Goldilocks: The boldest high-concept thriller of the year L. R. Lam 9781472267634

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SEVEN DEVILS

'GOLDILOCKS GRABS YOUR ATTENTION AND DOESN'T LET GO - A THOUGHT-PROVOKING, IMAGINATIVE CALL-TO-ARMS' Katie Khan, author of Hold Back the Stars

'BOLD, FEMINIST SCI-FI FROM A SINGULAR, VISIONARY TALENT' Waterstones Online

This is The Martian by way of The Handmaid's Tale - a bold and thought-provoking new high-concept thriller

Despite increasing restrictions on the freedoms of women on Earth, Valerie Black is spearheading the first all-female mission to a planet in the Goldilocks Zone, where conditions are just right for human habitation.

It's humanity's last hope for survival, and Naomi, Valerie's surrogate daughter and the ship's botanist, has been waiting her whole life for an opportunity like this - to step out of Valerie's shadow and really make a difference.

But when things start going wrong on the ship, Naomi starts to suspect that someone on board is concealing a terrible secret - and realises time for life on Earth may be running out faster than they feared . . .

FIND OUT WHY READERS CAN'T PUT GOLDILOCKS DOWN...

'Through the novel's fascinating premise Lam gives us plenty of food for thought about gender dynamics in our own world... Eerily prescient' USA TODAY

'Looking for a thrilling ecofeminist sci-fi space opera to keep you glued to your seat during this pandemic? You've found it' MS. MAGAZINE

'INTERSTELLAR'S brain with THE HANDMAID'S TALE's heart' Chuck Wendig, author of WANDERERS

'A perfect balance of beauty, thrills and hope' Nick Clark Windo, author of THE FEED

About the Author
L. R. Lam is the author of several science fiction books, including Radio 2 Book Club selection False Hearts. Originally from California, she now lives in Scotland with her husband, and currently teaches Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University.

Reviews
Goldilocks grabs your attention from the first page and doesn't let go - a thought-provoking, imaginative call-to-arms featuring brilliant female characters and a terrifying premise -- Katie Khan, author of Hold Back the Stars
Through the novel's fascinating premise Lam gives us plenty of food for thought about gender dynamics in our own world. The image of five women taking back what's rightfully theirs from five less-qualified men, and literally freezing them in time to do so, is a symbol that will stick with me for some time. The viral pandemic that plays out off-page also feels eerily prescient * USA Today *
The end of our world is well-trod territory for science fiction but Golidlocks tackles it with startling relevance, fusing together our social and political anxieties in a tense, taut adventure with rich characterization and care. Interstellar's brain with The Handmaid Tale's heart -- Chuck Wendig, author of Wanderers
Looking for a thrilling ecofeminist sci-fi space opera to keep you glued to your seat during this pandemic? You've found it with this Handmaid-esque journey through space where five women attempt to save the human race * Ms. Magazine *
A compelling, character-led science fiction tale. With a perfect balance of beauty, thrills and hope, Goldilocks conjures up the twisty claustrophobia of space-travel, untrustworthy relationships and what we're doing to the planet. -- Nick Clark Windo, author of The Feed
I was rooting for them the whole way, even as secrets and alternate motives corroded the mission. I couldn't help but feel like this was the way the real-life Mercury 13 story should have really gone, and it was satisfying to watch these women take what they knew they deserved * Chicago Review of Books *
Lam makes the personal political in this tense near-future family drama that's fuelled by the climate crisis. Lam expertly evokes the claustrophobia of both tight spaces and taut relationships in the evolving struggle between Naomi and Valerie for the soul of the mission... [A] deeply felt space opera. * Publishers Weekly *
A fascinating cast of characters, which from the very start of the story hook you in. Surprisingly dark. -- James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean series
The unexpected ending will leave satisfied readers searching for read-alikes in its wake. A slow-burning fire of a novel that begs the reader to keep turning the page. * Kirkus (starred) *
A more beautiful than usual work of science fiction. Come for the superbly researched escape from a dying plane, stay for the cast of characters and the emotional heart. -- Rhys Thomas, author of The Unlikely Heroics of Sam Holloway
Masterful science fiction. An absolutely stunning and compelling story. -- K. B. Wagers, author of A Pale Light in the Black
It's bold and explosive, equal parts heartfelt and harrowing. Lam's unflinching prose interrogates you, asking what prices you'd be willing to pay for the future of humanity. It's a book that demands your attention. -- Alex White, author of A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe
Goldilocks is an excellent, character-led space epic filled with well-researched science, moral ambiguity, and - in place of stereotypes and easy answers - the kind of science fiction that makes me keep reading -- Fran Wilde, author of Updraft and The Jewel and Her Lapidary
Ultimately hopeful . . . grim and thriller-tense, with plenty of twists and turns * Booklist *
If The Martian and The Handmaid's Tale had a book baby, this feminist environmental sci-fi thriller would be the incredible result... The book is full of The Martian's 'science the shit out of this' attitude as well as the spacefaring intimacy of Becky Chambers's To Be Taught, If Fortunate. If you've been looking for your next favorite science fiction novel, this is it * Book Riot *
A thought-provoking and relevant tale of morality and oppression * Culturefly '8 of the Best Books to Read this April' *
The author of the bestselling The Pantomime returns with a bold and chilling high-concept thriller . . . Dark and stirring, Goldilocks depicts the slow decay of trust in a race against time * Waterstones: April's Best Books *
Smooth prose weaves a tale to support humanity's survival, along with the shades of gray of scientific decisions. Lam's (Seven Devils) exciting SF thriller proves intellectual and entertaining for all * Library Journal (Starred Review) *
Goldilocks belongs on the shelf right between The Martian and The Wanderers, the hyper-mechanical and the ultra-psychological novels about deep space ... Its greatest strength is its ability to reflect on the political realities of the modern world * Nerd Daily *
If The Martian and The Handmaid's Tale had a book baby, this feminist environmental sci-fi thriller would be the incredible result... The book is full of The Martian's "science the shit out of this" attitude as well as the spacefaring intimacy of Becky Chambers's To Be Taught, If Fortunate. If you've been looking for your next favorite science fiction novel, this is it * Book Riot *

Goldilocks is a terrifyingly contemporary variation on the Dying Earth sci-fi subgenre, a timely commentary on society's treatment of women, a reiteration of the hope that the stars can save us, and a very human story where even the grandest
of schemes can be brought low by human foibles. Best of all, it manages to be all these things at the same time and, like the planetary habitable zone its title references, it gets the balance just right.

-- Andrew Marshall * Starburst *



Book Information
ISBN 9781472267634
Author L. R. Lam
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Wildfire
Publisher Headline Publishing Group
Weight(grams) 246g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 128mm * 26mm