The Galaxy Game, Karen Lord
The Galaxy Game, Karen Lord
List: $22.50 | Sale: $15.75
Club: $11.25

The Galaxy Game

Author: Karen Lord

Narrator: Robin Miles

Unabridged: 13 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/11/2023


Synopsis

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • A gripping science fiction saga about three students from a school for those with extraordinary powers, from the award-winning author of The Best of All Possible Worlds

“A smart science fictional fable as inventive and involving as it is finally vital.”—Tordotcom

On the verge of adulthood, Rafi attends the Lyceum, a school for the psionically gifted. Rafi possesses mental abilities that might benefit people . . . or control them. Some wish to help Rafi wield his powers responsibly; others see him as a threat to be contained. Rafi’s only freedom at the Lyceum is Wallrunning: a game of speed and agility played on vast vertical surfaces riddled with variable gravity fields.

Serendipity and Ntenman are also students at the Lyceum, but unlike Rafi, they come from communities where such abilities are valued. Serendipity finds the Lyceum as much a prison as a school, and she yearns for a meaningful life beyond its gates. Ntenman, with his quick tongue, quicker mind, and a willingness to bend if not break the rules, has no problem fitting in. But he too has his reasons for wanting to escape.

Now the three friends are about to experience a moment of violent change as seething tensions between rival star-faring civilizations come to a head. For Serendipity, this change will challenge her ideas of community and self. For Ntenman, it will open new opportunities and new dangers. And for Rafi, given a chance to train with some of the best Wallrunners in the galaxy, it will lead to the discovery that there is more to Wallrunning than he ever suspected . . . and more to himself than he ever dreamed.

Includes two bonus short stories

“There is a weight and grace to [Lord’s] prose that put me in mind of pewter jewelry.”—NPR
 
“This novel is a satisfying exercise in being off-balance, a visceral lesson in how to fall forward and catch yourself in an amazing new place.”—The Seattle Times

Reviews

Goodreads review by Althea on March 08, 2015

This is a fascinating book; any plot summary is going to make it sound much more mundane than it is. Teenage Rafi is a psion in a society that strongly distrusts psionic powers. His abilities have caused even his own mom to pull away from him, and he's been sent to a special school for some questiona......more

Goodreads review by Frank on January 05, 2015

Review copy I'm fortunate enough to be given a lot of books in exchange for a fair and honest review. On occasion, I will even reach out through services like NetGalley when I hear about a new work that piques my interest. That's exactly what happened here. Late last year I heard about Karen Lord wh......more

Goodreads review by Matthew on January 15, 2015

I was excited for The Galaxy Game. The premise sounded wonderful, and I had heard some good things through the grapevine. Sadly, this book did not live up to my expectations and I was left feeling a little disappointed by the end of it. The Galaxy Game tells the tale of Rafi Delarua, whose family ha......more

Goodreads review by Angela on December 02, 2021

Actual Rating: 4.5/5 This sequel to The Best of All Possible Worlds is exactly what I needed this month. I just love being back in any world Karen Lord creates. I loved seeing characters I fell in love with again and getting to see more of this galaxy and explore it through the lens of a new charac......more

Goodreads review by Nicky on August 29, 2015

Received to review via Netgalley 100 pages into this, I ended up giving up, at least for now. I enjoyed The Best of All Possible Worlds, and thought I remembered it quite well, and yet all the interplay of characters and cultures felt confusing here. It features a minor character from The Best of All......more


Quotes

Praise for The Galaxy Game
 
“There is a weight and grace to [Karen Lord’s] prose that put me in mind of pewter jewelry.”—NPR
 
“This novel is a satisfying exercise in being off-balance, a visceral lesson in how to fall forward and catch yourself in an amazing new place.”The Seattle Times
 
“A smart science fictional fable as inventive and involving as it is finally vital.”Tordotcom