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

Karen Lord

5 Reviews

Rated 0

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Science fiction, Space opera, Climate change

As first contact transforms Earth, a team of gifted visionaries race to create a new future in this wondrous science fiction novel from the award-winning author of The Best of All Possible Worlds.

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

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

  • Karen Lord weaves a complex story of first contact from a unique perspective that is warm, engaging, and wildly original. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

  • An exquisite novel of galactic diaspora, of long-lost humankind coming home, The Blue Beautiful World is a thoughtful and dreamlike examination of the goodness and potential in humanity. It will change the way you think about family, empathy, and the mysterious ghosts born here on our own world

  • A wise, ambitious, and beautifully crafted novel of first contact, the future of Earth, and the challenges posed by survival, change, and compassionate connection

  • Wherever you are, whatever your genre of choice, Dr. Karen Lord is essential reading. This is the thrilling, cerebral, empathetic, and hopeful speculative fiction the world absolutely needs-now and always.

  • The Blue Beautiful World is unlike any science fiction you've read. It is a treatise on global diplomacy, a first-contact adventure, and a meditation on the transformative power of pop culture. Most of all, it is a gorgeous, wise tale of our shared traumatic histories and potential futures together, on a planet whose mysteries humans have only begun to explore. Step into Karen Lord's world and be changed forever

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Karen Lord

Karen Lord was born in Barbados. She has been a physics teacher, a diplomat, a part-time soldier and an academic at various times and in various countries, before returning to Barbados, where she is now a writer and research consultant. Her debut novel, Redemption in Indigo, won a slew of awards, including the Frank Collymore Literary Award, the William L. Crawford Award, the Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award for Best Debut Novel and the Mythopoeic Award, and was shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award. Redemption in Indigo, The Best of All Possible Worlds and its sequel, The Galaxy Game, are published by Jo Fletcher Books.

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