120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery πŸš€ Auckland Bookstore β€’ Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Nova Swing

Brief Description
"An awesomely fluent and versatile prose stylist" - INDEPENDENT "Amazing achievement ... Harrison pulls off the almost impossible feat of seamlessly blending hard sci-fi, cyberpunk, noir crime ... while doing what all the best literature does" - Goodreads Reviewer Set in the unique world, first featured... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Nova Swing. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award 2007

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"An awesomely fluent and versatile prose stylist" - INDEPENDENT

"Amazing achievement ... Harrison pulls off the almost impossible feat of seamlessly blending hard sci-fi, cyberpunk, noir crime ... while doing what all the best literature does" - Goodreads Reviewer

Set in the unique world, first featured in the award-winning Light, here is a story of love, murder, and intergalactic noir on the razor's edge of the imagination, as envisioned by the incomparable M. John Harrison.

In a neighbourhood of underground clubs, body-modification chop shops, adolescent contract killers, and sexy streetwalking Monas, you'll find the Saudade Event - a zone of strange geography, twisted physics, and frightening psychic onslaughts.

Vic Serotonin is a travel agent, arranging illegal travel to and from Saudade. His latest client wants a tour and she is a woman as unpredictable as the site itself, and maybe just as dangerous. Coincidentally, a troubling new class of semi-biological artefacts start finding their way out of the site, transforming the real world in unsettling ways. Pursued by a detective intent on collaring him for his illegal tours, and hunted by a gangster convinced that the travel agent has infected him with a rogue artefact, Vic must make one final trip as the universe around him rapidly veers toward viral chaos.

Series: S.F. MASTERWORKS

View all
  • Flowers For Algernon
    Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes is a profoundly moving and thought-provoking novel that tells the story of Charlie Gordon, a kind-hearted and intellectually disabled man working as a floor sweeper in a bakery. Often the target of cruel jokes by his co-workers, Charlie dreams of being smart and accepted like others. His life takes a dramatic turn when he...
    Paperback
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    14% off
    The Dispossessed
    The Principle of Simultaneity is a scientific breakthrough that will revolutionise interstellar civilisation by making possible instantaneous communication. It is the life work of Shevek, a brilliant physicist from the arid anarchist world of Anarres. However, Shevek's work is being stifled by jealous colleagues, so he travels to Anarres's sister-planet Urras, hoping to find more liberty and tolerance there. But...
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Neuromancer
    The book that defined the cyberpunk movement, inspiring everything from The Matrix to Cyberpunk 2077. The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel. William Gibson revolutionised science fiction in his 1984 debut Neuromancer. The writer who gave us the matrix and coined the term 'cyberspace' produced a first novel that won the Hugo,...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Backorder
    Ships early October
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
    Welcome to the Best of the Masterworks: a selection of the finest in science fiction Arthur Dent thought his day was going badly when someone tried to demolish his house. Then someone demolished his planet. Rescued by his friend Fordβ€”who is not a human from Guilford, but an alien from somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuseβ€”Arthur is flung into an...
    Hardback
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    19% off
    The Left Hand of Darkness
    'A rich and complex story of friendship and love' GUARDIAN 'Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.' Two people, until recently strangers, find themselves on a long, tortuous and dangerous journey across the ice. One is an outcast, forced to leave his beloved homeland; the other...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Book Of The New Sun: Volume 1
    An extraordinary epic, set a million years in the future, in the time of a dying sun, when our present culture is no longer even a memory. Severian, a torturer's apprentice, is exiled from his guild after falling in love with one of his prisoners. Ordered to the distant city of Thrax, armed with his ancient executioner's sword, Terminus Est,...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    Backorder
    Ships mid October
  • Hiero's Journey
    The world ended. People survived. Per Hiero Desteen was a priest, a telepathβ€”and a highly trained killer. Five thousand years after the apocalyptic event known only as The Death, Hiero is tasked with finding the secrets of the old world, which could protect his civilisation from massing enemies. The planet is not the same as it used to be. Mutations...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Left Hand of Darkness
    'A rich and complex story of friendship and love' GUARDIAN 'Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.' Two people, until recently strangers, find themselves on a long, tortuous and dangerous journey across the ice. One is an outcast, forced to leave his beloved homeland; the other...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    18% off
    Roadside Picnic
    The Strugatsky brothers' poignant and introspective novel of first contact that inspired the classic film Stalker. Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of those strange misfits who are compelled by some unknown force to venture illegally into the Zone and, in spite of the extreme danger, collect the mysterious artefacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Usually:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • A Deepness in the Sky
    A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge is an extraordinary work of science fiction that explores the grandeur and complexity of interstellar exploration and commerce. Set in the distant future, this gripping prequel to the critically acclaimed A Fire Upon the Deep captures readers with an epic tale spanning hundreds of years and the farthest reaches of Human Space....
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    18% off
    Rendezvous With Rama
    The multi-award-winning SF masterpiece from one of the greatest SF writers of all time Rendezvous With Rama is a vast alien spacecraft that enters the Solar System. A perfect cylinder some fifty kilometres long, spinning rapidly, racing through space, Rama is a technological marvel, a mysterious and deeply enigmatic alien artefact. It is Mankind's first visitor from the stars and...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Usually:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    20% off
    The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
    One Thursday lunchtime, Earth is unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this is already more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begun. And the Galaxy is a very, very large and startling place indeed... The Hitchhiker's Guide...
    Hardback
    $3200
    Usually:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781399640367

