As You Wake, Break the Shell
On sale
13th October 2026
Price: £22
The stars are waiting for you. We hope you will come find us there.
Told in alternating timelines, As You Wake, Break the Shell is a heartfelt and hopeful story from the award-winning writer of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, exploring what it means to be human and what it means to come together.
Life on Fortune is hard. The atmosphere is poisonous, the planet hardly fit for life. But for its inhabitants, it’s home.
Pilot Cora suffers from a rare and dangerous condition, brought about by her bond with Colibri, the alien animal she pilots to quarry vital water for the colony. If Cora seeks treatment, she risks losing her license – and her connection to Colibri forever.
Then she meets Signy, a brilliant but reclusive botanist, whose bio-printed medicine is the only thing that can save her. But to do so, Signy must break the rules that govern their lives, risking her livelihood and the other colonists who rely on her for survival.
As Cora and Signy navigate their balance of risk and trust, they are forced to confront what they owe to each other and to their community – and begin to question whether survival is enough . . .
‘THIS is the book I’ve been waiting for’ REBECCA THORNE
‘A miracle’ ANTONIA HODGSON
‘Becky Chambers never misses’ L.R. LAM
Readers love AS YOU WAKE, BREAK THE SHELL
‘This book was pure poetry’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Becky Chambers remains a wonder, and I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Books that comfort the soul and expand the mind’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Told in alternating timelines, As You Wake, Break the Shell is a heartfelt and hopeful story from the award-winning writer of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, exploring what it means to be human and what it means to come together.
Life on Fortune is hard. The atmosphere is poisonous, the planet hardly fit for life. But for its inhabitants, it’s home.
Pilot Cora suffers from a rare and dangerous condition, brought about by her bond with Colibri, the alien animal she pilots to quarry vital water for the colony. If Cora seeks treatment, she risks losing her license – and her connection to Colibri forever.
Then she meets Signy, a brilliant but reclusive botanist, whose bio-printed medicine is the only thing that can save her. But to do so, Signy must break the rules that govern their lives, risking her livelihood and the other colonists who rely on her for survival.
As Cora and Signy navigate their balance of risk and trust, they are forced to confront what they owe to each other and to their community – and begin to question whether survival is enough . . .
‘THIS is the book I’ve been waiting for’ REBECCA THORNE
‘A miracle’ ANTONIA HODGSON
‘Becky Chambers never misses’ L.R. LAM
Readers love AS YOU WAKE, BREAK THE SHELL
‘This book was pure poetry’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Becky Chambers remains a wonder, and I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Books that comfort the soul and expand the mind’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reviews
Becky Chambers never misses. As You Wake, Break the Shell is another beautiful slice of life on an alien planet. I loved this tale of connection, symbiosis, and a reminder that life blooms where you water it, no matter where you are in the universe
Becky Chambers wows once again with an intricately detailed and fascinating world, a heart-warming tale of found family and the tenderest of relationships at its core. I laughed, I cried, and I can't wait to see what comes next
Becky Chambers wows once again with an intricately detailed and fascinating world, a heart-warming tale of found family and the tenderest of relationships at its core. I laughed, I cried, and I can't wait to see what comes next
As You Wake, Break The Shell has all the hallmarks of what makes Chambers' work such a cornerstone of modern science fiction: insightful world-building, relatable characters, and morally complex journeys that navigate what it means to be. In this liminal, time-bending masterpiece, two women fall in love amidst a world as desperate for answers as it seems intent on withholding them. At turns cosy, politically incisive, and daringly hopeful about avenues toward a bright future that could be, As You Wake, Break The Shell is a love story at its core; not just romantic love, but love for siblings, love for humanity, love for the worlds that bear us, and love for those different - even cosmically so - from ourselves
As You Wake, Break The Shell has all the hallmarks of what makes Chambers' work such a cornerstone of modern science fiction: insightful world-building, relatable characters, and morally complex journeys that navigate what it means to be. In this liminal, time-bending masterpiece, two women fall in love amidst a world as desperate for answers as it seems intent on withholding them. At turns cosy, politically incisive, and daringly hopeful about avenues toward a bright future that could be, As You Wake, Break The Shell is a love story at its core; not just romantic love, but love for siblings, love for humanity, love for the worlds that bear us, and love for those different - even cosmically so - from ourselves
Beautifully written, lovingly crafted, this book is a unique ride and a truly special treat!
THIS is the book I've been waiting for. Cora and Signy are two of the best characters I've read, and their romance is so, so familiar. Through emotion and empathy, Becky Chambers has proven time and time again that science fiction doesn't have to feel distant
THIS is the book I've been waiting for. Cora and Signy are two of the best characters I've read, and their romance is so, so familiar. Through emotion and empathy, Becky Chambers has proven time and time again that science fiction doesn't have to feel distant
There is nothing I look forward to more than a new book by Becky Chambers. I savour every word, every character, every new world she creates. That she writes with such light and compassion in such troubled times, is a miracle we can all enjoy
Hugo Award winner Becky Chambers is widely considered one of the most unique and refreshing voices in current-day science fiction, perfect for those who enjoy cozier slice-of-life sci-fi over high-stakes, action-packed tales. Her latest is As You Wake, Break the Shell, and if it's anything like what she's had to offer throughout the last six years, it's sure to be one of the best sci-fi books of the 2020s
Fans of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, rejoice: this month, there's a new novel from the mighty Becky Chambers, and it sounds great
A captivating read... It's such a well-rounded and believable love story that it could have been told anywhere, at any time. This is a book where emotions and communication are way more important than plot, and it's all the more powerful for it.
A marvellous author who has shaken up the world of sci-fi with her deeply human, beautifully observed novels of alien worlds.
The two women fall in love, and Chambers charts their relationship with sensitivity, insight and a hearty dollop of humour.