Beyond the Hallowed Sky (Lightspeed Trilogy, #1)

by Ken MacLeod

Duncan Spilling (Cover Designer)

'AN EXCEPTIONAL BLEND OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, HARD SCIENCE, AND FIRST CONTACT' Michael Mammay, author of the Planetside series

'MACLEOD'S BEST BOOK TO DATE' SFX

Science fiction legend Ken MacLeod begins a new space opera trilogy by imagining humankind on the precipice of discovery - the invention of faster-than-light travel unlocks a universe of new possibilities, and new dangers.

When a brilliant scientist gets a letter from herself about faster-than-light travel, she doesn't know what to believe. The equations work, but her paper is discredited - and soon the criticism is more than scientific. Exiled by the establishment, she gets an offer to build her starship from an unlikely source. But in the heights of Venus and on a planet of another star, a secret is already being uncovered that will shake humanity to its foundations.

Discover this ground-breaking new space opera from multi-award winning author Ken MacLeod

Praise for Ken MacLeod:

'If you like science fiction, you will love this. . . a rollicking good read' Scotsman

'MacLeod is up there with Banks and Hamilton as one of the British sci-fi authors you absolutely have to read' SFX

'Prose as sleek and fast as the technology it describes. . . watch this man go global' Peter F. Hamilton on Star Fraction

'Ken MacLeod has an enviable track record of extrapolating from current trends to produce mind-bending novels of ideas' Guardian

Also by Ken MacLeod:

Lightspeed
Beyond the Hallowed Sky

Fall Revolution
The Star Fraction
The Stone Canal
The Cassini Division
The Sky Road

Engines of Light
Cosmonaut Keep
Dark Light
Engine City

Corporation Wars Trilogy
Dissidence
Insurgence
Emergence

Novels
The Human Front
Newton's Wake
Learning the World
The Execution Channel
The Restoration Game
Intrusion
Descent

• ISBN10: 035651479X
• ISBN13: 9780356514796
• Publish Date: 25 November 2021 (first published 23 November 2021)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Orbit
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ashley]

Stopped reading on page 48.

This was just purely a case of not for me. The synopsis led me to set up certain expectations that weren't quite met.

Two main things:

1. This ended up being a lot more politics driven than I anticipated. There's a lot about how the world has been split up into the Union, the Alliance, etc. Different countries have banded together and you need visas to travel between regions. Just a bit focus on defecting, how the politics differ, etc. I wasn't interested in that. I wanted more of the science.
2. I was largely interested in the character described in the synopsis. But after her chapter ended, we moved on to other characters. I read another person's review that says she doesn't come back for like 100 pages. And frankly that's just not what I signed on for.

I'm sure this book will appeal to plenty of people, it just wasn't the right fit for me.