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4-1/2 stars.

Simply stated: this was a good book. The science was good and based on actual physics! The story was well-paced and plotted with the storyline jumping from the past to the present. The characters were well developed and the conversations between them real and natural.

So why am I withholding a half-star?

In many ways, the voice of the narrator closely mirrors the voice and style of Mr. Weir's novel, "The Martian." That's not a bad thing as I love that book and the Tim Watley character. It's just that there was a missed opportunity in this story. Essentially, Dr. Ryland Grace ends up being the sole survivor of a 3-person mission to save Earth's sun from being consumed by interstellar microbes. As a result, most of the information is conveyed to the reader via Dr. Grace's journal entries. I think that the story would have been much more impactful had one of the other astronauts survived the journey to bounce ideas and viewpoints about their immediate circumstances off each other, plus the addition of Rocky the Eridean. There were plenty of situations where Mr. Weir could have killed off the extra astronaut to still result in the same ending, but it would have made the story that much more interesting and engaging.

But a great read nonetheless.