Tattooed Bibliophiles | Sunward: A Novel
Sunward: A Novel
Author: William Alexander
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A 2026 Philip K. Dick Award Finalist, this debut science fiction novel by National Book Award–winning writer William Alexander follows a planetary courier training adolescent androids in a solar system grappling with interplanetary conflict after a devastating explosion on Earth’s moon. Captain Tova Lir chose a life as a courier rather than get involved in her family’s illustrious business in politics. Set in humanity’s far future, hiring a planetary courier is essential for delivering private messages across the stars. Encouraged by friends, Tova begins mentoring baby bots, juvenile AI who are developmentally in their teens, training them to interact within society and essentially becoming their foster mom. Her latest charge, Agatha Panza von Sparkles, named herself on their first run from Luna to Phoebe station. However, on their return, they encounter a derelict spaceship and a lurking assassin, igniting a thrilling chase across the solar system. Tova and Agatha’s daring actions leave Agatha’s mind vulnerable, relying on Tova’s former AI pupils for help. As Tova starts gathering her scattered family around her, she is pursued through the solar system by forces who want her captured and her family erased. This debut novel is a must-read for fans of Becky Chambers and Ursula K. Le Guin, blending themes of found family, the evolution of AI, and the building distrust arising from centuries of bias in a visionary look at humanity’s future.
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Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction Shortlist 2026
Here’s the shortlist for this year:
Audition by Pip Adam (Coffee House Press, June 10, 2025)
Three rom-com quoting MCs travel from incarceration to exile, exploring carceral politics and the psychology of violence.Sunward by William Alexander (Saga Press, Sept 16, 2025)
A vision of parental care that encompasses beings built as well as born, considering caretaking and community alongside power and resistance.Call and Response by Christopher Caldwell (Neon Hemlock, Oct 14, 2025)
Speculative stories grounded in the realities of queer lives.Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur (Algonquin, Sept 4, 2025)
A novel in ghost stories suggesting humanity’s efforts to control the world are merely fantasies.The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes (Tor Books, Oct 14, 2025)
A story of revolution in a city riddled with vermin and a wealthy ruling class exploring resistance and repression.Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman (Tor Books, April 15, 2025)
An intimate history of two generations of trans characters examining art and revolution.Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta (DAW Books, Sept 9, 2023)
A multi-layered narrative following two sets of sisters separated by generations.One Message Remains by Premee Mohamed (Psychopomp, Feb 11, 2025)
A exploration of life during wartime through loosely connected tales.Slow Gods by Claire North (Orbit, Nov 18, 2025)
A space opera connecting power and love against a backdrop of destruction.