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An Unkindness of Ghosts
Rivers Solomon
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“Harrowing and beautiful, this is SF at its best: showing the possible future but warning of the danger of bringing old prejudices and cruelties to that new world. While a story about enslaved people in space could be a one-note polemic, the fully rounded characters bring nuance and genuine pathos to this amazing debut.”
—Library Journal, Starred Review
“Solomon debuts with a raw distillation of slavery, feudalism, prison, and religion that kicks like rotgut moonshine...Stunning.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Infused with the spirit of Octavia Butler and loaded with meaning for the present day, An Unkindness of Ghosts will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Solomon's impassioned, speculative, literary book is sorely needed on library shelves.”
—Booklist
“The HSS Matilda is a well-crafted world, and...the diversity of the people who inhabit it—their various sexual and gender identities, physical abilities, and psychological burdens—is refreshingly visible and vital even as they face brutal discrimination for their differences. An entertaining novel that does not neglect the vitality of its story while probing society’s assumptions.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“In Rivers Solomon's highly imaginative sci-fi novel An Unkindness of Ghosts, eccentric Aster was born into slavery on—and is trying to escape from—a brutally segregated spaceship that for generations has been trying to escort the last humans from a dying planet to a Promised Land. When she discovers clues about the circumstances of her mother's death, she also comes closer to disturbing truths about the ship and its journey.”
—Buzzfeed, Included in 28 Exciting New Books You Need to Read This Fall
“The HSS Matilda is a generation ship organized much like the antebellum South. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer and sowing the seeds of civil war, sharecropper Aster learns there may be a way off the ship if she's willing to fight for it.”
—Publishers Weekly; included in Fall 2017 Adult Announcements, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
“With An Unkindness of Ghosts, Rivers Solomon inarguably shows themselves to be a literary child of genre leader Octavia E. Butler...Suffused with the past, the present, and the future of human experiences in its events, An Unkindness of Ghosts launches the career of a brilliantly gifted and important new writer in science fiction.”
—Foreword Reviews, Starred Review
“Slavery, racial segregation, and resistance, all set in outer space.”
—Nylon, Included in Fall Bookseller Recommendations
“Rivers Solomon pulls you through a difficult journey that is shockingly real, while being utterly engaging as science fiction...It's refreshing to read a new writer who can manipulate such well known motifs, while churning out a story that still instigates a contemporary discourse, one that dares to remind the reader that the past doesn't always stay buried.”
—Geeks OUT
“ An Unkindness of Ghosts absolutely blew me away...A must read on so many different levels and needs to be on your reading list.”
—Utopia State of Mind (blog)
Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak. She's used to the names; she only wishes there was more truth to them. If she were truly a monster, she'd be powerful enough to tear down the walls around her until nothing remains of her world. Aster lives in the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship's leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot—if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war.
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Posts about this title from Celestial
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jun 20
🏳️🌈🔮look into my eyes …. i know what you want to read.
🏳️🌈🔮look into my eyes …. i know what you want to read.
here are some mind reader queer book recs for pride!
📚 books mentioned: - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - Fawn’s Blood by Hal Schrieve - The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson - Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - Station Six by S.J. Klapecki - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez - Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi - Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin - On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah-Yah Scholfield - This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado - The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez - Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino - Blood Orange by Yaffa As - Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir by Walela Nehanda - Death’s Country by R.M. Romero - Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories by GennaRose Nethercott - Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic: An LGBTQ+ Young Adult Fantasy Anthology of Unforgettable Adventures edited by g. haron davis - Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction edit by Joshua Whitehead
#pridemonth #pridemonthbookrecs #lgbtqbooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram . queer books • queer book stack • Pride Month 2026 • books to read for pride • trans books • nonbinary books • sapphic books • achillean books • memoir book recs • literary fiction books recs • fantasy book recs • fantasy book recs • horror book recs • sci fi book recs • unique books • diverse books
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 26
sci fi with disabled characters
part three of science fiction and fantasy book recommendations with disabled characters! :)
📚 books mentioned: - The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei - We Have Reached the End of Our Show by Ali Gordon - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
👗💄: - dress is from Hill House Home (rented from Nuuly) - eyeshadow is The Spring Symphony Palette from Dandy Lion Cosmetics and In A Trance Palette from Colourpop - eye shimmer is Glitterpuck (Princess Ghost) from Half Magic - mascara is Eye Enhancer Wrap from Covergirl - lip combo is Suede Matte Lip Liner (Moonwalk) from NYX Cosmetics and Magic Drip Lip Gloss (Virtual BFF) from Half Magic - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)
thank you to Wilding Press for the gifted copy!
