The Genesis of Misery, Neon Yang
The Genesis of Misery, Neon Yang
List: $32.99 | Sale: $23.10
Club: $16.49

The Genesis of Misery

Author: Neon Yang

Narrator: Livvie Lin

Unabridged: 15 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/27/2022

Synopsis

An immersive, electrifying space-fantasy, Neon Yang's debut novel The Genesis of Misery is full of high-tech space battles and political machinations, starring a queer and diverse array of pilots, princesses, and prophetic heirs.

It’s an old, familiar story: a young person hears the voice of an angel saying they have been chosen as a warrior to lead their people to victory in a holy war.

But Misery Nomaki (she/they) knows they are a fraud.

Raised on a remote moon colony, they don’t believe in any kind of god. Their angel is a delusion, brought on by hereditary space exposure. Yet their survival banks on mastering the holy mech they are supposedly destined for, and convincing the Emperor of the Faithful that they are the real deal.

The deeper they get into their charade, however, the more they start to doubt their convictions. What if this, all of it, is real?

A reimagining of Joan of Arc’s story given a space opera, giant robot twist, the Nullvoid Chronicles is a story about the nature of truth, the power of belief, and the interplay of both in the stories we tell ourselves.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

About Neon Yang

Neon Yang (they/them) is a queer non-binary author based in the UK. They have been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Lambda Literary, Ignyte, and Locus Awards, and their Tensorate series of novellas (The Red Threads of Fortune, The Black Tides of Heaven, The Descent of Monsters, and The Ascent to Godhood) was an Otherwise Award Honoree. In previous incarnations, Neon was a molecular biologist, a science communicator, a writer for animation, games and comic studios, and a journalist for one of Singapore's major papers.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rebecca on September 03, 2022

This book was described as Joan of Arc in space but let me take that a little further. This is Joan of Arc meets Gideon the Ninth with a touch of Pacific Rim thrown in as a treat. A mind-blowing rollercoaster ride of a space opera, propulsive and strange in the best way. The story twists tropes and......more

Goodreads review by fatma on September 27, 2022

The Genesis of Misery and I didn't exactly gel together. On both a narrative and craft level, I struggled with The Genesis of Misery. Narratively, it is just too insular.For almost 50% of the book, the only character that's developed in any kind of capacity, who we get any insight on, is Misery. Du......more

Goodreads review by Emily Ann Page on October 14, 2022

This novel comes across as though it has a lot of interesting ideas to deconstruct, but it mainly plays them straight. Based on the synopsis and prologue, I expected a lyrically written criticism of religion through a sci-fi lens that also does interesting things with gender. While the use of pronou......more

Goodreads review by Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) on November 06, 2022

Update! Spoiler-free Video Review: [URL not allowed] ********************************************* Joan of Arc. But make it a space opera that explicitly explores her gender fluidity and uncertainty about the validity of her calling. With incredible world-building that is steepe......more

Goodreads review by John on April 30, 2023

I was really happy to learn after I finished this that it's going to be a trilogy, but I probably should have been able to figure that out by the title! The Genesis of Misery reads as an epic mystic sci-fi. Even at the start of the book you can tell that the story will be a large affair. It is all dr......more

Quotes

“This vibrant tour de force presents a simultaneous embrace and inversion of Chosen One narratives. Yang’s prose is lush and gripping throughout, and [the] universe is complex and gorgeously rendered . . . This is a triumph.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Come for the giant robot space battles, stay for the fascinating worldbuilding and the heartbreaking insight into the politics of fanaticism and emotional manipulation.”—Martha Wells, New York Times bestselling author of the Murderbot Diaries

“Neon Yang conjures a glittering, dangerous world where politics and religion clash in gemstone castles that float among the stars. Misery will tantalize, frustrate, and seduce you.”—Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous

“Transmute the saintly Joan of Arc into a foul-mouthed and combative protagonist, decant them into a weird and wild far future, and strap in for a wrecking ball of a ride.”—Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun

“I would follow Misery to the ends of the universe and back, and there are many more characters to love along the way too. It is an adventure on a massive scale, action packed and fast-paced—oh and there’s a hot princess with a whip. Just in case you needed another reason to read this one.”—Tor.com

Praise for Neon Yang and The Tensorate Series:

“A fantastic novella . . . I can't wait to see what else Yang will do.”—Locus

“Yang captures an epic sweep in compact, precise prose.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Joyously wild stuff. Highly recommended.”—The New York Times

Awards

  • NYPL Best Books of the Year
Add to Cart
Add to Wish List