use a bit more depth and weirdness to keep it in line with other elements that make cultivation interesting. Overall it's a okay read.
Better than the first book, but still lacking in many aspects that would put it above most cultivation novels. The start is rough, and it takes a long time to get into the plot/adventure phase of the story. As a cultivation novel there is inevitably a lot of introspective dialogue, and unfortunately it is not that interesting. The story could definitely use a bit more depth and weirdness to keep it in line with other elements that make cultivation interesting. Overall it's a okay read.
September 30, 2024
I really liked this second book - it continues immediately after the first book, which I had just reread as it was so long ago, so that was fine for me.
I like the emotional connections made, and the fact that people are 'gray' - they are not totally good, nor totally bad. Even our gang has secrets that can hurt others.
The reflections made by the MC make me think about life in general, and resemble things I've thought about myself, yet provide another viewpoint. Very interesting, and I hope to continue reading this series.
I like the emotional connections made, and the fact that people are 'gray' - they are not totally good, nor totally bad. Even our gang has secrets that can hurt others.
The reflections made by the MC make me think about life in general, and resemble things I've thought about myself, yet provide another viewpoint. Very interesting, and I hope to continue reading this series.
December 20, 2024
Interesting sequel, somewhat bland main characters
The sequel of the story is very good, but the main characters beside the protagonist lack character development and depth. Xavier feels like he regressed to some kind of talking plush toy. By the end of the book you understand that there is a reason for his "behavior", but still, the author could have done it way better, instead of relying on this gimmicky persona. Overall, the plot thickens and the book feels a bit short. I can't wait for the story to continue.
The sequel of the story is very good, but the main characters beside the protagonist lack character development and depth. Xavier feels like he regressed to some kind of talking plush toy. By the end of the book you understand that there is a reason for his "behavior", but still, the author could have done it way better, instead of relying on this gimmicky persona. Overall, the plot thickens and the book feels a bit short. I can't wait for the story to continue.
September 4, 2024
A great sequel
It can be hard to nail the sequel after book 1 of a series, but this one was great. The team gets to Illirien and start to forge their focuses to get to bronze, but of course things aren’t simple. We get introduced to some new complications and also get some more long term implications for Cal, as well as find out that there are things about his friends that Cal doesn’t know yet! Now the hard part, the wait till the next book!
It can be hard to nail the sequel after book 1 of a series, but this one was great. The team gets to Illirien and start to forge their focuses to get to bronze, but of course things aren’t simple. We get introduced to some new complications and also get some more long term implications for Cal, as well as find out that there are things about his friends that Cal doesn’t know yet! Now the hard part, the wait till the next book!
December 29, 2024
I shouldn't have put off reading this for so long
Fantastic. Maybe not the most polished book. But it was a fantastic story. Such a wonderful amalgamation of concepts and ideas in a beautifully characterized and motivational story.
This book touches on ideas that are otherwise impossible to postulate. I'm not a fan of this author's other books. But this series I will follow reverently.
Fantastic. Maybe not the most polished book. But it was a fantastic story. Such a wonderful amalgamation of concepts and ideas in a beautifully characterized and motivational story.
This book touches on ideas that are otherwise impossible to postulate. I'm not a fan of this author's other books. But this series I will follow reverently.
September 1, 2024
A great follow up. Can’t wait for the next one
This was a really good sequel, with a lot more expounding on the two companions and how they fit into Caliban’s story.
I particularly enjoyed the introduction of a character who uses a rifle to lean into more of the sci-fi feel that wasn’t as present in the first book. Can’t wait to see where it goes next.
This was a really good sequel, with a lot more expounding on the two companions and how they fit into Caliban’s story.
I particularly enjoyed the introduction of a character who uses a rifle to lean into more of the sci-fi feel that wasn’t as present in the first book. Can’t wait to see where it goes next.
September 1, 2024
Worth the read!!
If there’s one word to describe this book it’s this: well-written.
The descriptions are wonderful, the story well paced, and reading this has genuinely been one of my best experiences with a kindle unlimited book in quite a while.
If you have the time, I would 100% recommend picking this book/series up and giving it a try. It’s more than worth it!
If there’s one word to describe this book it’s this: well-written.
The descriptions are wonderful, the story well paced, and reading this has genuinely been one of my best experiences with a kindle unlimited book in quite a while.
If you have the time, I would 100% recommend picking this book/series up and giving it a try. It’s more than worth it!
September 19, 2024
Another excellent entry in a sci-fi cultivation novel
J.P. Valentine continues to deliver on the promise of a sci-fi universe mixed with eastern cultivation, the result is a riveting story within a fascinating setting. My only complaint is that now I’ll have to wait again for the next book.
J.P. Valentine continues to deliver on the promise of a sci-fi universe mixed with eastern cultivation, the result is a riveting story within a fascinating setting. My only complaint is that now I’ll have to wait again for the next book.
September 25, 2024
This book was a bit of an enigma for me. Intellectually I know a lot happened, but it didn’t necessarily feel like a lot was happening. That being said, I still really enjoyed it and finished in really just two sessions. A lot of plot is still being setup and I desperately wish the author had a faster release cycle, but still a very interesting and unique take on things. Looking forward to more.
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