#disabledbooks #disabilityrepresentation #sciencefictionbooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @flatiron_books @wildlingpress @akashicbooks @hillhouse @dandylionsco @colourpopcosmetics @halfmagicbeauty @nyxcosmetics
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science fiction books • books with disabled characters • books by disabled authors • disability representation in literature • disabled fantasy characters • disabled sci fi characters • diverse books • Flatiron Books • Akashic Books
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 16 2025
what’s your favorite sci fi sub genre? science fiction books for lifeeee!!
what’s your favorite sci fi sub genre? science fiction books for lifeeee!!
📚 books mentioned: - The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei - This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - The Unmapping by Denise S. Robbins - Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - Kindred by Octavia Butler - The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark - The Seep by Chana Porter - Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson - The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart - Sunrise: Radiant Stories by Erika Kobayashi
thank you to Pantheon, Flatiron, Bindery, and Astra House for the gifted copies!
#scifibooks #sciencefictionbooks #scifibookrecs #sciencefictionbookrecs #bestsciencefiction #FlatironPartner #binderybooks #celestial #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @tordotcompub @pantheonbooks @akashicbooks @flatiron_books @sagapressbooks @bindery_books @torbooks @beaconpress @titanbooks @delreybooks @ballantinebooks @astrahousebooks
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 9 2025
30+ trans & nonbinary book recs | trans rights readathon 2025 prep!
feel free to recommend your favorite trans book in the comment section (or pitch your own if you're an author)!!
let's fill these comments with love so this video doesn't end up on the scary side of the algorithm.
☆ featured links ☆ official trans rights readathon website (with TONS of resources): https://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co/ PLEASE sign up here to be included in the data: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/2025-trans-rights-readathon 💫 join me on bindery (celestial - exclusive content, discord, book club, and more): https://celestial.binderybooks.com/
☆ everything I mentioned (in order) ↓ - Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi - Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi - The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi - You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi - Content Warning: Everything by Akwaeke Emezi - Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi - The Deep by Rivers Solomon - Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White - Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White - The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros - Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros - Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros - Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros - The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey - Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey - Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas - Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas - Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun L. Harrison - Heavyweight by Solomon J. Brager - The Seep by Chana Porter - The Devourers by Indra Das - The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson - The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia - Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo - Station Six by S.J. Klapecki - Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley - Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto
↓ find me in more places ↓ 🎵 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starrysteph 📸 insta: https://www.instagram.com/starry.steph 🦋 bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/starrysteph.bsky.social 📚 storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/starrysteph 📖 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/147956803-steph-starrysteph 💌 email: starrystephbooks@gmail.com more: https://beacons.ai/starrysteph
☆ resources ☆ 🇵🇸 learn more about the history of Palestine: https://decolonizepalestine.com/ 🇨🇩 learn more about what's happening in the DRC: https://friendsofthecongo.org/ 🇸🇩 Sudan Solidarity Collective: https://sudansolidarity.com/
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 25 2025
queer voices and stories matter and these ones (just a tiny selection of trans and nonbinary books i’ve read & loved) are phenomenal!
