Some Desperate Glory cover art

Some Desperate Glory

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Some Desperate Glory

By: Emily Tesh
Narrated by: Sena Bryer
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About this listen

'Masterful, audacious storytelling'
Tamsyn Muir, New York Times-bestselling author of Gideon the Ninth

'An outstanding novel . . . one of the debuts of the year' Locus

'Deserves a space on shelves alongside genre titans like Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia Butler'
Publishers Weekly

A thrillingly told space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and the path you must forge when every choice is stripped from you. Some Desperate Glory is the highly anticipated debut novel from Astounding Award and World Fantasy Award-Winner, Emily Tesh.

All her life, Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the destruction of planet Earth. Raised on Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet.

Then Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons, and she knows she must take humanity's revenge into her own hands. Alongside her brother's brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, Kyr must escape from everything she's ever known. If she succeeds, she will find a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could ever have imagined

'A profoundly humane and brilliantly constructed space opera that will have you cheering, swearing, laughing, and ugly-crying. It's perfect' Alix E. Harrow, New York Times-bestselling author of The Once and Future Witches

'This book is astoundingly good. An explosive and extraordinary story that I couldn't stop reading and will never forget' Everina Maxwell, author of Winter's Orbit

2024, Arthur C Clarke Awards, Short-listed

2024, Hugo Award Best Novel category, Short-listed

©2023 Emily Tesh (P)2023 Hachette Audio UK
Adventure Fiction LGBTQIA+ Creators Military Science Fiction Space Opera Time Travel Revenge
All stars
Most relevant  
Some interesting concepts but feel this story is meant for screen. It has pace, the story moves with a lot of action & purpose but struggled with character development and the 'Dear reader'...oh dear.

Great narrator - working too hard, better as a screenplay

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There are some really heavy themes in this book which is what attracted me in the first place, Child soldiers, forced pregnancy, Fascist military dictatorship, all this in the blurb got me really excited.

The themes don’t really come through in the narrative because there don’t seem to be any stakes because the universe has no rules. Basically the main character makes a mistake and gets an immediate do-over.

The author tries to bring in the “controversial” subject of pronouns and queerness to add tension but they are used in such a superficial way it almost feels cynical.

No stakes and no rules

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Well written with interesting characters and fast paced action. This, like the best books in sci-fi, has the ability to make you see your own reality through a new lens. Awesome!

Fun, Fast and surprisingly deep.

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I love a story that is really, really fun but also thoughtful, philosophical and intelligent. It took me a good hour and a bit to get into the story but the payoff is worth it and I was hooked from then on!

Fun but not empty.

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Uncomfortable at times, but that's not a bad thing. Great story but could have dug deeper into some of the many issues it tackled.

Great story

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I loved it all. I really hope there is another book in the works.

Pretty darn great.

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This did not go where I expected it to, but was an incredibly satisfying read. Interesting, complex & relatable characters, flawless worldbuilding and masterful handling of some very challenging concepts. The narration did not let it down - a very accomplished rendition.

God this was good

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Well. That was… a lot. I feel completely emotionally wrung out after that. it was dark. it didn’t flinch from the hard punches. not just easy sensationalist violence, but emotional gut punches. A meditation on what it means to have free will. what it means to choose… really CHOOSE who you are. how your actions shape you. and your non-actions. it’s given me a lot to think about. I will listen to it again. Eventually, when I’m ready.

I wasn’t sure about the narrator at first, but as I went on, I realised she is utterly perfect for this book. Her Joel voice is… so seductive and therefore utterly terrifying. She made me want to love him.

holy…. 😳

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I found this a great read all the way through. The journey of the main character is quite enlightening. There are some great sci-fi twists. Yes, some of the characters are gay, and for any straight readers, it gives an insight into the way these characters think. I get the feeling there will be a sequel due to the way it ended, if so I will grab it when/if it comes out

A terrific read

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it was good. Read it. 15 words minimum. Fifteen words minimum. A minimum of fifteen words is required. That'll do.

This will make a good movie

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