Goldilocks

by Laura Lam

Overview

A gripping science fiction thriller where five women task themselves with ensuring the survival of the human race—if you mixed ". . .The Martian and The Handmaid's Tale, this sci-fi novel would be the incredible result" (Book Riot).

“Best of 2020” –Library Journal
“Best of 2020” –Kirkus  
“Best of 2020 – runner up” –Polygon
“Our favorite books of 2020” –GeekDad

Despite increasing restrictions on the freedoms of women on Earth, Valerie Black is spearheading the first all-female mission to a planet in the Goldilocks Zone, where conditions are just right for human habitation.

It's humanity's last hope for survival, and Naomi, Valerie's surrogate daughter and the ship's botanist, has been waiting her whole life for an opportunity like this - to step out of Valerie's shadow and really make a difference.

But when things start going wrong on the ship, Naomi begins to suspect that someone on board is concealing a terrible secret - and realizes time for life on Earth may be running out faster than they feared . . .

"Goldilocks is a thrilling, character-driven space opera", perfect for readers of The Martian, The Power, and Station Eleven (Shelf Awareness).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316462884
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	02/16/2021
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	250,874
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Originally from sunny California, Laura Lam now lives in cloudy Scotland. She is the author of the near-future space thriller, Goldilocks, feminist space opera Seven Devils (co-written with Elizabeth May), BBC Radio 2 Book Club section False Hearts, the companion novel Shattered Minds, and the award-winning Micah Grey series: Pantomime, Shadowplay, and Masquerade. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in anthologies such as Nasty Women, Solaris Rising 3, Cranky Ladies of History, Scotland in Space, and more. She lectures part-time at Edinburgh Napier University on the Creative Writing MA.

Editorial Reviews

"The end of our world is well-trod territory for science fiction but Goldilocks tackles it with startling relevance, fusing together our social and political anxieties in a tense, taut adventure with rich characterization and care. It's Interstellar'sbrain with The Handmaid's Tale's heart."—Chuck Wendig, author of The Wanderers

"It's bold and explosive, equal parts heartfelt and harrowing. Lam's unflinching prose interrogates you, asking what prices you'd be willing to pay for the future of humanity. It's a book that demands your attention."—Alex White, author of A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

"A compelling, character-led SF tale. With a perfect balance of beauty, thrills and hope, Goldilocks conjures up the twisty claustrophobia of space-travel, untrustworthy relationships and what we're doing to the planet."—Nick Clark Windo

"Masterful science fiction. An absolutely stunning and compelling story."—K. B. Wagers, author of A Pale Light in the Black

"Goldilocks grabs your attention from the first page and doesn't let go - a thought-provoking, imaginative call-to-arms featuring brilliant female characters and a terrifying premise."—Katie Khan

"Through the novel's fascinating premise Lam gives us plenty of food for thought about gender dynamics in our own world."—USA Today

"One of my favorite sci-fi books to come out in recent years, Laura Lam's Goldilocks is part heist novel, part space thriller... Goldilocks has staying power as a bright spot in the darkness."—Bustle

"Each member of the crew has a well-developed voice and her own drives and ambitions, which makes the novel increasingly difficult to put down as betrayals and double-crossings play out aboard the claustrophobic ship ... A slow-burning fire of a novel that begs the reader to keep turning the page."—Kirkus (starred review)

"Smooth prose weaves a tale to support humanity's survival, along with the shades of gray of scientific decisions. Lam's exciting sf thriller proves intellectual and entertaining for all."—Library Journal (starred review)

"This deeply felt space opera will please those who like their sci-fi to focus more on the characters than the science."—Publishers Weekly

"Ultimately hopeful, the majority of the story is grim and thriller-tense, with plenty of twists and turns."—Booklist

"Combining hard science and an emotionally complex cast, Goldilocks is a thrilling, character-driven space opera infused with conversations about social injustice and environmental stewardship."—Shelf Awareness

"If The Martian and The Handmaid's Tale had a book baby, this feminist environmental sci-fi thriller would be the incredible result ... If you've been looking for your next favorite science fiction novel, this is it."—Book Riot

"A story that could easily become possible within the next few decades... an intimate character study of two women who are not related by blood trying to save the world, but on their own terms."—Lightspeed

"Handmaid's Tale in space."—Inverse

"Looking for a thrilling ecofeminist sci-fi space opera to keep you glued to your seat? You've found it with this Handmaid-esque journey through space where five women attempt to save the human race."—Ms.

From the Publisher

02/10/2020

Lam (Seven Devils) makes the personal political in this tense near-future family drama that’s fueled by the climate crisis. Dr. Naomi Lovelace, a botanist working with alien soils and seeds, joins her foster mother Valerie Black’s all-women team of astronauts in stealing humanity’s first starship, the Atalanta. Fleeing an Earth scarred by climate change and a rising tide of misogyny, tech entrepreneur Valerie plans a better world on Cavendish, a habitable exoplanet 10 light-years away. As the women learn the inner workings of their stolen ship, Naomi discovers Valerie has a hidden agenda and is keeping her own secrets from her foster brother, Evan, their contact back on Earth. Though the exodus plan presents plot holes aplenty, Lam expertly evokes the claustrophobia of both tight spaces and taut relationships in the evolving struggle between Naomi and Valerie for the soul of the mission. This deeply felt space opera will please those who like their sci-fi to focus more on the characters than the science. Agent: Juliet Mushens, Caskie Mushens. (May)

Publishers Weekly

★ 05/01/2020

Earth is dying. Restrictions on births and what women can do are increasing, but Valerie Black is determined to launch the first all-female space mission to Cavendish, a planet that could sustain human life— a planet in the Goldilocks zone. While making the trip means defying authority, botanist Naomi Lovelace knows this is her chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to move beyond her surrogate mother, Valerie, is extra incentive to move forward. Immediately things begin to go wrong on the Atalanta: hostile and hushed missives from Earth are arriving, and dark secrets are being kept. But to reveal the truths will pit Naomi against all that she has been raised to believe, and the cost could be the entire world's existence. VERDICT Smooth prose weaves a tale to support humanity's survival, along with the shades of gray of scientific decisions. Lam's (Seven Devils) exciting sf thriller proves intellectual and entertaining for all.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Library Journal

★ 2020-02-10
When Earth is ravaged by climate changes that poison the air and water, five women steal a spaceship to colonize a new world in this feminist SF thriller.

Thirty years after she made history as one of the Atalanta Five, the botanist Dr. Naomi Lovelace is finally ready to tell her story. Lam’s (Shattered Minds, 2017, etc.) novel slips forward and backward in time, tracing four decades of Naomi’s life with Dr. Valerie Black—the entrepreneur who raised her after her parents’ tragic deaths and the woman whose company developed the Atalanta spaceship. Designed to warp from Mars to a distant, habitable planet called Cavendish, the Atalanta orbits Earth, awaiting the arrival of its all-male crew. The erosion of women's rights on Earth means that Naomi, Valerie, and the others—who will become known collectively as the Atalanta Five—have been forced out of their jobs, but Cavendish offers them something none can claim on Earth: the chance to start over. Although the novel's earliest tensions involve mechanical failures and miscalculations, the drama shifts quickly to interpersonal conflicts that threaten the integrity of the Atalanta's mission. Each member of the crew has a well-developed voice and her own drives and ambitions, which makes the novel increasingly difficult to put down as betrayals and double-crossings play out aboard the claustrophobic ship. The unexpected ending will leave satisfied readers searching for read-alikes in its wake.

A slow-burning fire of a novel that begs the reader to keep turning the page.

Kirkus Reviews