Some Desperate Glory

An outstanding novel . . . one of the debuts of the year -- LOCUS Bound to make waves as one of the best SF novels of 2023 . . . [an] expansive story with an action-packed pace full of exciting battles and gut-wrenching twists -- BOOKLIST Raw and action packed . . . This riveting adventure deserves a space on shelves alongside genre titans like Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia Butler -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review) This book hit me like a lightning bolt. From the destruction of Earth on the first page, to the human cult on a forgotten space station, to the indoctrinated teen soldier whose narrow worldview Tesh cracks open with pliers, this book is astoundingly good. An explosive and extraordinary story that I couldn't stop reading and will never forget -- Everina Maxwell, author of WINTER'S ORBIT Masterful, audacious storytelling. Relentless, unsentimental, a completely wild ride. I had a time. Talk about Mass Effect beating up Brave New World in a dark alley -- Tamsyn Muir, New York Times-bestselling author of The Locked Tomb series Devastatingly entertaining, horribly funny, Some Desperate Glory swoops through space and time with effortless precision, never pulling a punch or settling for an easy answer. There's nothing else like it -- A. K. Larkwood, author of THE UNSPOKEN NAME It blew me away. Tesh unpeels the known world from around her young militants with flawless control, revealing the lies and atrocities beneath-but also the possibility of choice, and compassion. Kyr is a revelatory hero-never have I so fervently wished the worst for someone, only to end up cheering for them. . . . Fierce and heartbreakingly humane -- Shelley Parker-Chan, author of SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN A profoundly humane and brilliantly constructed space opera that will have you cheering, swearing, laughing, and ugly-crying. It's perfect -- Alix E. Harrow, NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling author of THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES This book will hurt you and you will say thank you. It has everything you'd want in a queer space opera - wit and imagination and adventure, all within a brilliantly constructed world . . . Reading this feels like bearing witness to something revolutionary . . . It will change you for the better -- Olivie Blake, NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling author of THE ATLAS SIX Tesh crams in enough wild inventiveness for an entire trilogy, wrapped around an emotional core that's powerful and urgent and unmistakeably real -- M. R. Carey, bestselling author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS This is the sort of debut novel every novelist hopes to write. Spectacular from page one -- John Scalzi, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE KAIJU PRESERVATION SOCIETY Tesh writes compellingly...[blending] thrilling action with a mind-bending course in cosmic metaphysics, which keep shifting your sense of what this book is about. If you're looking for a page-turner with fascinating ideas, then Some Desperate Glory absolutely qualifies -- THE WASHINGTON POST What begins as classic military space opera blossoms into something far more complex and interesting. . . . The well-told story combines thrilling action with more thoughtful content, touching on such hot topics as AI, fascism and gender politics, and looks like another award winner -- GUARDIAN This brilliant, queer space opera combines smart worldbuilding with nuanced explorations of gender, fascism, racism, and more -- BUZZFEED This book will turn you inside out and then casually remake you while you wheeze in gratitude. Unflinchingly intense, gloriously queer, and with one of the most finely-crafted and fascinating character journeys I've ever read, Some Desperate Glory is space opera at its absolute best -- Freya Marske, SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of A MARVELLOUS LIGHT A monumental journey. . . . An intriguing space opera and study of radicalization, indoctrination, and what happens when one breaks free in the most absolute way -- LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred re

Emily Tesh, winner of the Astounding Award and the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella, is the author of the Greenhollow Duology, which begins with Silver in the Wood and concludes with Drowned Country. Some Desperate Glory is her debut novel.