The Galaxy Game
A Novel
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • A gripping science fiction saga about three students from a school for those with extraordinary powers, from the award-winning author of The Best of All Possible Worlds
“A smart science fictional fable as inventive and involving as it is finally vital.”—Tordotcom
On the verge of adulthood, Rafi attends the Lyceum, a school for the psionically gifted. Rafi possesses mental abilities that might benefit people . . . or control them. Some wish to help Rafi wield his powers responsibly; others see him as a threat to be contained. Rafi’s only freedom at the Lyceum is Wallrunning: a game of speed and agility played on vast vertical surfaces riddled with variable gravity fields.
Serendipity and Ntenman are also students at the Lyceum, but unlike Rafi, they come from communities where such abilities are valued. Serendipity finds the Lyceum as much a prison as a school, and she yearns for a meaningful life beyond its gates. Ntenman, with his quick tongue, quicker mind, and a willingness to bend if not break the rules, has no problem fitting in. But he too has his reasons for wanting to escape.
Now the three friends are about to experience a moment of violent change as seething tensions between rival star-faring civilizations come to a head. For Serendipity, this change will challenge her ideas of community and self. For Ntenman, it will open new opportunities and new dangers. And for Rafi, given a chance to train with some of the best Wallrunners in the galaxy, it will lead to the discovery that there is more to Wallrunning than he ever suspected . . . and more to himself than he ever dreamed.
Includes two bonus short stories
“There is a weight and grace to [Lord’s] prose that put me in mind of pewter jewelry.”—NPR
“This novel is a satisfying exercise in being off-balance, a visceral lesson in how to fall forward and catch yourself in an amazing new place.”—The Seattle Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This subtle, cerebral novel continues to explore the far-flung future introduced in The Best of All Possible Worlds. The myriad manifestations of humanity have settled on a number of worlds, still recovering from the devastation that rendered one of the major planets inhospitable. Enter Rafi, a young man burdened with potent psychic abilities, and his best friend, Ntenman, who feels oddly responsible for Rafi's wellbeing. As circumstances take the pair from one world to another, always one step ahead of trouble or disaster, they remain united through their love of the popular game known as Wallrunning, where Ntenman excels and Rafi struggles. As Rafi hones his powers, he learns that his ability to draw people together as a nexus may hold the key to restoring an easier, quicker way to travel between worlds, which could revolutionize galactic society. The pacing is slow and the story is understated, not helped by leaps from one perspective to another. Lord's exploration of alien culture and character development overshadows any real action or sense of progress, making this a dry but intriguing offering.
