Best of All Possible Worlds, The

mp3 cd

Published July 19, 2016 by Audible Studios on Brilliance Audio, Audible Studios on Brilliance.

ISBN:: 978-1-5226-8366-7

(1 review)

Karen Lord’s debut novel, the multiple-award-winning Redemption in Indigo, announced the appearance of a major new talent—a strong, brilliantly innovative voice fusing Caribbean storytelling traditions and speculative fiction with subversive wit and incisive intellect. Compared by critics to such heavyweights as Nalo Hopkinson, China Miéville, and Ursula K. Le Guin, Lord does indeed belong in such select company—yet, like them, she boldly blazes her own trail.

Now Lord returns with a second novel that exceeds the promise of her first. The Best of All Possible Worlds is a stunning science fiction epic that is also a beautifully wrought, deeply moving love story.

A proud and reserved alien society finds its homeland destroyed in an unprovoked act of aggression, and the survivors have no choice but to reach out to the indigenous humanoids of their adopted world, to whom they are distantly related. They wish to preserve their cherished way of …

Karen Lord’s debut novel, the multiple-award-winning Redemption in Indigo, announced the appearance of a major new talent—a strong, brilliantly innovative voice fusing Caribbean storytelling traditions and speculative fiction with subversive wit and incisive intellect. Compared by critics to such heavyweights as Nalo Hopkinson, China Miéville, and Ursula K. Le Guin, Lord does indeed belong in such select company—yet, like them, she boldly blazes her own trail.

Now Lord returns with a second novel that exceeds the promise of her first. The Best of All Possible Worlds is a stunning science fiction epic that is also a beautifully wrought, deeply moving love story.

A proud and reserved alien society finds its homeland destroyed in an unprovoked act of aggression, and the survivors have no choice but to reach out to the indigenous humanoids of their adopted world, to whom they are distantly related. They wish to preserve their cherished way of life but come to discover that in order to preserve their culture, they may have to change it forever.

Now a man and a woman from these two clashing societies must work together to save this vanishing race—and end up uncovering ancient mysteries with far-reaching ramifications. As their mission hangs in the balance, this unlikely team—one cool and cerebral, the other fiery and impulsive—just may find in each other their own destinies . . . and a force that transcends all.

“This fascinating and thoughtful science fiction novel breaks out of the typical conflict-centered narrative paradigm to examine adaptation, social change, and human relationships. I’ve not read anything quite like it, which it makes that rare beast: a true original.”—Kate Elliot, author of the Crown of Stars series and the Spiritwalker Trilogy

6 editions

Sally Strange reviewed The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

Scifi that makes use of telepathy tropes should concern itself with social technologies

5 stars

I've never cared much for stories that incorporate telepathy. Usually it adds little except perhaps a novel way to depict the violation of a beautiful woman's consent (looking at you, Star Trek The Next Generation). But Karen Lord uses telepathy to explore intimacy and consent in a positive way, albeit set against the backdrop of a genocidal catastrophe. Our heroine, Grace, is a middle-aged civil servant who gets assigned to be a liaison between her government and a group of refugees who have come to make a new home on her planet after theirs was destroyed. Not only that, but because of the stricter gender roles in the refugees' society, the survivors skew male at a rate of about 80%. So they and Grace set off on a cross-planet adventure to visit various communities whose values and genetics are compatible with the survivors' in order to help them find wives …

I've never cared much for stories that incorporate telepathy. Usually it adds little except perhaps a novel way to depict the violation of a beautiful woman's consent (looking at you, Star Trek The Next Generation). But Karen Lord uses telepathy to explore intimacy and consent in a positive way, albeit set against the backdrop of a genocidal catastrophe. Our heroine, Grace, is a middle-aged civil servant who gets assigned to be a liaison between her government and a group of refugees who have come to make a new home on her planet after theirs was destroyed. Not only that, but because of the stricter gender roles in the refugees' society, the survivors skew male at a rate of about 80%. So they and Grace set off on a cross-planet adventure to visit various communities whose values and genetics are compatible with the survivors' in order to help them find wives in a way that does not disrupt the existing society's mores. This may sound far-fetched, but in the notes, the author says that this was based on real events, specifically the aftermath of the south Asian tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004. A great many fisherman survived due to being out at sea when the tsunami came, while their wives and children, at home on a Sunday in their homes along the shore, mostly perished. Along the way... well, that's the whole story, isn't it. Ultimately the tale brings us all around the planet (which Lord says she envisioned as an intergalactic version of the Caribbean), hints at some time traveling as well, and then concludes on a hopeful, wholesome, and almost romantic comedy-esque note. I really enjoyed it and it's inspiring me to go back and try "The Galaxy Game" again.