Slow Gods

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What to expect

'ASTONISHING AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING' Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

From the million-copy-bestselling Claire North - one of the most original and dazzling voices in speculative fiction - comes an intergalactic tale of conspiracy, war and the fall of empires.

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?

Discover this thrilling and breathtakingly imaginative space opera from the multi-award-winning Claire North, perfect for fans of Ann Leckie, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Iain M. Banks and Arkady Martine.

Praise for Slow Gods:

'An extraordinary novel that will surely be shortlisted for multiple awards' SFX

'The best kind of science fiction: mind-blowing and wildly thought-provoking' Kirkus

'North's worldbuilding is dizzying and dazzling, full of fascinating and convincing characters (human, AI, and other), and thought-provoking meditations on destiny, duty, and power. Add in a doomed romance and stirring action, and this immersive, inventive space opera proves a sheer delight' Publishers Weekly

'Deeply imaginative and achingly human, Slow Gods lures you gently into the dark between the stars' Megan E. O'Keefe, author of Velocity Weapon

'A riveting and complex story . . . One of the best science fiction books of 2025' Locus

Critics Review

North's talent shines out
SUNDAY TIMES
North goes from strength to strength
GUARDIAN
An original and even dazzling writer
KIRKUS
The best kind of science fiction: mind-blowing and wildly thought-provoking
KIRKUS
An extraordinary novel that will surely be shortlisted for multiple awards
SFX
An astonishing, thought-provoking and above all touching story of found meaning and lost humanity
Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of CHILDREN OF TIME
A riveting and complex story . . . One of the best science fiction books of 2025
LOCUS
Deeply imaginative and achingly human, Slow Gods lures you gently into the dark between the stars
Megan E. O'Keefe, author of the Philip K. Dick award-nominated VELOCITY WEAPON
Epic and enthralling . . . North's worldbuilding is dizzying and dazzling, full of fascinating and convincing characters (human, AI, and other), and thought-provoking meditations on destiny, duty, and power. Add in a doomed romance and stirring action, and this immersive, inventive space opera proves a sheer delight
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This is a gloriously inventive story with a protagonist as unique and compelling as Martha Wells' Murderbot or Anne Leckie's Justice of Torrens, in a first-person narrative that spans centuries and covers star systems scattered by hundreds of light years . . . In Slow Gods, North gives us a wide-ranging enthralling, resonant and cathartic fable of our own world's predicament but anchors it with individual characters, both participants and witnesses to events, that we can connect with
FANTASY HIVE
North's talent shines out
SUNDAY TIMES
Claire North goes from strength to strength
GUARDIAN
North is an original and even dazzling writer
KIRKUS
Claire North's writing is terrific, smart and entertaining
Patrick Ness
Claire North is a true original, a master of ingenious plotting and feats of imagination
Alex Marwood, author of THE WICKED GIRLS
One of the most intriguing and genre-bending novelists
BOOKLIST

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