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An Unkindness of Ghosts
Bookseller recommendation
“This book was haunting, horrifying, disturbing, dark, but so, so good. The character’s voices were so specific and clear, the relationships so clearly affected by circumstance and yet loving in the ways they could be. I loved that almost none of the characters in this book were hopeful idealists. Lots, if not most, of the actions of dissent they take are nonsensical, dangerous, and ill advised. This book paints a picture of an ugly world, whose characters still have to live, and still each have their own small reasons to keep on trying. It's also my favorite representation of gender outside binary in any book. Even though the setting is a futuristic spaceship, this book is incredibly grounded in the injustices of our world and ends with a seed of hope.”
Miriasha,
Phoenix Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Aster is a misfit. A monster. And a frequent target for humiliation and punishment by the guards stationed on Matilda. Rivers Soloman’s debut novel, An Unkindness of Ghosts, is a fantastic allegorical analysis of the antebellum south via life aboard a spaceship, searching for a new place to live after Earth became uninhabitable. The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the story to life and all of the voices fit the characters perfectly. Trigger Warnings: suicide, self harm, sexual assault, racism, homophobia ”
Ryan,
Page 1 Books
Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak. She’s used to the names; she only wishes there was more truth to them. If she were truly a monster, she’d be powerful enough to tear down the walls around her until nothing remains of her world.
Aster lives in the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship’s leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot—if she’s willing to sow the seeds of civil war.
Rivers Solomon graduated from Stanford University with a degree in comparative studies in race and ethnicity and holds an MFA in fiction writing from the Michener Center for Writers. Though originally from the United States, they currently live in Cambridge, England, with their family. Solomon's debut novel, An Unkindness of Ghosts, appeared in 2017. The Deep is in collaboration with Daveet Diggs and Clipping.
Cherise Boothe, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, has worked extensively in theater, film, television, and narration. She has appeared in numerous regional plays, as well as in television shows such as The Good Wife, Law & Order: SVU, and Gossip Girl. She holds an MFA in acting from New York University. She was a finalist in 2015 for the prestigious Audie Award for best multivoiced narration.
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Reviews
“Immediately immersive and sophisticated…This is a phenomenal piece of work.”
“The more I read the bigger I felt, falling down a rabbit-hole of sky and wanting only to go deeper and farther with every page.“
“What the audiobook does that the printed word can’t is layer in accents on top of these grammatical distinctions in identity, which Cherise Booth does using mainly Caribbean variants. This gives an already emotionally challenging book even more depth, but trust that it is worth it.”
“Narrator Cherise Boothe has her hands full with this story…With each section having its own patois and the rulers their own stiff language, Boothe must juggle a dozen different accents and dialects, and she does so with ease.”
“It’s structurally and thematically daring and manages to include a little bit of hope while leveling a devastating critique at racism and fascism.”
“Think the class system on the decks of the Titanic meets Battlestar Galactica…The main character, Aster, is amazing and complex.”
"[A] highly imaginative sci-fi novel.”
“Highly recommended for anyone interested in the ever-growing field of SF which is invested in engaging with race, gender, and sexuality as an integral part of any vision of the future.”
“A raw distillation of slavery, feudalism, prison, and religion that kicks like rotgut moonshine…This is worldbuilding by poetry…Stunning.”
“Suffused with the past, the present, and the future of human experiences in its events, An Unkindness of Ghosts launches the career of a brilliantly gifted and important new writer in science fiction.”
“Harrowing and beautiful, this is sf at its best: showing the possible future but warning of the danger of bringing old prejudices and cruelties to that new world…Fully rounded characters bring nuance and genuine pathos to this amazing debut.”
“Infused with the spirit of Octavia Butler and loaded with meaning for the present day…Solomon’s impassioned, speculative, literary book is sorely needed on library shelves.”
“An entertaining novel that does not neglect the vitality of its story while probing society’s assumptions.”
“A heady science fiction novel that speaks directly to some of the most pressing political and social concerns of the modern day. And yet for all that, it remains deeply humane…This is a book you’ll want to read now so you can tell your friends you read it first.”
“Imaginative in the vein of Colson Whitehead, Samuel R. Delany, and Octavia E. Butler, this novel explores the struggles of slum dwellers aboard a spacecraft sadly reminiscent of our own world. With outstanding world-building and an unforgettable protagonist, this is a notable debut by an author whose work I look forward to reading for years to come.”
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