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Outlaw Planet

On sale

18th November 2025

Price: £22

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Selected: ebook / ISBN-13: 9780356528052

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A LONE OUTLAW, HAUNTED BY HER PAST, WITH ALL THE MULTIVERSE AGAINST HER . . .

‘A sweeping story of vengeance, love and redemption, set against a backdrop of unimaginably vast interdimensional conflict’ Claire North, award-winning author of 84K and Slow Gods

Discover this thrilling stand-alone science fiction adventure set in the world of the Pandominion from the million-copy bestselling M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts and the Philip K. Dick Award-shortlisted Infinity Gate.

Sometimes the fate of entire worlds can be decided by a woman with nothing to lose, and the smartest gun in the multiverse in her hand . . .

This is the story of Bess – or Dog-Bitch Bess as she came to be known. It’s the story of the gun she carried, whose name was Wakeful Slim. It’s the story of the dead man who carried that gun before her and left a piece of himself inside it. And it’s the tale of how she turned from teacher, to renegade, and ultimately to hero.

This is also the tale of the last violent engagements in an inter-dimensional war – one of the most brutal the multiverse had ever seen.

This is how Bess learned the truth about her world. Came to it the hard way, through pain and loss and the reckless spilling of blood, and carried it with her like a brand on her soul. And once she knew it – knew for sure how badly she’d been used – she had no option but to do something about it.

From one of science fiction’s most original and revolutionary voices comes a tale like no other. Vengeance always comes with a price . . .

Praise for Outlaw Planet:

A character you can’t forget in a lush, inventive world that expands past the wildest horizonDavid Wellington, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated The Last Astronaut

‘Western and science fiction tropes collide to brilliant, fresh effect’ Kirkus

‘Studded with wild worldbuilding details, this cinematic saga has nary a dull moment’ Publishers Weekly

‘His best novel yet’ SFX

Reviews

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
[A] brilliant dimension-hopping sci-fi thriller . . . readers will be wowed
Gareth L. Powell, author of EMBERS OF WAR, on INFINITY GATE
M.R. Carey is a master of imagination and suspense
THEBOOKBAG on INFINITY GATE
Compulsively readable . . . This is the science-fiction epic I've always wanted to read. It's nothing short of superb, and deserves every accolade it's sure to get. Go and read it as soon as it comes out - you will not be disappointed
Paul Cornell
Humane, thoughtful and exciting, Mike Carey reaffirms his place in the ranks of SF with this startlingly good novel
KIRKUS on INFINITY GATE
A genuine treat for SF fans: an epic multiverse tale that moves like a thriller
Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of CHILDREN OF TIME
A fascinating window onto a dangerous and multifaceted universe
Tade Thompson, author of ROSEWATER, on INFINITY GATE
Infinity Gate is a powerful exploration of the near-future, skilfully and seamlessly weaving different realities and different iterations of AI . . . A compelling entry and a must-read!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Studded with wild worldbuilding details, this cinematic saga has nary a dull moment
Gareth L. Powell, author of EMBERS OF WAR
M.R. Carey is a master of imagination and suspense
Kirkus
A genuine treat for SF fans: an epic multiverse tale that moves like a thriller
CULTUREFLY on INFINITY GATE
A mind-bending multiverse novel that feels wholly original
NEW YORK TIMES on INFINITY GATE
An immense achievement: an impeccably crafted book
Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of CHILDREN OF TIME on INFINITY GATE
A fascinating window onto a dangerous and multifaceted universe
KIRKUS on INFINITY GATE
A genuine treat for SF fans: an epic multiverse tale that moves like a thriller
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on INFINITY GATE
A brilliant, dimension-hopping sci-fi thriller . . . Readers will be wowed
Seanan McGuire, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author, on INFINITY GATE
This is gripping, unrelenting, and absolutely unique. Carey is working at the absolute top of his game, and I cannot wait to see where this story goes next! They say there's nothing new under the sun. Well, M. R. Carey heard this and invented a whole new sun to put new things under. Absolutely brilliant. Top-notch science fiction, thrilling and thoughtful at the same time
Claire North, award-winning author of 84K and SLOW GODS
Outlaw Planet is a sweeping story of vengeance, love and redemption, set against a backdrop of unimaginably vast interdimensional conflict
SFX on INFINITY GATE
When the book's different subplots converge, they do so in a brilliantly realised set-piece that combines balletic über-violence with real emotional heft - which only makes you impatient to open the next volume
David Wellington, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated THE LAST ASTRONAUT
A character you can't forget in a lush, inventive world that expands past the wildest horizon!
BOOKLIST on INFINITY GATE
A must-read for SF fans
KIRKUS
Western and science fiction tropes collide to brilliant, fresh effect
Annalee Newitz, author of AUTONOMOUS and THE TERRAFORMERS, on INFINITY GATE
A dazzling speculation on the many ways our world could have evolved, layered inside a thriller that will make your eardrums vibrate. M.R. Carey reveals the human (and non-human) cost extracted by the crumbling aspirations of a multiverse empire. I was charmed, disturbed, and fascinated by turns - and I couldn't put this book down
Seanan McGuire, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author
This is gripping, unrelenting, and absolutely unique. Carey is working at the absolute top of his game, and I cannot wait to see where this story goes next! They say there's nothing new under the sun. Well, M. R. Carey heard this and invented a whole new sun to put new things under. Absolutely brilliant. Top-notch science fiction, thrilling and thoughtful at the same time.
Annalee Newitz, author of AUTONOMOUS and THE TERRAFORMERS
A dazzling speculation on the many ways our world could have evolved, layered inside a thriller that will make your eardrums vibrate. M.R. Carey reveals the human (and non-human) cost extracted by the crumbling aspirations of a multiverse empire. I was charmed, disturbed, and fascinated by turns - and I couldn't put this book down
SFX
This is an SF western . . . And yet, that's also a misleading simplification, because the frontier inhabited by Bess is a place where nothing is as it seems. Add in a split narrative involving dimension-hopping soldiers, animal-human creatures, a war conducted across the multiverse, and mysterious archaeological remains, and there's much going on here. That it never seems too much, but rather the product of a brilliant imagination, is entirely to Carey's credit. His best novel yet.
BOOKLIST
Infinity Gate, with its in-depth science and rich characterization, is a must-read for SF fans, as Carey's story crosses the militarism of an anthropomorphic Starship Troopers with Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter's Long Earth series while waging a war against Stargate's replicators.
Tade Thompson, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author of ROSEWATER
Infinity Gate is a powerful exploration of the near-future, skilfully and seamlessly weaving different realities and different iterations of AI . . . Carey has the experience, imagination and verve to pull it off. A compelling entry and a must-read!