Slow Gods

· Sold by Orbit
21 reviews
Ebook
448
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

Shortlisted for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction • Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel Finalist 

Best of the Year at Gizmodo, Library Journal, and more! 

"An astonishing, thought-provoking and above all touching story of found meaning and lost humanity.” —Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

“A fascinating and mind-blowing adventure that will scratch your itch for great space opera.” —Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series

Slow Gods is the galaxy-spanning tale ​of one man's impossible life charted against the fate of humanity amongst the stars—a powerfully imaginative space opera from multi-award-winning author Claire North. 

My name is Mawukana na-Vdnaze, and I am a very poor copy of myself.

In telling my story, there are certain things I should perhaps lie about. I should make myself a hero. Pretend I was not used by strangers and gods, did not leave people behind.
 
Here is one truth: out there in deep space, in the pilot's chair, I died. And then, I was reborn. I became something not quite human, something that could speak to the infinite dark. And I vowed to become the scourge of the world that wronged me. 

This is the story of the supernova event that burned planets and felled civilizations. This is also the story of the many lives I've lived since I died for the first time.  
 
Are you listening? 

Shortlisted for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction • Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel Finalist Best of the Year at Gizmodo, Library Journal, and more! "An astonishing, thought-provoking and above all touching story of found meaning and lost humanity.” —Adrian Tchaikovsky, autho...

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Ratings and reviews

21 reviews
David Chess
March 2, 2026
A really rather amazing book There aren't enough books that give us both intriguing ideas about technology and the future, and also good tender true lovely writing about what it is to live. This is one of those. I texted a friend a sentence from this book, near the end, and it had nothing to do with science or technology or strange new worlds, it was just beautiful. Arguably some of the more fascinating science fiction elements here are never quite explained or worked out as much as one might want, because they are metaphor as much as concrete idea. But perhaps there will be a sequel. Or perhaps they are perfect as not-quite-explained as they are. And some of the ideas are worked out quite nicely, and are new and interesting and will stay with me. You should read this.
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robert murphy
November 23, 2025
intelligent and well written. Shades of Banks in some characters.
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Sarananda Shanti
February 18, 2026
This was a fascinating, beautiful unfolding.
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About the author

Claire North is a pseudonym for Catherine Webb, who wrote several novels in various genres before publishing their first major work as Claire North, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. It was a critically acclaimed success, receiving rave reviews and becoming a word of mouth bestseller. They have since published several hugely popular and critically acclaimed novels, won the World Fantasy Award and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Philip K. Dick Award. They live in London.
Claire North is a pseudonym for Catherine Webb, who wrote several novels in various genres before publishing their first major work as Claire North, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. It was a critically acclaimed success, receiving rave reviews and becoming a word of mouth bestseller. They...

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