Science Fiction
![Marissa Levien - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_marissa_levien.jpg)
The World Gives Way: A Novel
A Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction Finalist
In a near-future world on the brink of collapse, a young woman born into servitude must seize her own freedom in this glittering debut with a brilliant twist-perfect for fans of Station Eleven, Karen Thompson Walker, and Naomi Alderman.
In fifty years, Myrra will be free.
Until then, she's a contract worker. Ever since she was five, her life and labor have belonged to the highest bidder on her contract-butchers, laundries, and now the powerful, secretive Carlyles.
But when one night finds the Carlyles dead, Myrra is suddenly free a lot sooner than she anticipated-and at a cost she never could have imagined. Burdened with the Carlyles' orphaned daughter and the terrible secret they died to escape, she runs. With time running out, Myrra must come face to face with the truth about her world-and embrace what's left before it's too late.
A sweeping novel with a darkly glimmering heart, The World Gives Way is an unforgettable portrait of a world in freefall, and the fierce drive to live even at the end of it all.
A New York Times Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novel of 2021
A Fortune Magazine Best Book of 2021
"A staggering marvel."-TheNew York Times
"The World Gives Way has a sweeping world rich in lore and an electric plot."-Brandon Taylor, Booker Prize-nominated author of Real Life
In a near-future world on the brink of collapse, a young woman born into servitude must seize her own freedom in this glittering debut with a brilliant twist-perfect for fans of Station Eleven, Karen Thompson Walker, and Naomi Alderman.
In fifty years, Myrra will be free.
Until then, she's a contract worker. Ever since she was five, her life and labor have belonged to the highest bidder on her contract-butchers, laundries, and now the powerful, secretive Carlyles.
But when one night finds the Carlyles dead, Myrra is suddenly free a lot sooner than she anticipated-and at a cost she never could have imagined. Burdened with the Carlyles' orphaned daughter and the terrible secret they died to escape, she runs. With time running out, Myrra must come face to face with the truth about her world-and embrace what's left before it's too late.
A sweeping novel with a darkly glimmering heart, The World Gives Way is an unforgettable portrait of a world in freefall, and the fierce drive to live even at the end of it all.
A New York Times Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novel of 2021
A Fortune Magazine Best Book of 2021
"A staggering marvel."-TheNew York Times
"The World Gives Way has a sweeping world rich in lore and an electric plot."-Brandon Taylor, Booker Prize-nominated author of Real Life
Editorial Reviews
"The World Gives Way has a sweeping world rich in lore and an electric plot, both of which make for ideal summer reading."―Vulture
Marissa Levien's THE WORLD GIVES WAY is a staggering marvel, an action-packed cat-and-mouse chase on a doomed generation ship the size of Switzerland … A different novel would have concerned itself with a tense race to fix the ship and save humanity, or framed a series of impossible choices about who gets to live or die. But ‘The World Gives Way' is neither Tom Godwin's ‘The Cold Equations' nor an episode of ‘Doctor Who,' and Levien's breathtaking tale is instead about grace, love and what matters at the end of all things.―Amal El-Mohtar, The New York Times
"A powerful story of class, privilege, and mortality."―BookRiot
"Marissa Levien's debut novel is The World Gives Way is not just an example of deft, careful storytelling, its beautiful, bleak narrative should serve as a roadmap for other authors attempting to pull off the same feat. This is the kind of ambitious story that the science fiction genre was made to tell."―Culturess
"An engaging sci-fi thriller set against the backdrop of real-world issues."―Shelf Awareness
"Combining detective work and slow-burn romance, Levien offers plenty for lovers of cross-genre sci-fi to engage with."―Publishers Weekly
‘Infinite in scope yet intimately told, The World Gives Way is a meditation on justice, mortality, and the power of connection both in the face of crisis and in the everyday mundane. A stunning debut from an author to watch."
―Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
"An excellent debut, full of wonderful characterization, meticulous, empathetic worldbuilding, and a full heart, contemplating meaning, choices, unjust systems, and what we can do with the time given to us...A novel with empathy, bittersweetness, and a tremendous amount of heart, you're not going to want to miss this one."
―Tor.com
"Readers who enjoy outer space adv...
