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The Blue, Beautiful World
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
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Publisher's summary
As first contact transforms Earth, a team of gifted visionaries races to create a new future in this wondrous science fiction novel from the award-winning author of The Best of All Possible Worlds.
“A complex story of first contact from a unique perspective that is warm, engaging, and wildly original.”—Martha Wells, New York Times bestselling author of The Murderbot Diaries
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION
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?
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Critic reviews
“The Blue, Beautiful World is science fiction at its best—unexpected, wise, and compassionate. We all need this book, more urgently than ever.” (Zen Cho, author of Black Water Sister)
“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.” (Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous and The Terraformers)
“This is the thrilling, cerebral, empathetic, and hopeful speculative fiction the world absolutely needs—now and always.” (Samit Basu, author of The City Inside)
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Centuries in the past, mankind fought a seemingly unbeatable adversary from sector to sector across the Spiral Arm until the war ground to a standstill and the Enemy withdrew. Believing that they had won, the citizens of the galaxy rebuilt. The Inner Worlds, which had escaped the worst of the war's ravages, became even more insular, while the Rim worlds adopted a free and easy way with law and order. Now, hundreds of years after their withdrawal, the Enemy is back - and this time they'll be satisfied with nothing less than the extinction of the galaxy.
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Finally, Liaden on Audible
- By Charlie on 09-05-12
By: Sharon Lee, and others
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Queen of Angels
- By: Greg Bear
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 19 hrs and 15 mins
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Emanuel Goldsmith, a famous poet, murdered eight people, then disappeared. Three people want to find him: an aspiring writer, an embittered scientist who wants to use him, and a policewoman who needs to put him in custody before the Selectors, a vigilante organization, get to him first.
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fantastic, a whole new experience on audio
- By Tungsten on 04-02-16
By: Greg Bear
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What listeners say about The Blue, Beautiful World
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- Skyhound
- 07-16-24
Lacks Drama
Going in I knew nothing about this novel nor the author. Someone must have suggested it to me, but I don't recall it. To me, this novel was primarily about world building. The author is spectacularly good at scenes involving characters interacting with one another, in a way that other authors can only aspire to. I was wowed again and again by they way she weaved descriptive text into the dialog. But the story reads like a historical piece, where we all know how everything turns out in the end. The story is built like that of a 17th century court piece, with kings and queens and houses and diplomacy and trade. But it lacks all of the back stabbing and intrigue. Everyone works together as a team and everyone has humanities best interest at heart. Everyone, except for the "bad guys" that is, whom we never meet. They are at best a distant, dismissed, threat. So again, where does the drama come from? There is a sprinkling of personal drama here and there, but only for characters who tend to be left behind when the story moves on. We are only told how the main characters feel. They don't experience anything for us. In general far too much is described rather than lived. I spent most of the novel wondering if I was supposed to know more about what was going on. The last chapter explained what had happened, what the consequences were, and what the future held for the characters. Need I say more?
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