Hugo Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear sold rights to two novels in her White Space setting. For new readers, her next science fiction epic, THE FOLDED SKY, stands alone. For returning readers, this is an indirect sequel to Ancestral Night, and takes place more or less concurrently and a little bit after Machine.
In THE FOLDED SKY, Dr. Sunyata Song must travel across the Milky Way to learn to communicate with the greatest discovery of her century: an artificial intelligence the size of a stellar system, an ancient abandoned matrioshka brain called the Baomind. It orbits a dying red giant, and the star’s time has nearly ended. The remote research station and its small fleet of ships come under attack by fanatic Freeport pirates who believe that artificial intelligence is an abomination that must be destroyed, putting the lives of Sunya and her family at risk. Tens of thousands of light years from home, isolated from all help, Sunya is the only one who can save them all.
In negotiations with Jennifer Jackson, U.S. rights were acquired by Joe Monti at Saga Press / Simon & Schuster; Gillian Redfearn at Gollancz will release the UK edition — both with plans to publish in 2025.