In the Belly of the Whale

By: Michael Flynn

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Paperback | 16 July 2024

At a Glance

Paperback
410 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.7

Paperback

$32.99

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Winner of the 2025 Prometheus Award for Best Novel of the Year.

"Pursuing humanity’s redemption to its final interstellar frontier, Flynn delivers an impressive and original epic.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Experience a truly extraordinary journey aboard a colossal generation ship, where Earth’s brightest minds have forged a strict regime to ensure survival of the human race. The unintentionally-oppressive rules form uniquely distinct societies as the years pass, until differences in ideology, class, and cultural identity stirs up rebellion among the beleaguered crew, igniting the first whispers of revolution.

A masterful exploration of humanity’s relentless quest for freedom, In the Belly of the Whale pushes the boundaries of the genre, offering a deeply insightful examination of societal evolution and personal resilience. Each character is so set in their convictions it will make you continuously reevaluate what is right and wrong as you dive into the depths of the human spirit and space.

“In the Belly of the Whale is, if you’ll pardon a Flynn-like pun, a whale of a tale, a grand reading adventure from first page to last. If there has to be such a sad thing as the last novel of a great storyteller, this book is a fine note on which to depart.”—National Space Society

A gripping epic that will take readers on a profound voyage of the mind and space.

Industry Reviews

"The thought-provoking final novel from Heinlein Medalist Flynn (1947-2023) speaks volumes through its formidable application of hard science fiction principles to softer sociology. Following 2013's In the Lion's Mouth, Flynn sets this meditation on human corruptibility within a hollowed-out asteroid, the Whale, on a centuries-long journey to colonize the planet Tau Ceti. Now several generations into the voyage, the Whale has suffered the "Big Burnout." A tenth of the ship has been largely abandoned by its 40,000 other inhabitants, whose diverse ancestors were initially selected for the voyage to avoid inbreeding. But stratification of the Whale's population has set in, with selfish actions of the privileged classes fueling rebellion in their underlings and threatening the entire enterprise. Flynn's rapid cuts between his main characters--an upright detective, doomed young lovers, unscrupulous politicians, a resourceful NCO--provide a captivating human panorama of this city-in-a-ship, while his convincing scientific lore reveals fascinating what-ifs about space travel and colonization. Pursuing humanity's redemption to its final interstellar frontier, Flynn delivers an impressive and original epic."--Publishers Weekly, starred review., July 2024 (full review)

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