The Blue, Beautiful World

Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024

Karen Lord

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English

Gollancz
30 July 2024

Space opera; Global warming; Fantasy

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024

'This complex, engaging novel takes an unusual approach to the classic trope of aliens in our midst, with a warmth and intelligence reminiscent of Ursula K Le Guin'

GUARDIAN

The world is changing, and humanity must change with it. Rising seas and soaring temperatures have radically transformed the face of Earth. Meanwhile, Earth is being observed from afar by other civilizations . . . and now they are ready to make contact.

Vying to prepare humanity for first contact are a group of dreamers and changemakers, including Peter Hendrix, the genius inventor behind the most advanced VR tech; Charyssa, a beloved celebrity icon with a passion for humanitarian work; and Kanoa, a member of a global council of young people drafted to reimagine the relationship between humankind and alien societies.

And they may have an unexpected secret weapon: Owen, a pop megastar whose ability to connect with his adoring fans is more than charisma. His hidden talent could be the key to uniting Earth as it looks toward the stars.

But Owen's abilities are so unique that no one can control him and so seductive that he cannot help but use them. Can he transcend his human limitations and find the freedom he has always dreamed of? Or is he doomed to become the dictator of his nightmares?

A visionary science fiction novel set a century into our future against a familiar backdrop of rising seas and climate crisis, The Blue, Beautiful World fuses a propulsive first contact adventure with a profoundly hopeful ode to the power of human connection as a genius inventor, a beloved celebrity, a young activist, and a pop megastar are brought together to forge a new path into the future.

'Gorgeously detailed' DAILY MAIL

'Wildly original' MARTHA WELLS

'Essential reading' SAMIT BASU

'Thoughtful and dreamlike' TESSA GRATTON

'A gorgeous, wise tale' ANNALEE NEWITZ

'Beautifully-crafted' KATE ELLIOTT

'A cracking high-stakes story' MALKA OLDER

By: Karen Lord
Imprint: Gollancz
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 196mm, Width: 128mm, Spine: 24mm
Weight: 220g
ISBN: 9781399618885
ISBN 10: 1399618881
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 30 July 2024
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Barbadian writer Dr. Karen Lord is the author of Redemption in Indigo, which won the William L. Crawford Award and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Her other works include the science fiction novels The Best of All Possible Worlds and The Galaxy Game, and the crime fantasy novel Unraveling. Lord also edited the anthology New Worlds, Old Ways: Speculative Tales from the Caribbean.

Reviews for The Blue, Beautiful World: Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024

This is the thrilling, cerebral, empathetic, and hopeful speculative fiction the world absolutely needs-now and always * Samit Basu * A complex story of first contact from a unique perspective that is warm, engaging, and wildly original * Martha Wells *