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 May 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Gateway

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 240g

Pages: 272

About the Author

M. John Harrison was born in the Peak District and now lives in Shropshire. He is an English author and literary critic. His work includes the Viriconium sequence of novels and short stories, Climbers, and the Kefahuchi Tract trilogy, which consists of Light, Nova Swing and Empty Space.

Also by M. John Harrison

View all
  • The Course of the Heart
    The cult classic novel from the author of Climbers and The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again with an introduction by bestselling author of Our Wives Under the Sea, Julia Armfield. 'A spare textual elegance and closure-denying restraint that impresses and fulfils' β€” IAIN BANKS. On a hot May night, three Cambridge students carry out a ritualistic act that changes...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • New Release
    The End of Everything
    THE TIMES BESTSELLER β€˜Dreamlike and baffling’ GUARDIAN β€˜Extremely beautiful ... I don't think I'll read a better book this year, perhaps decade’ OBSERVER β€˜A formidable book, unexpectedly compassionate’ FINANCIAL TIMES β€˜I loved this book so much’ SARAH JESSICA PARKER Phillip Tennent makes his living at the tideline, collecting artefacts that wash up from the Channel. It's been years since the...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The End of Everything
    A 'Book to Read in 2026' in the Guardian, New Statesman, and Irish Times A 'Best Book in 2026 So Far' in The Daily Telegraph 'I don't think I'll read a better book this year, perhaps decade' - Helen Macdonald, The Observer 'Harrison is without peer as a chronicler of the fraught, unsteady state we're in' - Olivia Laing 'The...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again
    WINNER OF THE GOLDSMITHS PRIZE 2020 A New Statesman Book of the Year 'A mesmerising, mysterious book . . . Haunting. Worrying. Beautiful' Russell T. Davis 'Brilliantly unsettling' Olivia Laing 'A magnificent book' Neil Gaiman 'An extraordinary experience' William Gibson Winner of the Goldsmiths Prize 2020, this is fiction that pushes the boundaries of the novel form. Shaw had a...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Light
    Listed by the Guardian as one of the top 100 science fiction books of the 21st century. On the barren surface of an asteroid, located deep in the galaxy beneath the unbearable light of the Kefahuchi Tract, lie three objects: an abandoned spacecraft, a pair of bone dice covered with strange symbols, and a human skeleton. What they are and...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Climbers
    'No one alive can write sentences like he can. He's the missing evolutionary link between William Burroughs and Virginia Woolf' – Olivia Laing 'Among the most brilliant novelists writing today' – Robert Macfarlane 'Truly gets to the heart of that strange, indefinable otherness of the wild northern landscape' – Benjamin Myers Retreating from the ruins of his marriage, Mike leaves...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Wish I Was Here
    Wish I Was Here is a masterpiece' Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk 'It will surprise you, sometimes astound you, and leave you profoundly changed' Jonathan Coe, author of The Rotters' Club M. John Harrison has produced one of the greatest bodies of fiction of any living British author, encompassing space opera, speculative fiction, fantasy, magical and literary...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Sci-Fi & Fantasy