📚 books mentioned: - Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto - Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde - Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas - Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley - Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw - The Stars Undying by Emery Robin
#horrorbooks #scifibooks #fantasybooks #transbooks #nonbinarybooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #nycbooktok #bookstagram @harpervoyagerus @riverheadbooks @peachtreeteen @fiercereads @torbooks @titanbooks @akashicbooks @randomhousekids @faberbooks.us @tornightfire @orbitbooks_us
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 23 2024
let’s get ready for #DisabilityDecember! i hope you’ll participate and pick up some books with disability representation next month (and beyond).
thank you so much to the Disability December team for including me!
reading about disabled main characters has meant a lot to me, and I tried to include a couple books that I haven’t recommended as frequently on this list. don’t worry though, i’m sure I’ll make some sort of post begging everyone to read Sick Kids in Love before the month is up. 😉
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 18 2024
the BEST books for disability pride month
we love a disability pride month roundup!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 23 2024
it’s day TWO of the #TransRightsReadathon 2024, and today i’m here to help out my beloved mood readers. which photo caught your eye? 📚 books shown: - Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey - The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw i
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 13 2024
are you a sci fi lover? i hope you check out these amazing reads either way!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 15 2024
if you are not actively trying to consume queer sci fi books … what can i say? you’re missing out. 💔 don’t worry, i’m here to help.
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jun 20
🏳️🌈🔮look into my eyes …. i know what you want to read.
🏳️🌈🔮look into my eyes …. i know what you want to read.
here are some mind reader queer book recs for pride!
21 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 26
sci fi with disabled characters
part three of science fiction and fantasy book recommendations with disabled characters! :)
📚 books mentioned: - The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei - We Have Reached the End of Our Show by Ali Gordon - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
thank you to Wilding Press for the gifted copy!
.
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chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jan 25
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February READ DISABLED Prompts and Recommendations!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 16 2025
what’s your favorite sci fi sub genre? science fiction books for lifeeee!!
what’s your favorite sci fi sub genre? science fiction books for lifeeee!!
thank you to Pantheon, Flatiron, Bindery, and Astra House for the gifted copies!
13 books
Tattooed Bibliophiles\ \ Zee\ \ • Jun 20 2025
Join for free
\ \ Join for free or login](https://tattooedbibliophile.binderybooks.com/item/bevz96N6MIR2oe1KwPFl/)
Why Science Fiction Is the Most Important Genre (Yes, I’m Biased. No, I Won’t Be Taking Questions.)
Sci-Fi is the most important genre (I said what I said) #scifibooktok #scifiauthor #scifibooks
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Tattooed Bibliophiles\ \ Zee\ \ • Mar 21 2025
Join for free
\ \ As I lay here in bed, cozy with my family all tucked into their warm beds, my mind can't help but drift to the trans kids who aren’t as lucky. Whether they’re stuck under the roof of unsafe people, trapped in a family that won't accept them, living on the streets, in a country hell-bent on demonizing them—these kids aren’t safe. They’re not warm, they’re not happy, and that just devastates me.\ \ Earlier today, I posted a video with one book for the Trans Rights Readathon because, frankly, I don’t have the spoons to get into it with all the trolls and bigots on these apps. Instagram’s a dumpster fire, TikTok’s gone through more transformations than a changeling, and let’s be real—the thing that was supposed to be a safe space for millions is now quietly shifting gears to help the billionaires. But tonight, as I lie awake thinking about my trans neighbors, I know I have to dig deeper. I must find the spoons, even if they’re buried under the weight of it all. Because here’s the thing: this is how it always starts. Nazis didn’t just go after Jews—they came for trans, gay, and disabled people first.\ \ I’m terrified. Not just for trans people, but for all of us. The thing that terrifies me most isn’t just the rise of hate, but the silence from people who won’t stand up until it directly affects them. By the time it does, it’s already too late. That’s the road to ruin, and I refuse to walk it.\ \ So, I’m vowing right now to find the spoons. To dig deeper. To fight tooth and nail, because, quite frankly, this is the only thing that matters now. Not my survival—but everyone’s survival.\ \
