This is a space opera of considerable breadth and depth the a real space Odyssey
The story captures the feeling of being on a multigenerational space Odyssey never potentially seeing the end . As well as this however there are a number of fully formed characters that develop that you feel You really get to know them .
A Lot of sci-fi novels are primarily Story generated it was notable that this particular novel had strong enough character development to mean that the story the novel was also character generated
The spaceship itself is described very well throughout the novel and changes as time passes. This allows the novel not to feel claustrophobic. You really feel that you’re in a full world whilst drifting along on the spaceship.
I loved the fact that an old master painting is bought along on the ship keeps turning up in different time periods
I loved the authors writing style which is clear crisp and easy to read. This novel was a thoroughly immersive enjoyable read
The detail of the ship throughout was beautifully described I felt this would make a beautiful film or TV series
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for an unbiased review. The book is published in the UK on the 3rd of July 2025 by Bloomsbury publishing plc.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK StoryGraph, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com
After publication, it will also appear on Amazon UK

I have to admit I requested this book on a bit of a whim (I read Martin MacInnes’ In Ascension earlier this year, so was primed for some more space-set sci-fi), but I was completely blindsided by how much I enjoyed it. The blurb doesn’t give much away beyond the central premise - an intergenerational deep-space voyage to a promised new home - and I was expecting the journey itself to take centre stage. Instead the focus rests much more on the ups and downs of the society aboard the ship, who consider themselves the last vestiges of humanity, and for me it proved to be an unexpectedly profound and absorbing read.

The structure of the novel initially threw me slightly, comprised of non-chronological segments set during different eras in Shipworld’s multi-century history, by turns beset by uncertainty and buoyed by hope. However, I quickly started looking forward to each shift in perspective and voice: the author has a knack for vivid characterisation, and it was a pleasure to encounter pivotal figures and their legacies as they re-emerged in past and present. Various (often radically nonconformist) members of the Oort family frequently take centre stage and offer a thread to follow through the narrative, which is also anchored by impressively detailed and imaginative worldbuilding. Though some elements did feel like a bit of a reach for me, on the whole I was fascinated by Shipworld from the start and loved discovering more about it each time I turned the page.

The themes and questions of Here and Beyond have never been more timely than at our present moment, and I hope this novel finds as broad an audience as possible outside of a science-fiction readership. Curious and compassionate, playful and perceptive, it’s not only a gripping story but also a fascinating reflection on what it means to be human, how we forge our pasts and our futures, and what we carry with us, even when we’d rather leave it behind.