Humanity’s super-intelligent AI gods brutally punish breaches in reality, as one young scientist discovers, in this intense and brilliant space opera.
Autistic scientist Yasira Shien has developed a radical new energy drive that could change the future of humanity. But when she activates it, reality warps, destroying the space station and everyone aboard. The AI gods who rule the galaxy declare her work heretical, and Yasira is abducted by their agents. Instead of simply executing her, they offer mercy – if she’ll help them hunt down a bigger target: her own mysterious, vanished mentor.
With her homeworld’s fate in the balance, Yasira must choose who to trust: the gods and their ruthless post-human angels, or the rebel scientist whose unorthodox mathematics could turn her world inside out.
About the Author
Ada Hoffman is a Canadian graduate student trying to teach computers to write poetry. Her critically acclaimed speculative short stories and poems have appeared in Strange Horizons, Asimov's, Uncanny, and two year's best anthologies. Ada was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at 13, and is passionate about autistic self-advocacy. She is a former semi-professional soprano, a tabletop gamer and an active LARPer, she lives in southern Ontario with a very polite black cat.
Industry Reviews
"The Outside is spooky, high-stakes, mind-bending Science Fiction."
"The Outside is a fresh and mind-bending mix of cosmic horror and space opera, a compelling story that spans from the deeply personal to the vast mysteries of time and space. Unsettling and gorgeous, this is like nothing I have read before and the book I have been longing for without knowing it."
"The Outside is a beautiful, stark reclamation of unknowable horror. Hoffman layers thoughtful worldbuilding and rich prose to build a stunning story of power, ambition and personal agency. I couldn't put The Outside down for fear of what might happen while I was looking away."
"The Outside is a powerful, striking debut, and Ada Hoffmann is an author to watch."
"Hoffmann has created a beautifully immersive world, an intoxicating blend of science and divinity that held me captive from page one."
"A stunningly imagined novel!"
"The Outside starts with a bang and ratchets everything up from there,"
"Hoffmann confidently layers morality and disability rights into a breezily told adventure that bursts with sheer fun."
"Ada Hoffmann's The Outside feels like it was made to order for us"
"Truly operatic stuff."
"The Outside is a gripping examination of the battle between good and evil on a grand scale"
"The Outside is a science-fiction suspense novel like no other."
"The Outside is a definite mind-bender, serving up shock and awe from the start."
"Deeply embedded in sci-fi history, The Outside reimagines old stories in new, exciting, #ownvoices ways."
"The Outside is a fantastic debut. I can't wait to see what Hoffman does next."
"exciting and gripping space opera"
