Keynote
An end-of-the-world love story, an epic full of pathos and humor, asking what can be saved of our planet
Book Title
Earth 7
Subtitle
A Novel
Cover Image
“Unferth’s prodigious worldbuilding unfolds magically. . . . Profound, funny, alarming, and imbued with love and sorrow for our lost world. . . . [A] masterpiece of climate fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Body
Well, that’s about it for the story of planet Earth, poor Earth, reduced to not much more than a piece of burnt coal. But, as Deb Olin Unferth shows in her latest electrifying novel, life and love persist, even in the most unexpected, inhospitable places.
Two women meet on a beach of artificial sand. One was raised in a pod in the ocean and the other may or may not be a robot. Their love—or any love—seems so unlikely. Earth is severely depopulated. Some people have given up, gone off to Mars. Others pursue eternal life as digital code. And yet others, like Dylan and Melanie, are holdouts—and some of those holdouts are constructing a vast molecular collection in hopes that a future person may be alive to make a new Earth. Foolhardy? Misguided? Quixotic? Probably. But what can a human (or a robot) do?
By the end of Unferth’s wild, poetic, revelatory, and slyly philosophical novel, the reader has traveled to the very edges of the cosmos as a “soul globule” and between grains of sand as a microscopic tardigrade. A slim book tackling big questions (is all matter conscious? will we tech ourselves into salvation, or out of existence?), Earth 7 is a poignant inquiry into death, mourning, and indefatigable life, the most exhilarating work to date by one of our most original and beloved writers.
Two women meet on a beach of artificial sand. One was raised in a pod in the ocean and the other may or may not be a robot. Their love—or any love—seems so unlikely. Earth is severely depopulated. Some people have given up, gone off to Mars. Others pursue eternal life as digital code. And yet others, like Dylan and Melanie, are holdouts—and some of those holdouts are constructing a vast molecular collection in hopes that a future person may be alive to make a new Earth. Foolhardy? Misguided? Quixotic? Probably. But what can a human (or a robot) do?
By the end of Unferth’s wild, poetic, revelatory, and slyly philosophical novel, the reader has traveled to the very edges of the cosmos as a “soul globule” and between grains of sand as a microscopic tardigrade. A slim book tackling big questions (is all matter conscious? will we tech ourselves into salvation, or out of existence?), Earth 7 is a poignant inquiry into death, mourning, and indefatigable life, the most exhilarating work to date by one of our most original and beloved writers.
List Price
$27.00
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About the Author
Credit: Credit: Nick Beard
Upcoming Events
Deb Olin Unferth reading and in conversation with Jennifer Chang about EARTH 7 at First Light Books
Date:
Location:
First Light Books in Austin, TXview map
This event is free and open to the public. Copies of Earth 7 are available for purchase from First Light Books.
Praise
“Unferth shines in her ability to craft relatable characters in extraordinary circumstances. . . . [Earth 7] explores deep ontological questions about the nature of life. This is profound.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Unferth follows her madcap present-day econovel, Barn 8, with a crystalline, poetic, witty, and haunting post-depopulation tale of loss, adaptation, unexpected beauty, and surpassing love. Every moment is enrapturing, every twist heart-seizing in this keenly imagined, ravishing, and profound celebration of life in extremis.”—Donna Seaman, Booklist, starred review
“Earth 7 has knocked me out of kilter in all sorts of strange and haunting and wonderful ways. A work of desperate and loving imagination that follows its own impulsive logic and treads where most of us fear to go. Terrifying and life-affirming all at the same dizzying time. Throw yourself into Deb Olin Unferth’s world; you won’t regret it”—Jon McGregor
- “Earth 7 is an epic sci-fi masterpiece and a love letter to the totally lush, and shockingly diverse, life-forms of our planet. I adore this book. Everyone who lives on planet Earth should read it.”—Rita Bullwinkel
