Children sobbed. Consoling parents hissed in the darkness. Leta remained deathly silent in Caiden’s firm grasp, but tremors crashed in her body, nervous system rebelling. He drew her closer.

“Be still, hon.” His mother’s voice quavered.

She covered his ears with clammy hands and muffled the deafening roar to a thick howl. The rumble infiltrated his bones, deeper-toned than he’d thought any machine could sound.

Are we going up into that fire-sky, or into the ground, where the livestock went?

The inside of machines usually comforted him. There was safety in their hard shell, and no question to their functioning, but this one stank of tangy fear, had no direction, and his mother’s shaking leached into his back as he curled around Leta’s trembling in front. He buried his nose in a greasy sleeve and inhaled, tasting the fumes of the gray. His mother’s hands over his ears thankfully deadened the sobs.

“Soon,” she cooed. “I’m sure we’ll be there soon.”

By Laura Lam

MICAH GRAY TRILOGY

Pantomime

Shadowplay

Masquerade

VESTIGIAL TALES

The Snake Charm

The Fisherman’s Net

The Tarot Reader

The Card Sharp

The Mechanical Minotaur

PACIFICA

False Hearts

Shattered Minds

Seven Devils (with Elizabeth May)

Goldilocks

Praise for

GOLDILOCKS

“The end of our world is well-trod territory for science fiction, but Goldilocks tackles it with startling relevance, fusing together our social and political anxieties in a tense, taut adventure with rich characterization and care. It’s Interstellar’s brain with The Handmaid’s Tale’s heart.”

—Chuck Wendig, author of Wanderers

“It’s bold and explosive, equal parts heartfelt and harrowing. Lam’s unflinching prose interrogates you, asking what prices you’d be willing to pay for the future of humanity. It’s a book that demands your attention.”

—Alex White, author of A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

“A compelling, character-led SF tale. With a perfect balance of beauty, thrills, and hope, Goldilocks conjures up the twisty claustrophobia of space travel, untrustworthy relationships, and what we’re doing to the planet.”

—Nick Clark Windo

“Goldilocks grabs your attention from the first page and doesn’t let go—a thought-provoking, imaginative call to arms featuring brilliant female characters and a terrifying premise.”

—Katie Khan

“Through the novel’s fascinating premise, Lam gives us plenty of food for thought about gender dynamics in our own world.”

—USA Today

“One of my favorite sci-fi books to come out in recent years, Laura Lam’s Goldilocks is part heist novel, part space thriller.… Goldilocks has staying power as a bright spot in the darkness.”

—Bustle

“Each member of the crew has a well-developed voice and her own drives and ambitions, which makes the novel increasingly difficult to put down as betrayals and double-crossings play out aboard the claustrophobic ship.… A slow-burning fire of a novel that begs the reader to keep turning the page.”

—Kirkus (starred review)