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Polaris
728 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 4, 2026
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12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 11, 2026
Frankly an excellent story from a debut novelist. It is always such a pleasure to reach the end of a book with a glow and a deep desire to immediately read the next volume. Thankfully, it appears the sequel (Mosaic) is already well underway!
Polaris follows two groups of characters living in starkly different worlds. Arthur, an art student and the main POV character, deals with university life and is recruited by a friendly-yet-mysterious character to help in 'Starside', a shared virtual space, that can only be entered while sleeping with a hacked brain implant. The second, the 'Fragment' stories, scattered throughout the novel, follow a broken wanderer through an apparently post-apocalyptic society.
A few things struck me about this book in particular. First, is the evolution of the worlds in both storylines, particularly what we learn about Starside, the technology of the near-future society that enables it, and the growing conspiracy around the brain implants. Both worlds FEEL different in a visceral way from the prose alone. The characters feel real and the worlds lived in and believable. If you've ever been or known college kids you will probably find some common ground here.
The second is the how genuinely inventive several aspects of this story are, along with a refreshing remix and twist on many sci-fi dream/brain implant/VR and fantasy tropes. All of this while exploring some truly terrifying implications of both the technology in the books and technology in our own world. The last half of the book in particular kept surprising me as we kept unwrapping new, and frequently scarier, more unsettling, and straight up weird aspects of our humanity through the lens of Starside and beyond. To keep it minimal, we even begin to see evidence of a magic system growing, and one that (as a reader of A LOT of sci-fi/fantasy) I haven't seen anything like before.
I do have some minor quibbles: references to the contemporary internet and its role in the story sometimes feel unintentionally silly in quite serious moments, as do some of the drawings. Pacing of some sections in the first half. Some minor plot conveniences. Everyone inexplicably loves Arthur. Anyways.
All said, this is a fun book! The Fragment stories and their fantasy elements were a particular highlight. I've spent quite a bit of time now thinking how both worlds might be connected.
Hope nothing this crazy happens when I fall asleep next.. wish me luck.
Polaris follows two groups of characters living in starkly different worlds. Arthur, an art student and the main POV character, deals with university life and is recruited by a friendly-yet-mysterious character to help in 'Starside', a shared virtual space, that can only be entered while sleeping with a hacked brain implant. The second, the 'Fragment' stories, scattered throughout the novel, follow a broken wanderer through an apparently post-apocalyptic society.
A few things struck me about this book in particular. First, is the evolution of the worlds in both storylines, particularly what we learn about Starside, the technology of the near-future society that enables it, and the growing conspiracy around the brain implants. Both worlds FEEL different in a visceral way from the prose alone. The characters feel real and the worlds lived in and believable. If you've ever been or known college kids you will probably find some common ground here.
The second is the how genuinely inventive several aspects of this story are, along with a refreshing remix and twist on many sci-fi dream/brain implant/VR and fantasy tropes. All of this while exploring some truly terrifying implications of both the technology in the books and technology in our own world. The last half of the book in particular kept surprising me as we kept unwrapping new, and frequently scarier, more unsettling, and straight up weird aspects of our humanity through the lens of Starside and beyond. To keep it minimal, we even begin to see evidence of a magic system growing, and one that (as a reader of A LOT of sci-fi/fantasy) I haven't seen anything like before.
I do have some minor quibbles: references to the contemporary internet and its role in the story sometimes feel unintentionally silly in quite serious moments, as do some of the drawings. Pacing of some sections in the first half. Some minor plot conveniences. Everyone inexplicably loves Arthur. Anyways.
All said, this is a fun book! The Fragment stories and their fantasy elements were a particular highlight. I've spent quite a bit of time now thinking how both worlds might be connected.
Hope nothing this crazy happens when I fall asleep next.. wish me luck.
February 5, 2026
Similar to a Brandon Sanderson read by way of length, it's immediately daunting to pick this up. Maybe you're tricked into picking it up because you only see the front profile of the cover but not the depth--oh shit that's heavy--and it drops to the floor.