- *\ \ Fighting the Good Fight: The Trans Rights Readathon \ \ And in that spirit, I’m throwing my full weight behind the Trans Rights Readathon. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an annual call to action for readers to uplift books written by or about trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit, and gender-nonconforming authors and characters, in honor of Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st. From March 21 onward, the goal is to read, amplify, and, of course, raise funds for causes that support the trans community. This year, I’m aiming to raise $400–$500 for Point of Pride, an amazing organization that provides financial support for trans folks in need of health and wellness care.\ \ If you want to join me in this mission, subscribe to any of my paid tiers this month, and all of my proceeds will go directly to Point of Pride. After this month, you can drop back down to the free tier—I get it, times are tough right now.\ \
- *\ \ Privilege, Self-Care, and the Fight for Marginalized Voices \ \ I want to take a moment to acknowledge my privilege. I’ve got a job that feeds my family comfortably, and trust me, I don’t take it for granted. (And let’s be real, this job is thanks to DEI initiatives—yep, white women benefit from affirmative action the MOST.) This platform, though, this is my side gig. My hobby. My self-care. It’s where I can channel all the rage and frustration and do something to push back against the hate machine. Everything I make from this goes right back into promoting marginalized authors. Sometimes that’s buying books by marginalized authors to read and review, and sometimes it’s donations to other Bindery creators like @michael.laborn and @fromthemixedupdesk. One day, I hope to fund a marginalized sci-fi author’s audiobook or help with marketing costs. This month? It’s going to Point of Pride.\ \
- *\ \ The Fight for Independent Bookstores and More \ \ As an extra incentive to subscribe this month, EVERY subscriber, both paid and free, will be entered into a giveaway for a $50 gift card to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that supports independent booksellers—the true rebels fighting for their lives against the Amazon empire. If you’re not down with the corporate machine, this is where you want your book money to go. (Or if you're an audio nerd like me, Libro.fm is a great resource!)\ \
- *\ \ Read for Trans Rights, Read for All of Us \ \ Trans people are people. It’s as simple as that. If you’re not reading books by trans, queer, disabled, Black, Brown, and Indigenous authors and featuring those characters all year long, what the hell are you doing? Reading about people who aren’t like you expands your world. It helps you see things from their perspective, helps you walk a mile in their shoes. And guess what? That’s the real reason people want to ban these books. They can’t stand it when we normalize the humanity of trans, queer, and marginalized folks. They need us to stay divided, to dehumanize, and they need it to feel powerful. And they need to convince you that queer people aren’t real people so they can justify their bigotry. Because the billionaires are making them feel powerless and those billionaires know it - so they create media to point the hate of the weak minded at the marginalized. \ \ But we see through it. We know better. So read, keep reading, and lift up these voices. We’re not just reading for the plot—we’re reading for justice. We’re reading to smash the system that thrives on hate.\ \ As always: FUCK NAZIS, fight the system, and be the revolution. Read books by trans authors, with trans characters. Keep pushing back against the machine. This is our fight, and we’re not backing down.\ \ K thanks, byeeee. ✌️](https://tattooedbibliophile.binderybooks.com/item/hPWnorEWov8dRCkKlEgV/)
Rage Against the Machine: Read Sci-fi Books for the Trans Rights Read-a-Thon
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 9 2025
30+ trans & nonbinary book recs | trans rights readathon 2025 prep!
feel free to recommend your favorite trans book in the comment section (or pitch your own if you're an author)!!
let's fill these comments with love so this video doesn't end up on the scary side of the algorithm.
34 books
1
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 25 2025
queer voices and stories matter and these ones (just a tiny selection of trans and nonbinary books i’ve read & loved) are phenomenal!
11 books
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 23 2024
let’s get ready for #DisabilityDecember! i hope you’ll participate and pick up some books with disability representation next month (and beyond).
thank you so much to the Disability December team for including me!
5 books
Tattooed Bibliophiles\ \ Zee\ \ • Nov 14 2024
Join for free
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
1 book
1
Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 18 2024
the BEST books for disability pride month
we love a disability pride month roundup!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 23 2024
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 13 2024
are you a sci fi lover? i hope you check out these amazing reads either way!
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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 15 2024
if you are not actively trying to consume queer sci fi books … what can i say? you’re missing out. 💔 don’t worry, i’m here to help.
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