The Actual Star
Book description
David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas meets Octavia Butler's Earthseed series, as acclaimed author Monica Byrne (The Girl in the Road) crafts an unforgettable piece of speculative fiction about where humanity came from, where we are now, and where we're going-and how, in every age, the same forces that drive us apart…
- Coming soon!
Why read it?
1 author picked The Actual Star as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
In many ways, The Actual Star echoes Cloud Atlas. There are multiple timelines (the ancient Mayan Empire, present-day Belize, and an unrecognizable far future Earth), two souls locked together across lifetimes, and blended genres. But The Actual Star takes a more mystical approach to this story, combining elements of Mesoamerican spirituality with a new far-future belief system inspired by the protagonist of the present-day storyline. Along the way, the book delves into questions of sexuality, gender, belief, and survival in the face of catastrophe, all in Monica Byrne’s gorgeous prose.
From Jamie's list on sci-fi and speculative books with multiple timelines.
If you love The Actual Star...
The Ballad of Falling Rock
Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: “Are his love songs closer to heaven than dying?” Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard it…
Want books like The Actual Star?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 99 books like The Actual Star.
Share your top 3 reads of 2024!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,901
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like The Actual Star, you might also like...
The Child Riddler
Zoe Lorel, an elite operative in an international spy agency, is sent to abduct a nine-year-old girl. The girl is the only one who knows the riddle that holds the code to unleash the most lethal weapon on earth—the first ever “invisibility” nano weapon, a cloaking spider bot. But when…
Knife Skills
"Dizzying . . . Audiences who wished the TV series The Bear had made room for Russian mobsters are in for a treat" - Kirkus Reviews Starred Review
Sagarine Pfister is a great cook but has been blacklisted by almost every restaurant in Chicago. She gets her chance at Louie's,…