But you start reading it. And you kind of forget the weight of it. Or how a reading session only got you 5% closer to finished. You keep opening it up to see what happens next, where the characters go from here, and what answers (or new questions) you're rewarded.
My favorite thing about Polaris is the slow burn of the candle. Arthur, the main character, is unsure of what comes next in life - a similar feeling to most of us at some point in our lives I think. Suddenly he gets an exciting opportunity, the kind you weren't really looking for but offers change and a chance. This leads him to a new, likeable group of people and a job he's naturally good at. What's wrong with that? But eventually...the slow burn leads to the magnesium ribbon that was lying in wait. Discovering that transition is 10/10. I cannot in good conscience say more without over-hinting the magic trick but it is unforgettable.
On a more brass tacks topic for the book, it does extremely well with integrating technology into the story. And for the story Polaris is trying to tell, succeeding here was critical. The technology of the Curio device (which is so important to the story you could almost consider it a main character) is described with enough faith in the reader to comprehend the gravity of it's power but not so much as to hold your hand.
Impeccably timed in todays's goings-on of personal, ethical, and societal impacts of artificial intelligence, I think Polaris has something for everyone looking for mind-bending science fiction.
Disclosure: I was an early reader for this book and provided feedback during the revision process.
But you start reading it. And you kind of forget the weight of it. Or how a reading session only got you 5% closer to finished. You keep opening it up to see what happens next, where the characters go from here, and what answers (or new questions) you're rewarded.
My favorite thing about Polaris is the slow burn of the candle. Arthur, the main character, is unsure of what comes next in life - a similar feeling to most of us at some point in our lives I think. Suddenly he gets an exciting opportunity, the kind you weren't really looking for but offers change and a chance. This leads him to a new, likeable group of people and a job he's naturally good at. What's wrong with that? But eventually...the slow burn leads to the magnesium ribbon that was lying in wait. Discovering that transition is 10/10. I cannot in good conscience say more without over-hinting the magic trick but it is unforgettable.
On a more brass tacks topic for the book, it does extremely well with integrating technology into the story. And for the story Polaris is trying to tell, succeeding here was critical. The technology of the Curio device (which is so important to the story you could almost consider it a main character) is described with enough faith in the reader to comprehend the gravity of it's power but not so much as to hold your hand.
Impeccably timed in todays's goings-on of personal, ethical, and societal impacts of artificial intelligence, I think Polaris has something for everyone looking for mind-bending science fiction.
Disclosure: I was an early reader for this book and provided feedback during the revision process.
February 6, 2026
From the jump, I must start by saying I’ve had the privilege of reading multiple early iterations of Polaris as an advance reader, and I love where this novel ultimately landed. The writing is superb, with rich character development, vivid scene setting, and truly frantic, page-turning action, all delivered at the right moment and scale for the story it’s telling.
The technology feels both prescient and unsettlingly plausible for our times. It’s the kind of speculative fiction that doesn’t just entertain—it pushes the reader to think more carefully about the choices we’re making (and taking for granted) now and what they might mean for the future. That’s a rare accomplishment.
I found myself fully invested throughout: rooting one moment, booing the next, and mourning along the way. By the end, I felt satisfied with the arc and the landing of the story, while still eager for what might come in a follow-up.
More than anything, the novel carries a reminder that stuck with me: we can chase exit velocity and new worlds in hopes of escaping the failures of our humanity, but we will inevitably bring all the evil that is necessary to be the destroyer of our destination. Traveler, beware the temptation of the mythical.
The technology feels both prescient and unsettlingly plausible for our times. It’s the kind of speculative fiction that doesn’t just entertain—it pushes the reader to think more carefully about the choices we’re making (and taking for granted) now and what they might mean for the future. That’s a rare accomplishment.
I found myself fully invested throughout: rooting one moment, booing the next, and mourning along the way. By the end, I felt satisfied with the arc and the landing of the story, while still eager for what might come in a follow-up.
More than anything, the novel carries a reminder that stuck with me: we can chase exit velocity and new worlds in hopes of escaping the failures of our humanity, but we will inevitably bring all the evil that is necessary to be the destroyer of our destination. Traveler, beware the temptation of the mythical.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews