An Alien Light

By Nancy Kress

Epic in scope, peopled by characters from every strata of profoundly different societies, An Alien Light is an unflinching look at the strengths and weaknesses of the genetic, evolutionary, and historical inheritance that all of us share.

Arys, a glassblower and outcast.

Jehane, a skilled female warrior.

Dahar, with a deeply inquisitive mind.

Grax, an alien with profound doubts.

These four and hundreds of others are thrown together in an experiment to determine the fate of humanity, both on Earth and in her galactic colonies.  For the Ged, the stakes are nothing less than the outcome of a war.  For the humans, ignorant of the larger situation, the rewards for participating are incredible riches.  But no one except the alien Ged understands the criteria for being chosen.

When that knowledge comes, there is no agreement about if, how, or when to use it.  Some will betray others. Some will sacrifice. Some will die.

And some must succeed, no matter the price.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WordFire Press
• Release date: Sep 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781680573411

Nancy Kress

Nancy Kress is the author of thirty-five books, including twenty-eight novels, four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. She has also authored over 100 short stories. Her work has won six Nebulas (for Beggars in Spain, The Flowers of Aulit Prison, Out of All Them Bright Stars, Fountain of Age, The Erdmann Nexus, and Yesterday’s Kin); two Hugos (for Beggars in Spain and The Erdmann Nexus); a Sturgeon (for The Flowers of Aulit Prison); and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (for Probability Space). Her work has been translated into Swedish, Danish, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, Croatian, Chinese, Lithuanian, Romanian, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, Russian, Hungarian, and Klingon, none of which she can read. Much—though not all—of her later work concerns genetic engineering, on which she holds strong opinions. She has contributed stories on this topic to an anthology based on Microsoft’s Advanced Research division and to one created by the magazine Economist to showcase tech developments in the year 2050, among others. In addition to writing, Nancy has taught creative writing at various venues around the country, including Clarion, and abroad, and for thirteen years, she and Walter Jon Williams co-taught Taos Toolbox, a two-week intensive SF-writing course. Nancy lives in Seattle with her husband, writer Jack Skillingstead, and Pippin, a very indulged Chihuahua.