#the blue beautiful world

[drkarenlord]

‘Dr. Karen Lord is one of our greatest, and in her latest novel, The Blue Beautiful World,she shows us exactly why that is. Dr. Lord is looking at the big picture here. This is not simply a cli-fi book, it is not simply a first contact story, nor is it just a space opera. It is all of these things, it is so much more than these things. We follow Owen, a mega popstar with an uncanny ability to draw a crowd and make people fall in love with him—he is described as being the “hometown hero” of every city, because he sings in every language and appears to be everywhere at once. What exactly happens during his shows is anyone’s guess, but he seems to have the world in his hands, as if by some ultra-human force. Owen and his team find themselves at the center of intergalactic attention, and Owen’s abilities might be the key to helping humanity. The Blue, Beautiful World is tied to others in Dr. Lord’s Cygnus Beta but stands alone brilliantly, with fully fleshed-out characters that you’ll become more and more invested in as the story unravels—the story zooms out to galaxy level and deals heavily with A.I. and cutting-edge technology, but its cornerstone is the relationships between characters and their individual growth throughout. In the way that all great speculative fiction is, it is a story about what makes us human, and how the connections we form with each other are vital to our survival, and it’s told in the most exquisite prose.’

Lovely preview from Christina Orlando for The Blue, Beautiful World!

#books #literature #caribbean literature #speculative fiction #the blue beautiful world #karen lord #cygnus beta

[gollancz]

The novel is described as “an optimistic, thoughtful SF in the vein of Ursula K Le Guin in which the world has changed, and humankind has changed with it. After the great floods, human civilization has adapted with domed retreats, artificial islands, and virtual reality environments that replicate a lost world.” Its synopsis goes on: “But now the world is about to change again. Earth has been observed from afar by other civilizations, and they are ready to make contact. And preparing for this world-shaking event are people who have already devoted their lives to creating new visions of the future. And then there’s Owen, a charismatic mega popstar, who has a secret behind his ability to connect with his adoring fans. Owen’s talent may be the key to uniting humanity as it looks towards the stars... and to its own hidden secrets."

We are so delighted to be welcoming the incomparable Dr Karen Lord to the Gollancz list! THE BLUE BEAUTIFUL WORLD is such a gorgeous sci-fi of humanity and first contact, and you're going to love it.

#Karen Lord #The Blue Beautiful World #Acquisition Announcement #Black SF authors #Women SF authors

[rhetoricandlogic]

THE BLUE, BEAUTIFUL WORLD by Karen Lord

RELEASE DATE: Aug. 29, 2023

A tale of hidden aliens and first contact on an Earth in crisis.

In the near future, Owen (famous enough for one name only) is the biggest pop star in the world. Owen’s overwhelming appeal is something more than just charisma, though, as it’s slowly revealed that he and members of his entourage are visitors from another planet, watching as Earth struggles with climate change and population collapse. Virtual reality is everywhere, both as entertainment and as thin fabric masks people use to disguise their identities (alien and human alike). More than a decade later, Kanoa Havili is a student representing the Federated States of Polynesia in Havana at a World Council Global Government Project, akin to a Model U.N. With his fellow students from around the planet, they’re given a challenge to solve—what if an extraterrestrial civilization came to Earth?—but in the midst of working this out, it’s revealed that everything they’ve been studying is real. Now Kanoa and friends have to navigate a first-contact situation with a powerful ally on their side: Owen. Unfortunately, other than a thin character list buried at the back, readers are given no indication that this book takes place in the larger universe of Lord’s Cygnus Beta series, and as a result, the book reads like overly long fan fiction of a show you’ve never heard of. This wouldn’t be an issue if it were better written, with some deft recapping woven into the narrative, but instead, readers have to try to piece together who’s an alien, who’s not, and who all these other civilizations are. Meanwhile, the book is glutted with secondary characters, adding little to the story besides confusion, and offers some cringey adolescent sentences like “His look varied from the delicate, waiflike freshness of a teen idol to the grizzled, whipcord-and-washboard toughness of a decades-seasoned rock star…” or “The salt breeze in intermittent puffs like shy kisses, telling a lie of warmth that the sea would soon dispel.”

An intergalactic fumble.

#Karen Lord #The Blue Beautiful World #mahreviews #long post

[ninsiana0]

Read THE BLUE, BEAUTIFUL WORLD by Karen Lord if you love virtual reality, student government, first contact, oceans, the intimately familiar, the shockingly unfamiliar, superstars, invasions, adapting, and monsters.

(I received an advance copy of this book for review).

