The World Gives Way

A Novel

By: Marissa Levien

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

In a near-future world on the brink of collapse, a young woman born into servitude must seize her own freedom in this glittering debut with a brilliant twist—perfect for fans of Station Eleven, Karen Thompson Walker, and Naomi Alderman.

In fifty years, Myrra will be free.

Until then, she's a contract worker. Ever since she was five, her life and labor have belonged to the highest bidder on her contract—butchers, laundries, and now the powerful, secretive Carlyles.

But when one night finds the Carlyles dead, Myrra is suddenly free a lot sooner than she anticipated—and at a cost she never could have imagined. Burdened with the Carlyles' orphaned daughter and the terrible secret they died to escape, she runs. With time running out, Myrra must come face to face with the truth about her world—and embrace what's left before it's too late.

A sweeping novel with a darkly glimmering heart, The World Gives Way is an unforgettable portrait of a world in freefall, and the fierce drive to live even at the end of it all.

A New York Times Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novel of 2021

A Fortune Magazine Best Book of 2021

"A staggering marvel."—The New York Times

"The World Gives Way has a sweeping world rich in lore and an electric plot."—Brandon Taylor, Booker Prize-nominated author of Real Life

©2021 Marissa Levien (P)2021 Redhook

Excellent dystopian read

Loved the story and the narrator, too. A dystopian read that was just sci-fi enough to provide space from our current state of the world.

Holy wow, this book

The narrator is excellent and this story is fantastic. I am so moved. Highly recommend.

great story, awful ending

Beautifully written and engaging but it really sucks when a page turning book has a flat ending. Otherwise it would have been fantastic.

Sudden ending

The ending was too sudden. How did they die? Is there a book two. Please.

Not at all the interesting story it might have been

Has a good set up just no followthrough. But the author keeeps you reading because you think, something interesting will have to happen. IMO it doesnt.

A new take on interplanetary diaspora

Terra dies and a monstrous ship is sent towards a new solar system to develop a new home for humanity but hundreds of years into the trip a major failure starts to develop in the ship. This Is a a story of how a few people cope with that time. One a young indentured servant. The other the son of two cons who becomes a security officer.

Ok. Some of the characters felt like caricatures

This book was ok, but I wouldn't really recommend it. The sci fi setting is just a backdrop and is not believable or explained very much. Instead, the book focuses on how people respond in an apocalyptic situation. While it is an interesting premise and there are some cool outlandish images, I would have preferred if the author had gone into the background of the story a bit more.

That being said, the main issue I had with this book is that some of the characters just felt like over the top liberal caricatures. It was very, very easy to identify the authors political leanings.

Unique story very well written

I sat without continuing the work in my hands when the book ended- maybe 30 sec to a minute. The story line is rich because the author pays attention to description of detail and believability of dialogue. Even though the story should feel outlandish, it felt entirely realistic. The narrator also helped the story feel realistic- she has a matter of fact way about her voice and inflection at just the right place. Glad I picked this one up!

good

It wad one of the best books I read. although it stressed me out listening to some parts

Flat Earthers are gonna love this title! And the round earth earthlings too!

Great development of an interesting and wholly believable protagonist- complex emo instead of trite sentimentalism. Story hits in the feels— beautiful telling of the same human story we’ve been telling for thousands of years… tight writing