Entertainment · Books & Arts · 3 hrs ago
Becky Chambers’ new novel follows two people on a hostile colony world
Becky Chambers’ novel As You Wake, Break the Shell is set on Fortune, a dangerous planet where acid rain falls and volcanoes fill the sky with clouds.
It follows a reclusive botanist and a spacefaring pilot in alternating timelines as they look for connection and purpose.
The planet’s harsh conditions shape how its people grow food, build homes and live together.
Chambers says she planned the world’s crops and growing methods before drafting much of the story.
Research into plants and seeds helped provide the story’s scientific foundation.
She uses science to make the setting feel possible, while allowing herself some creative freedom.
The novel focuses on ordinary people and how they care for one another rather than on grand battles or revolutions.
Becky Chambers’ novel *As You Wake, Break the Shell* is set on the hostile colony world of Fortune.
The story follows a reclusive botanist and a spacefaring pilot in alternating timelines as they seek connection and purpose.
Fortune is described as unpredictable, with acid rain and volcanoes shaping its environment.
Chambers said she researched botany, especially seeds, for the novel.
She said scientific ideas provide a foundation for the story, while she sometimes takes liberties to convey a feeling.
- Who
- The story follows a reclusive botanist and a spacefaring pilot.
- What
- Becky Chambers’ novel *As You Wake, Break the Shell* follows the two characters as they seek connection and purpose.
- When
- Not stated
- Where
- On Fortune, a hostile colony world.
- Why
- They are searching for connection and purpose.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Everything.
I look at science as partially a foundation but more of a tool that I use to color the world that I’m in.
I tend to think of what I’m doing as more like impressionism than photorealism.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Author
- Becky Chambers
- Novel
- *As You Wake, Break the Shell*
- Setting
- Fortune
- Main characters
- A reclusive botanist and a spacefaring pilot
- Research focus
- Botany, including seeds
Sources
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