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As You Wake, Break the Shell
- Author
- Becky Chambers
- Narrator
- Megan Gage, Norma Butikofer
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Publish Date
- 13 October 2026
- Run Time
- 14 hours 28 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Told in alternating timelines, As You Wake, Break the Shell is a heartfelt and hopeful story from the award-winning writer of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, exploring what it means to be human and what it means to come together.
Life on Fortune is hard. The atmosphere is poisonous, the planet hardly fit for life. But for its inhabitants, it's home.
Pilot Cora suffers from a rare and dangerous condition, brought about by her bond with Colibri, the alien animal she pilots to quarry vital water for the colony. If Cora seeks treatment, she risks losing her license - and her connection to Colibri forever.
Then she meets Signy, a brilliant but reclusive botanist, whose bio-printed medicine is the only thing that can save her. But to do so, Signy must break the rules that govern their lives, risking her livelihood and the other colonists who rely on her for survival.
As Cora and Signy navigate their balance of risk and trust, they are forced to confront what they owe to each other and to their community - and begin to question whether survival is enough . . .
'THIS is the book I've been waiting for' REBECCA THORNE
'A miracle' ANTONIA HODGSON
'Becky Chambers never misses' L.R. LAM
Readers love AS YOU WAKE, BREAK THE SHELL
'This book was pure poetry' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Becky Chambers remains a wonder, and I can't wait to read whatever she writes next' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Books that comfort the soul and expand the mind' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Critics Review
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THIS is the book I've been waiting for. Cora and Signy are two of the best characters I've read, and their romance is so, so familiar. Through emotion and empathy, Becky Chambers has proven time and time again that science fiction doesn't have to feel distant
Rebecca Thorne, author of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea
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There is nothing I look forward to more than a new book by Becky Chambers. I savour every word, every character, every new world she creates. That she writes with such light and compassion in such troubled times, is a miracle we can all enjoy
Antonia Hodgson, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Raven Scholar
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Beautifully written, lovingly crafted, this book is a unique ride and a truly special treat!
Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop
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Becky Chambers never misses. As You Wake, Break the Shell is another beautiful slice of life on an alien planet. I loved this tale of connection, symbiosis, and a reminder that life blooms where you water it, no matter where you are in the universe
L.R. Lam, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dragonfall
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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Becky Chambers wows once again with an intricately detailed and fascinating world, a heart-warming tale of found family and the tenderest of relationships at its core. I laughed, I cried, and I can't wait to see what comes next
Ann Sei Lin, author of Rebel Skies
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As You Wake, Break The Shell has all the hallmarks of what makes Chambers' work such a cornerstone of modern science fiction: insightful world-building, relatable characters, and morally complex journeys that navigate what it means to be. In this liminal, time-bending masterpiece, two women fall in love amidst a world as desperate for answers as it seems intent on withholding them. At turns cosy, politically incisive, and daringly hopeful about avenues toward a bright future that could be, As You Wake, Break The Shell is a love story at its core; not just romantic love, but love for siblings, love for humanity, love for the worlds that bear us, and love for those different - even cosmically so - from ourselves
Riley August, author of The Last Gifts of the Universe
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Becky Chambers wows once again with an intricately detailed and fascinating world, a heart-warming tale of found family and the tenderest of relationships at its core. I laughed, I cried, and I can't wait to see what comes next
Ann Sei Lin, author of Rebel Skies
-
As You Wake, Break The Shell has all the hallmarks of what makes Chambers' work such a cornerstone of modern science fiction: insightful world-building, relatable characters, and morally complex journeys that navigate what it means to be. In this liminal, time-bending masterpiece, two women fall in love amidst a world as desperate for answers as it seems intent on withholding them. At turns cosy, politically incisive, and daringly hopeful about avenues toward a bright future that could be, As You Wake, Break The Shell is a love story at its core; not just romantic love, but love for siblings, love for humanity, love for the worlds that bear us, and love for those different - even cosmically so - from ourselves
Riley August, author of The Last Gifts of the Universe
-
THIS is the book I've been waiting for. Cora and Signy are two of the best characters I've read, and their romance is so, so familiar. Through emotion and empathy, Becky Chambers has proven time and time again that science fiction doesn't have to feel distant
Rebecca Thorne, author of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Becky Chambers
- Narrator
- Megan Gage, Norma Butikofer
- Duration
- 14 hours 28 minutes
- Release Date
- 13 October 2026
- ISBN
- 9781529340617
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Genre
- Science fiction: aliens / UFOs, Science fiction: apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic, Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general
Synopsis
The stars are waiting for you. We hope you will come find us there.Told in alternating timelines, As You Wake, Break the Shell is a heartfelt and hopeful story from the award-winning writer of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, exploring what it means to be human and what it means to come together.Life on Fortune is hard. The atmosphere is poisonous, the planet hardly fit for life. But for its inhabitants, it's home.Pilot Cora suffers from a rare and dangerous condition, brought about by her bond with Colibri, the alien animal she pilots to quarry vital water for the colony. If Cora seeks treatment, she risks losing her license - and her connection to Colibri forever.Then she meets Signy, a brilliant but reclusive botanist, whose bio-printed medicine is the only thing that can save her. But to do so, Signy must break the rules that govern their lives, risking her livelihood and the other colonists who rely on her for survival.As Cora and Signy navigate their balance of risk and trust, they are forced to confront what they owe to each other and to their community - and begin to question whether survival is enough . . .'THIS is the book I've been waiting for' REBECCA THORNE'A miracle' ANTONIA HODGSON 'Becky Chambers never misses' L.R. LAM Readers love AS YOU WAKE, BREAK THE SHELL'This book was pure poetry' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Becky Chambers remains a wonder, and I can't wait to read whatever she writes next' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Books that comfort the soul and expand the mind' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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