As You Wake, Break the Shell: A Novel – A Heartfelt Science Fiction Romance of Found Family and Stubborn Survival

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Editorial Reviews Review “Beautifully written, lovingly crafted, this book is a unique ride and a truly special treat!” - Sarah Beth Durst, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop "There is nothing I look forward to more than a new book by Becky Chambers. I savour every word, every character, every new world she creates. That she writes with such light and compassion in such troubled times, is a miracle we can all enjoy." - Antonia Hodgson, internationally bestselling author of The Raven Scholar “THIS is the book I’ve been waiting for. Cora and Signy are two of the best characters I’ve read, and their romance is so, so familiar. Through emotion and empathy, Becky Chambers has proven time and time again that science fiction doesn’t have to feel distant.” - Rebecca Thorne, internationally bestselling author of You Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea "For fans of Becky Chambers, As You Wake, Break the Shell is everything you love. For those who aren't fans yet, l can't think of a better time to start." - Michael Mammay, author of Generation Ship “An extraordinary picture of humanity among the stars.” - Kirkus Reviews “While most sequels feel the need to go bigger and bolder, Orbit is a more intimate story than its predecessor, exploring trust, the mind/brain paradox, and unease with one’s body, while examining the ways someone without a family makes their way in the world and forms their own connections.” - AV Club “Some of the most forward-thinking, inspiring science fiction out there . . . a joyful antidote to crushed spirits and a celebration of the power of curiosity, love, adventure and discovery.” - Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August “This series is a rare gem within the sci-fi genre [...] Chambers’ writing pulls you in, making it impossible not to imagine living in her brilliantly crafted universe.” - POMEmag “The vibrant lines drawn between lives prove as compelling as laser battles and widescreen explosions. If you yearn for science fiction with heart, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better candidate this stellar novel.” - B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog “Becky Chambers is a master of delivering sadness and devastation right alongside a true and genuine love for humanity, and that is something that illuminates everything she’s written.” - Black Forest Basilisks “There are so many amazing things about this book which I have tried to cover in my review, but to sum it up in one word I found this book to be: Perfect!” - Fantasy Book Review (Book of the Month;10 out of 10) " To Be Taught, If Fortunate is a tight, frequently funny, character-driven novella." - Locus “Great fun!” - Anne Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice “This is a superb work from one of the genre’s rising stars.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Record of a Spaceborn Few “I deeply appreciate Chambers’ science fiction, and I really enjoyed this novel. Quiet, kind, character-driven books are wonderfully restful. Delightfully soothing.” - Tor.com on Record of a Spaceborn Few "Optimistic, feel-good, adventurous and fun . . . . As good, smart and satisfying as its predecessor." - The Book Smugglers on A Closed and Common Orbit "A quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism." - The Guardian on The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet "A heart-warming debut novel that will restore your faith in science fiction (specifically) and humanity (in general)." - Tor.com on The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet “Becky Chambers’ debut novel . . . is probably the most fun that you’ll have with a space opera novel this year. It’s exciting, adventurous, and the cozy sort of space opera that seems to be in short supply lately. . . . Not to be missed.” - iO9 on The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet “Becky Chambers’ debut is a joyous, optimistic space opera ... Although it isn’t shy about tackling Big Questions, Planet is a heart-warming debut novel that will restore your faith in science fiction (specifically) and humanity (in general).” - Tor.com on The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet “A quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism.” - The Guardian on The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet “One of the most enjoyable, brilliantly realized spacey SF novels I’ve read in ages.” - James Smythe, author of The Echo and The Explorer “Humane and alien, adventurous and thoughtful, vast in its imagination and wonderfully personal in the characters it builds. But above all else, it is joyously written and a joy to read.” - Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August “Great fun!” - Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice “Becky Chambers’ debut novel . . . is probably the most fun that you’ll have with a space opera novel this year. It’s exciting, adventurous, and the cozy sort of space opera that seems to be in short supply lately. . . . Not to be missed.” - iO9 “Becky Chambers’ debut is a joyous, optimistic space opera ... Although it isn’t shy about tackling Big Questions, Planet is a heart-warming debut novel that will restore your faith in science fiction (specifically) and humanity (in general).” - Tor.com “A warm, big-hearted, progressive and fun blast of sci-fi. . . . The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is just so much fun to read, and we can’t wait to see what Chambers does next. 5 stars.” - SciFiNow “A quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism.” - The Guardian “Great fun!” - Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice “Becky Chambers’ debut is a joyous, optimistic space opera ... Although it isn’t shy about tackling Big Questions, Planet is a heart-warming debut novel that will restore your faith in science fiction (specifically) and humanity (in general).” - Tor.com “One of the most enjoyable, brilliantly realized spacey SF novels I’ve read in ages.” - James Smythe, author of The Echo and The Explorer “Humane and alien, adventurous and thoughtful, vast in its imagination and wonderfully personal in the characters it builds. But above all else, it is joyously written and a joy to read.” - Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August “A quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism.” - The Guardian “Becky Chambers’ debut novel . . . is probably the most fun that you’ll have with a space opera novel this year. It’s exciting, adventurous, and the cozy sort of space opera that seems to be in short supply lately. . . . Not to be missed.” - iO9 “A warm, big-hearted, progressive and fun blast of sci-fi. . . . The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is just so much fun to read, and we can’t wait to see what Chambers does next. 5 stars.” - SciFiNow “Great fun!” - Ann Leckie, author of Ancillary Justice, on The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet “A quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism.” - The Guardian on The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet “ A Closed and Common Orbit may be smaller in scope than the book before it, but in its focus and its force, in the sheer delight it takes in the discoveries it documents, it’s as fine and as fantastical and as fun as Chambers’ absolute darling of a debut.” - Tor.com on A Closed and Common Orbit ? “Chambers Wayfarers series is the feel-good science fiction series you were looking for. Depressing dystopias got you down? Here’s the antidote. . . .  This is optimistic science fiction for those who grew up on Original Series Star Trek.” 
