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Planetfall Audiobook
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Publisher Description
Renata Ghali believed in Lee Suh-Mi’s vision of a world far beyond Earth, a planet promising to reveal the truth about our place in the cosmos, untainted by overpopulation, pollution, and war. Ren believed in that vision enough to give up everything to follow Suh-Mi into the unknown.
More than twenty years have passed since Ren and the rest of the faithful braved the starry abyss and established a colony at the base of an enigmatic alien structure where Suh-Mi has since resided, alone. Ren has worked hard as the colony’s 3-D printer engineer, creating the tools necessary for human survival in an alien environment—and harboring a devastating secret.
For the good of her fellow colonists, Ren continues to perpetuate the lie forming the foundation of the colony, despite the personal cost. Then a stranger appears, far too young to have been part of the first planetfall, a man who bears a remarkable resemblance to Suh-Mi.
The truth Ren has concealed since planetfall can no longer be hidden, and its revelation could tear the colony apart.
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“Newman quickly introduces us to the colony’s de facto leaders, Renata Ghali and Cillian Mackenzie, and reveals that they’re keeping some pretty big secrets. It’s an interesting choice to keep the story’s focus not on the secrets themselves, but on how they’re exposed…Brilliant yet mentally ill, completely unlikable yet poignantly human, and a woman of color besides—Ren is a rare science fiction protagonist, and Newman handles her complexities with aplomb. She doesn’t do nearly as well with the antagonists, who teeter on the line of caricature. But in the story’s tight focus on Ren, these external villains barely matter; her inner demons are the stars of the show. The climax is cathartic and transcendent enough to smooth over any flaws along the way.”
— New York Times Book Review
Quotes
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“Planetfall is some of the finest sociological science fiction I have read…[A] heartbreaking maze of a book.”
— Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author -
“A strange but mesmerizing book in which almost nothing is as it seems…The book reads at once like a character study, a mystery, a hard science fiction tale about the survival of colonists on an alien world, and surrealist science fiction about alien life. Above all, this is a novel about the price of secrets.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars) -
“This heartbreaking adventure is a tragedy of science and faith…Newman begins with the high stakes of a new colony and raises the risk to every human life as events unfold. She carefully manages her pacing until events make each revelation as inevitable as it is destructive.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Think Interstellar, think Prometheus…an unfolding alien mystery and complex, utterly believable characters. You will want to believe.”
— Stephen Baxter, Philip K. Dick Award–winning author -
“Newman has crafted a thrilling tale of murder, mystery, and madness on a world where humanity is still its own worst enemy. Horrifying and heartbreaking in equal measure, the catastrophe driving this narrative will keep you riveted until the very last page. Don’t miss this one.”
— Kameron Hurley, Sydney J. Bounds Award-winning author -
“You’ve never read a science fiction book like this. A masterful study of mental illness with the ruins of an enigmatic alien race serving as therapist for one of the most unsparingly drawn fictional characters you’ll ever read.”
— Melinda M. Snodgrass, screenwriter, author of the Edge series -
“Filled with wonders, revelations, and edge-of-the-seat suspense, Planetfall is a fascinating, heartbreaking exploration of love and loneliness set against an awe-inspiring backdrop. An instant classic of the genre.”
— Gareth L. Powell, BSFA Award–winning author of Ack-Ack Macaque -
“Planetfall is a strange but mesmerizing book in which almost nothing is as it seems…The book reads at once like a character study, a mystery, a hard science-fiction tale about the survival of colonists on an alien world, and surrealist science fiction about alien life. Above all, this is a novel about the price of secrets.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
Awards
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A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2015 Selection for Science Fiction and Fantasy
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About Emma Newman
Emma Newman is an author and a professional audiobook narrator, narrating short stories and novels in all genres. Her novel Between Two Thorns was nominated for the 2014 British Fantasy Award. She also cowrites and hosts the podcast Tea and Jeopardy, which was nominated for a 2014 Hugo Award for Best Fancast.