The Vanished Birds

by Simon Jimenez

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Pub Date 11 Aug 2020 | Archive Date 11 Aug 2020

Sci Fi & Fantasy

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Description

Nia Imani is a woman out of place and outside of time. Decades of travel through the stars are condensed into mere months for her, though the years continue to march steadily onward for everyone she has ever known. The captain of a transport ship contracted to the Umbrai corporation, she lives only for the next paycheck, until the day she meets a mysterious boy, fallen from the sky. A boy, broken by his past, and hunted by his present. For he is one of the few born with the gift of the Jaunt. The ability to travel instantly anywhere in the universe. An ability that threatens the vicelike control of the settled worlds by corporations such as Umbrai. Fumiko Nakajima, the great scientist responsible for the design of bird-like Stations that Umbrai uses to control vast tracts of space, has been searching for one such as he for a thousand years.

Together, they set out to protect the boy, a journey that will cross the decades and light years all the way out to the fringes of settled space where the laws of civilisation do not apply, and they will have only each other to rely on.

A Note From the Publisher

Please hold reviews until publication week. Open to EUR requests.

Advance Praise

“This powerful, suspenseful story asks us to consider what we'd sacrifice for progress—or for the ones we love. The best of what science fiction can be: a thought-provoking, heart-rending story about the choices that define our lives”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Reminiscent of Justin Cronin’s The Passage, yet the journey itself evokes Bryce Courtenay’s The Power of One, creating crossover appeal for readers who enjoy a bit of emotional attachment with their time travel . . . The story takes on a tone and depth that recalls an N.K. Jemisin novel”
Library Journal

“This extraordinary science fiction epic, which delves deep into the perils of failing to learn from one’s mistakes, is perfect for fans of big ideas and intimate reflections” Publishers Weekly (starred review) “The future world–building is rich and smart, the prose assured, and the story both intensely personal and a blistering commentary on capitalism and colonialism. . . Highly recommended”
Kate Elliott, author of Black Wolves

“A lyrical and moving narrative of space travel, found families, and lost loves set against an evocative space-opera background”
Booklist (starred review)

“The Vanished Birds finds an intimate heartbeat of longing in a saga of galactic progress and its crushing fallout. . . . A novel of vast scope that yet makes time for compassion, wonder, and poetry”
Indra Das, author of The Devourers