 - Pop Verse on A Closed and Common Orbit “This is a superb work from one of the genre’s rising stars.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Record of a Spaceborn Few “This series is a rare gem within the sci-fi genre. . . . Chambers’ writing pulls you in, making it impossible not to imagine living in her brilliantly crafted universe.” - POMEmag on Record of a Spaceborn Few “With technical prowess and outstanding visceral imagery, Chambers [...] packs an immense amount of story into a novella worthy of full-length praise.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “This is a superb work from one of the genre’s rising stars.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “[A] delightful, cozy novel. Devoted fans and newcomers alike will thrill with this imaginative sci-fi confection.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) "For fans of character-driven science fiction who are interested in how differences can be a source of strength, not weakness." - Booklist (starred review) “Warm, engaging, properly science-fictional, A Closed and Common Orbit is a very likable novel indeed.” - The Guardian “Extraordinary . . . A future sci-fi masterwork in a new and welcome tradition.” - Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat “An exquisite expression of our moment in time. Here’s why we need to keep going boldly into space - not to exploit, but to learn. Impressive and essential.”   - Stephen Baxter, author of Promixa “As with her amazing debut, the power of Chamber’s second space opera is in her appealing characters [...] Her protagonists might not all be human, but they possess more humanity than most” - Library Journal (starred review) on A Closed and Common Orbit “A story filled with heart-warming characters and intriguing connections. Chambers once again creates an epic space setting with a detailed, personal view of some of its inhabitants. Humor and heartache weave through her insightful prose and diverse characters.” - Library Journal (starred review) “As with her amazing debut, the power of Chamber’s second space opera is in her appealing characters [...] Her protagonists might not all be human, but they possess more humanity than most” - Library Journal (starred review) “[A] wonderfully imaginative and quirky novel [...] It is hard to believe that this is Becky Chambers’ first novel, as it is so well constructed, imaginative, and fluently written.” - Strange Horizons “For any of us, life as we think we know it can change at any time. A Closed and Common Orbit simply reminds us that, in a universe of immense and wondrous possibilities, there’s no shame in finding oneself a novice here anew.” - Strange Horizons “ A Closed and Common Orbit may be smaller in scope than the book before it, but in its focus and its force, in the sheer delight it takes in the discoveries it documents, it’s as fine and as fantastical and as fun as Chambers’ absolute darling of a debut.” - Tor.com “Becky Chambers takes space opera in a whole new and unexpected direction, her books bring me so much joy.” - Ben Aaronovitch, author of Rivers of London “Epic in the scale of discoveries but with a miniaturist’s eye for detail, and as revealing of the observers as the observed. In a word, brilliant.” - Andrew Caldecott, author of Rotherweird “I deeply appreciate Chambers’ science fiction, and I really enjoyed this novel. Quiet, kind, character-driven books are wonderfully restful. Delightfully soothing.” - Tor.com “As good, smart and satisfying as its predecessor...If there was such a thing as a Cosy Space Opera subgenre of Speculative Fiction, Becky Chambers’ series would likely be listed alongside the equally excellent On a Red Station, Drifting by Aliette de Bodard and Binti by Nnedi Okorafor.” - Book Smugglers “Chambers uses her considerable talent to take a more focused and contained look at a gut-wrenching story of self-determination and personal autonomy [...] No matter what beautiful and strange world Chambers takes us to, we can count on her to lead with humor and heart.” - RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars) on a Closed and Common Orbit “Chambers uses her considerable talent to take a more focused and contained look at a gut-wrenching story of self-determination and personal autonomy [...] No matter what beautiful and strange world Chambers takes us to, we can count on her to lead with humor and heart.” - RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars) “Rendered with startling clarity, Chambers’ latest offering is a short but fierce ode to humanity and all our reaches and flaws. Unputdownable.” - Natasha Ngan, author of Girls of Paper and Fire “Chambers Wayfarers series is the feel-good science fiction series you were looking for. Depressing dystopias got you down? Here’s the antidote [...] This is optimistic science fiction for those who grew up on Original Series Star Trek .” - Pop Verse “Chambers’ books are celebrated for their warmth, compassion, and diverse characters, but it’s also worth noting that her worldbuilding is top-notch; it’s a delight to spend more time in this universe.” - B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog “Chambers’ books are celebrated for their warmth, compassion, and diverse characters, but it’s also worth noting that her worldbuilding is top-notch; it’s a delight to spend more time in this universe.” - B&N Sci-fi and Fantasy Blog About the Author Becky Chambers is a science fiction author based in Northern California. She is best known for her Hugo Award-winning Wayfarers series, which currently includes The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet , A Closed and Common Orbit , and Record of a Spaceborn Few . Her books have also been nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Locus Award, and the Women's Prize for Fiction, among others. Her most recent work is To Be Taught, If Fortunate , a standalone novella. Becky has a background in performing arts, and grew up in a family heavily involved in space science. She spends her free time playing video and tabletop games, keeping bees, and looking through her telescope. Having hopped around the world a bit, she’s now back in her home state, where she lives with her wife. She hopes to see Earth from orbit one day.

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Is As You Wake, Break the Shell: A Novel – A Heartfelt Science Fiction Romance of Found Family and Stubborn Survival appropriate for my child?

Suitable for most readers 13 and up.

This heartfelt sci-fi romance features two protagonists navigating identity, body autonomy, and trust as they form a found family. Contains mild peril, developing romance with fade-to-black intimacy, and themes of self-acceptance.