Outlaw Planet

Name: Outlaw Planet
Brand: Hachette Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: M. R. Carey
ISBN: 9781668652596

Author: M. R. Carey

Narrator: Stephanie Cannon

Unabridged: 15 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Orbit

Published: 11/18/2025

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Animals

Synopsis

From one of genre fiction’s most original and revolutionary voices comes a space opera adventure like no other. Sometimes the fate of entire worlds can be decided by a woman with nothing to lose, and the smartest gun in the multiverse in her hand . . .

This is the story of Bess - or Dog-Bitch Bess as she came to be known. It's the story of the gun she carried, whose name was Wakeful Slim. It's the story of the dead man who carried that gun before her and left a piece of himself inside it. And it's the tale of how she turned from teacher, to renegade, and ultimately to hero.

This is also the tale of the last violent engagements in an inter-dimensional war - one of the most brutal the multiverse had ever seen.

This is how Bess learned the truth about her world. Came to it the hard way, through pain and loss and the reckless spilling of blood, and carried it with her like a brand on her soul. And once she knew it - knew for sure how badly she'd been used - she had no option but to do something about it.

Discover this thrilling standalone science fiction adventure from the million-copy bestselling M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts and the Philip K. Dick Award-shortlisted Infinity Gate (a New York Times Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of the Year).

About M. R. Carey

M. R. Carey has been making up stories for most of his life. His novel The Girl With All the Gifts has sold over a million copies and became a major motion picture, based on his own BAFTA Award-nominated screenplay. Under the name Mike Carey he has written for both DC and Marvel, including critically acclaimed runs on Lucifer, Hellblazer and X-Men. His creator-owned books regularly appear in the New York Times bestseller list. He also has several previous novels including the Felix Castor series (written as Mike Carey), two radio plays and a number of TV and movie screenplays to his credit.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dan on November 05, 2025

I’ll admit, for a while I had absolutely no idea what was going on in this book. Anthropomorphic western meets multi-dimensional sci-fi mystery? What? I suppose it is a testament to my faith in M.R. Carey as a writer that I stuck it out, because this turned out to be a brilliant book, and nothing at......more

Goodreads review by John on September 06, 2025

This book wasn’t necessarily bad but it didn’t have anything great about it either. It’s a sci-fi western with animal-human creatures which sounds fun but the delivery just wasn’t for me. The way he did his prose was a little different then what I’m used to with his work so didn’t enjoy that either.......more

Goodreads review by Denise on November 24, 2025

I wish publishers were clearer in synopses about whether books are set in a pre-existing universe or referred at all to the order of the series they fall into. Having a phrase like "a stand alone set in the Pandominium universe" wouldn't have necessarily deterred me from picking up the book, since I......more

Goodreads review by Mike on November 25, 2025

It’s not often these days that a book manages to take me completely by surprise. But M.R. Carey (also known as Mike Carey) pulled it off with this one. This book is a standalone follow up to his excellent Pandominion duology. (I think you have to have read the Pandominion books to really appreciate t......more

Goodreads review by Tammy on November 17, 2025

The nitty-gritty: Stellar writing and characterization, imaginative world-building and unexpected emotional gut-punches make Outlaw Planet an unforgettable epic sci-fi adventure. “I made my life into a story and threw it into the well of my children’s hind-brains, so deep I couldn’t hear the splash w......more

Quotes

"Outlaw Planet is a sweeping story of petty violence and heartbreaking loss, set against a backdrop of unimaginably vast interdimensional conflict. Tragic and hopeful, it is at its heart a story of love, vengeance, redemption and the freedom to choose to be something more."—Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Henry August

"Filled with wildly inventive, lush worldbuilding, this is the story of a character you can't forget in a story that just keeps expanding beyond the weirdest horizon."
—David Wellington, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated The Last Astronaut and Paradise-1

“In Once Was Willem, M. R. Carey’s gorgeous prose weaves a fable full of dread and wonder, a deeply intelligent and emotionally gripping story boasting one of the nastiest sorcerers you’ll ever meet, and a narrator as inwardly gentle as he is outwardly monstrous. A masterpiece of medieval dark fiction. I love this book. Highest recommendation.”
—Christopher Buehlman, author of The Blacktongue Thief on Once Was Willem

"Carey crafts an empathetic portrait of a medieval monster as a young man in this revelatory dark fantasy... Wit and compassion, building to a wonderfully satisfying climax. Powerful, captivating, and occasionally stomach-churning, this quintessential tale of good and evil is sure to win fans."—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on Once Was Willem

“An immense achievement, an impeccably crafted book without a single word out of place.”—The New York Times on Infinity Gate

"A wild fever dream of a novel – complicated, monstrous, and beautiful."—Seanan McGuire, Hugo Award-winning author on Once Was Willem

"It's been a long time since a book has reached out and just entirely enveloped me in its world the way Once Was Willem did. Astounding, and I loved every moment of it – it had me absolutely rapt."—RJ Barker, author of The Bone Ships on Once Was Willem

"It's so absurdly fun and readable, you nearly miss the incredible use of language and lore. Lovable grotesques and ghastly villains populate a compelling folk-tale. Absolutely wonderful."—Gareth Hanrahan, author of The Sword Unbound on Once Was Willem

"A delicious blend of horror, fantasy and historical fiction, Once Was Willem gave me exactly what I crave most as a reader - the unexpected. That, and a main character I would fight to the undeath for. A unique and brilliant book"—Jen Williams, British Fantasy Award-winning author of The Ninth Rain on Once Was Willem

"An incredible masterwork of medieval fantasy-horror, dark and twisted and burning bright with humanity. Once Was Willem is packed with magic, folklore, superstitious fear, and horrors that bring hope.” —Cameron Johnston, author of the Maleficent Seven on Once Was Willem