View all
  • He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer
    New Release
    He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer
    He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer Book Two in Shirtaloon's wildly popular LitRPG series. The path from retail middle management to interdimensional wizard adventurer wasn't easy, but Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone, competing for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Scion
    β€˜Scion’ is an electrifying sci-fi thriller that follows a contract killer tasked with protecting a scientist from assassination, only to find himself in the crosshairs. My name’s Azure. I kill rich idiots for a living. All completely legal, of course, even if it does still make the old-fashioned crowd a bit uncomfortable. Once the ultra-wealthy realised they had a way...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Massif
    New Release
    Massif
    Caught me a mountain Rode it to the stars It's business as usual for Ship Leader Parnell Shi-Sawahla and the crew of the corvette Sassafras. Ride a Massif to a new system, fight the enemy, repeat. For more than two hundred years, humans have been hitching rides on these sentient, starfaring mountain ranges, colonising planets and exporting an on-again, off-again...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (5)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Strength of the Few
    The highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Manyβ€”one of 2023's most lauded and bestselling fantasy novels. The Hierarchy still call me Vis Telimus. They still, as one, believe they know who I am. But with all that has happenedβ€”with what I fear is comingβ€”I am not sure it matters anymore. I am no longer one. I won the...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Red Rising
    The first book in the incredible New York Times bestselling series Darrow is a Helldiver, toiling beneath the surface of Mars. As a member of the Red caste, he performs grueling labor in the belief that his sacrifice will enable future generations to one day inhabit the surface of the Red Planet. The Reds are humankind's lowest caste, living in...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    10% off
    Crossroads of Ravens
    THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON RETURNS... Every legend has an origin - and Geralt of Rivia's begins here. In this brand-new chapter of Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher series, follow Geralt in his earliest days as a Witcher, as he faces monsters and humans alike. Discover the untold stories and encounters that shaped the iconic character known today. Crossroads of Ravens brings readers into...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Ministry of Time
    One of the 18 best novels of the year for the Sunday Times A book of the year for the New York Times, Guardian, Independent, Evening Standard, Spectator, Red, NPR, Vanity Fair, People, Slate, Advocate, Sydney Morning Herald, Globe and Mail, Den of Geek, Good Housekeeping, Goodreads, NetGalley and Smithsonian Magazine 'A sparkling delight' Observer 'Make room on your bookshelves...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Assassin’s Apprentice
    Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb marks the beginning of an extraordinary adventure in the rich and immersive world of the Six Duchies. Set against the backdrop of a kingdom teetering on the brink of civil war, this gripping tale introduces readers to FitzChivalry Farseer, a royal bastard whose existence threatens the stability of the crown. When the crown prince's secret...
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • I Who Have Never Known Men
    A haunting, heartbreaking tale of female friendship and intimacy that evokes the chilling atmospheres of The Handmaid's Tale and the desolate landscapes of The Road, I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is a story that lingers long after the last page is turned. This gripping narrative takes us deep underground, where thirty-nine women are held in isolation...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    19% off
    The Colour Illustrated Hobbit
    The Colour Illustrated Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien is a timeless classic that has enchanted readers for generations. This beloved tale follows Bilbo Baggins, a peace-loving hobbit from the quaint and picturesque Shire, who finds himself thrust into an epic journey far from the comforts of his cosy home. Charming and lively illustrations by Jemima Catlin breathe new life...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    18% off
    Blood Over Bright Haven
    A riveting dark academia fantasy about the limits of truth and power, from the author of The Sword of Kaigen. The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever, in this standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen. For twenty years, Sciona...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Sci-Fi & Fantasy lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!