Calypso

Calypso by Oliver K. Langmead is described by Esquire Magazine as "Ambitious and immersive...an elegantly told meditation on how we can’t leave ourselves behind." Recognised among The Best Sci-Fi Books of 2024, this work offers a ground-breaking, mind-bending and wildly imaginative epic verse revolution in science fiction. It presents a saga of colony ships, shattering moons and cataclysmic war in a new Eden.

This Hugo Award and BSFA Award-nominated masterpiece of lyrical eco-fiction is truly unforgettable, appealing to fans of Kim Stanley Robinson, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and Jeff VanderMeer.

Rochelle wakes from cryostasis to assume her role as an engineer on the colony ark, Calypso. However, she discovers that the ship has transformed into a forest, inhabited by the descendants of the original crew who revere her as a saint.

As she explores the ship with the enigmatic Sigmund, Calypso’s creator, and Catherine, a bioengineered marvel capable of communing with the plants, Rochelle uncovers a new history of humanity that was forged during her slumber.

She learns of a legacy of conflict between botanists and engineers—an ongoing war to determine the future of a new Earth: a technological paradise, or a blooming new Eden, untouched by mankind’s past.

Rochelle, the last to awaken, holds the balance of power in her hands, facing the pivotal question of how this new world will unfold.