Description
'A brilliant, character-driven debut novel . . . An imaginative journey that's absorbing, thoughtful and deeply humane' GUARDIAN
'LaCroix shows us the difficulties that mount for those on board from disease to rebellions to some travellers who come to doubt that they are even on a ship at all . . . Don't just take my word for its brilliance' NEWSCIENTIST
'A rousing achievement ... What makes Here and Beyond stand out is its dedication to character, richness of emotion, and a tender eye for the humanity of all' COURTTIA NEWLAND
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Earthworld is a thing of the past. Welcome to the future.
After the collapse of life on Earth as it once was known, 600 people are selected for passage on Shipworld, a spacecraft charting a 360-year voyage to a new planet. Their mission will see generation after generation born, living and dying on board - until one day their descendants finally step foot on the 'Super Earth' that might offer the last chance for humankind's survival.
But life aboard Shipworld is far from a waiting game. The spacecraft promises a world of its own, a harmonious system free of class distinctions and wealth accumulation. Yet with each new generation comes daunting challenges to the future of their civilisation - from creeping doubts about the nature of reality to an outbreak of disease that could eradicate their population, from rebels who threaten the unity of the mission to a traumatic encounter with a mysterious space phenomenon.
An intergenerational epic populated by pioneers and chroniclers, enemies and friends, leaders and legends, Here and Beyond is an intricate and imaginative exploration of the arc of human endeavour.
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What readers are saying:
'A fascinating reflection on what it means to be human'
'A space opera of considerable breadth and depth'
'An imaginative and thought-provoking exploration of humanity's future'
Six hundred humans journey into the darkness of space in search of a new home in this mesmerising speculative debut
About the Author
Hal LaCroix has worked as an instructor at Boston University, a communications specialist with environmental and biomedical research non-profits, and a journalist for newspapers in New England. He is the author of the non-fiction book Journey Out of Darkness, and lives outside Boston with his wife, Elahna. Here and Beyond is his first novel.
Reviews
A brilliant, character-driven debut novel . . . An imaginative journey that's absorbing, thoughtful and deeply humane -- Lisa Tuttle * Guardian *
A rousing achievement - the intergenerational sci fi novel is an aspiration for many - yet what makes Here and Beyond stand out is its dedication to character, richness of emotion, and a tender eye for the humanity of all. Hal LaCroix's world feels warm, lived in, a future we can barely dare to dream. He's smart enough to know when to deliver the answers we crave, and precisely how to give us hope -- Courttia Newland, author of A RIVER CALLED TIME
A multi-generational epic ... A rich plum-cake of a book which the author packs with all kinds of goodies - sentient robot birds, a circular river, Durer's self-portrait, Kubrick's 2001 - as he charts the life of a tiny and precarious community as it travels for three centuries between the stars, asking itself all the while what life is for -- Chris Beckett, author of DARK EDEN
This is a cracker . . . Hal LaCroix shows us the difficulties that mount for those on board from disease to rebellions to some travellers who come to doubt that they are even on a ship at all . . . Don't just take my word for its brilliance -- Alison Flood * NewScientist *
A marvellously vivid tale of past and future worlds. Hal LaCroix has produced a haunting exploration of the human spirit that is both celebration and warning -- Helen Gordon, author of THE METEORITES
Book Information
ISBN 9781526678270
Author Hal LaCroix
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 400g
Dimensions(mm) 232mm * 152mm * 26mm