Marissa Levien's THE WORLD GIVES WAY is a staggering marvel, an action-packed cat-and-mouse chase on a doomed generation ship the size of Switzerland … A different novel would have concerned itself with a tense race to fix the ship and save humanity, or framed a series of impossible choices about who gets to live or die. But ‘The World Gives Way' is neither Tom Godwin's ‘The Cold Equations' nor an episode of ‘Doctor Who,' and Levien's breathtaking tale is instead about grace, love and what matters at the end of all things.―Amal El-Mohtar, The New York Times
"A powerful story of class, privilege, and mortality."―BookRiot
"Marissa Levien's debut novel is The World Gives Way is not just an example of deft, careful storytelling, its beautiful, bleak narrative should serve as a roadmap for other authors attempting to pull off the same feat. This is the kind of ambitious story that the science fiction genre was made to tell."―Culturess
"An engaging sci-fi thriller set against the backdrop of real-world issues."―Shelf Awareness
"Combining detective work and slow-burn romance, Levien offers plenty for lovers of cross-genre sci-fi to engage with."―Publishers Weekly
‘Infinite in scope yet intimately told, The World Gives Way is a meditation on justice, mortality, and the power of connection both in the face of crisis and in the everyday mundane. A stunning debut from an author to watch."
―Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
"An excellent debut, full of wonderful characterization, meticulous, empathetic worldbuilding, and a full heart, contemplating meaning, choices, unjust systems, and what we can do with the time given to us...A novel with empathy, bittersweetness, and a tremendous amount of heart, you're not going to want to miss this one."
―Tor.com
"Readers who enjoy outer space adv...
Readers Top Reviews
CLphilMeg M
This is a play-by-play of character actions which are supremely mundane, inside sci-fi framework that never takes center stage. It's page after page of characters plodding though an uninteresting set of actions that are sooooo-boooring that you will be skipping most of the book in search of meaningful events, that never come about. I gave it a chance and got through half the book before giving it up, and that was because I was trying to like it. This is a complete dud and waste of time. Save yourself and skip this.
BringData
This is the story of the people in a generation ship moving from Earth to a far away planet. The ship design is such that it looks like a real world inside, with cities, seas, a desert, weather, and an artificial sky. Myrra is a contract worker, essentially a slave, for a wealthy family. When the husband and wife learn of a problem with the structure of the ship, they commit suicide and Myrra takes off with some of their money and their infant daughter. She is chased along the way by two agents intent on bringing her to justice as a runaway, kidnapper, and thief. As Myrra travels we get to see much of the rest of the world. It's an interesting story. I especially liked the chapters in which the author is explaining some of the technical aspects of the ship (the world). Her writing in those sections flows much more naturally than it does when she is writing dialogue. It's unfortunate that the dialogue sections feel less than natural, but I am glad that I pushed through the first few chapters until I got interested in the characters.
Richard A. Conti
The World Gives Way is an extraordinary allegory for our time and lamentation for humanity. This is not a post-apocalyptic novel. I didn’t want the story to end but knew it had to, and also knew exactly what that end had to be. Somehow, the author makes the ending beautiful instead of ghastly. The novel should be a major best-seller and become a classic, if there is anyone left in the future to read classic literature.
Jennifer Dublino
This unique sci-fi novel asks the question “when it really comes down to the basics, what is most important in life?” The book centers on two people who are alone, although they are surrounded by people. Myrra is a contract worker, little more than a slave until the end of her life when he contract is up and Tobias is a Security officer. Each operates according to the rules of the system until a life changing realization comes to Myrra. For Tobias, his revelation is Myrra herself. Together, when the world is falling apart around them, they see wonders and discover the things that are truly important to the human condition. Sad, thoughtful and beautifully written.
Keith G. Rowley
Happily surprised. I found the story really engaging and poetic, despite — or perhaps at least partly because — of its flawed science. It felt like an allegory or a piece of art, meant for moving one’s emotions and for raising existential questions, rather than a piece of hard-sci-fi techno-space-opera. The two main characters are real, empathetic, flawed, and sweet, and I really wanted to know how they would deal with the end of their world-ship. I will seek out other work by this author.
