The central character sees herself as something of a vagabond. A novel of vast scope that yet makes time for compassion, wonder, and poetry. Simon Jimenez’s The Vanished Birds comes to us from Del Rey, with its long and distinguished SF/F history, but with a cover that pointedly eschews any suggestion of the space opera elements that are central to the novel’s action. “ The Vanished Birds finds an intimate heartbeat of longing in a saga of galactic progress and its crushing fallout.

“A lyrical and moving narrative of space travel, found families, and lost loves set against an evocative space-opera background.” -Booklist (starred review) “This extraordinary science fiction epic, which delves deep into the perils of failing to learn from one’s mistakes, is perfect for fans of big ideas and intimate reflections.” -Publishers Weekly (starred review) “This is the most impressive debut of 2020.” -Locus A new beginning.īut the past hungers for them, and when it catches up, it threatens to tear this makeshift family apart. In this captivating debut of connection across space and time, these outsiders will find in each other the things they lack: a place of love and belonging. A millennia-old woman, haunted by lifetimes of mistakes. A mute child, burdened with unimaginable power. I did not expect a family.Ī ship captain, unfettered from time. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TORDOTCOM AND KIRKUS REVIEWSĪ mysterious child lands in the care of a solitary woman, changing both of their lives forever.

Synopsis: A “highly imaginative and utterly exhilarating” ( Thrillist) debut that is “the best of what science fiction can be: a thought-provoking, heartrending story about the choices that define our lives” ( Kirkus Reviews, Best Debut Fiction and Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year).

The vanished birds review