#Read this if #book covers #book review #book reviewer #book recs #book reccs #book recommendations #i read books #readmore #Karen Lord #Cygnus Beta #The Blue Beautiful World #The Best of All Possible Worlds #The Galaxy Game #readersoftumblr #readers on tumblr

[nzbookwyrm]

#book recommendations #the blue beautiful world #karen lord

[kammartinez]

#karen lord #the blue beautiful world #books #writing #science fiction #scifi #sff

[kamreadsandrecs]

#karen lord #the blue beautiful world #books #science fiction #scifi #sff #writing

[augustheart]

the thing about the blue beetle movie is that it fundamentally understands a concept at the core of jaime's original run, which is "what if we gave the reyes family fucking guns"

#LET THEM GO HAM!!!! (they proceed to go ham) #blue beetle #okay actually this is kinda spoilers so whatever #blue beetle spoilers #the world is so beautiful and wondrous that i can tag that

[personaldiary]

#moodboard #mia goth #pearl movie #fashion #outfit inspo #the most beautiful woman in the world #dream girl #it girl #tumblr girls #girly #lana del rey aesthetic #x movie #mia goth icons #farmers daughter #im a star #femcel #femme fatale #art #blue eyeshadow

[downfalldestiny]

There is more beyond the reef ⚓ !.

#downfall #downfalldestiny #Boat #Sea #Reef #magic places #magic destinations #magical world #Blue water #Ocean #atlantic ocean #mighty ocean #ocean #Swim #View #Woman #epic scenery #beautiful scenery

[drkarenlord]

Today is a busy news day! Not only do we have the cover reveal for The Blue, Beautiful World (design by Regina Flath Insta and Twitter: @reginaflath), we also have the news of two first Cygnus Beta books being reprinted this summer, and the Redemption books next year.

#karen lord #the best of all possible worlds #the galaxy game #redemption in indigo #unraveling #cygnus beta #the blue beautiful world

[gollancz]

This storyline is infused with a kind of forward-thinking empathy and respect – Lord is interested in use and abuse of power, and her confused humans are slowly shown that connection and communion are better and more effective than coercive control. The author also has a lot to say about post-colonialism, though she plays with those ideas in a subtle and open-hearted fashion. This storyline is infused with a kind of forward-thinking empathy and respect – Lord is interested in use and abuse of power, and her confused humans are slowly shown that connection and communion are better and more effective than coercive control. The author also has a lot to say about post-colonialism, though she plays with those ideas in a subtle and open-hearted fashion.

Absolutely GORGEOUS review for The Blue Beautiful World by @drkarenlord in the latest edition of The Big Issue. This beautiful, complex and thoughtful book is out tomorrow!

#The Blue Beautiful World #Karen Lord #Science Fiction #Book Reviews #if you think you see me here no you didn't #I'm on holiday and not poking on the work tumblr at all #this is all in your mind

[sualne]

kiss you in aroace, and we're both boys.

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #trafalgar law #lawlu #my art #described in alt text #me drawing luffy in orange and law in blue because its the aroace flag: im so smart (its also the canon colors but shh). #i had forgotten i had made these. when surviving a tummyache that day. this is about like. i wanted to like. explore aroace&aroace #relationships and how you're more likely to be affectionnate among fellows aros and aces because youve made it clear theres no intentions #behind it. like man. imagine a beautiful world when no one has to feel like they cant hold or kiss their homies because it's seen as #inherently romantic or sexual. also im still trying to figure out how to draw kisses and this was a good opportunity to try again.

[ninsiana0]

I just started reading THE BLUE, BEAUTIFUL WORLD by Karen Lord, but then realized it is the 3rd book in a series, the 2nd book of which I haven't read, yet, and the 1st book of which I read in 2016.

*giddy at the idea of binging the entire series*

#Karen Lord #The Blue Beautiful World #Cygnus Series #The Best of Both Possible Worlds #The Galaxy Game #currently reading #am reading

[taweetie]

Beyoncé in Atlanta for The Renaissance World Tour

#Beyoncé #renaissance #renaissance world tour #RWT #roberto cavalli #fashion #blue moodboard #blue #purple #beauty #love #music #black women #high fashion #renaissance tour #black fashion #black beauty #les twins #Atlanta #the renaissance world tour #beyoncé knowles carter #beyonce knowles #women in luxury #luxury lifestyle #queen #purple moodboard #taweetie posts

[introspectivememories]

I'M LITERALLY SHAKING BUY HIM BROWN CONTACTS PLS

#like girl we fucking see them #imagine being bear and sleepily turning around in bed and your boyfriend is warm next to you #so you lowly open your eyes only to see his weird blue eyes staring at you. ooh jumpscare #also i remember reading this comic for the first time and getting to this panel and like jolting in shock #why are they that color? why is he fucking looking at me like that? #dc #bernard dowd #tim drake #timber #timbern #bear you are so gorgeous and beautiful #this is why they havent let you and jay meet up yet #the beauty would be off the charts. thw world wouldn't be able to handle it