Floating Hotel

By: Grace Curtis

Narrated by: Braden Wright

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

This cozy debut science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars

Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as: Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver’s conference? And perhaps most pertinently—who is driving the ship?

Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It’s the love of his life and the only place he’s ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl’s comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?

©2024 Grace Curtis. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"With dry wit and a gunslinger's level eye, Grace Curtis takes us to a New West strange, familiar, and delightful—downtrodden with a gleam of hope amid the tumbleweeds. A real treat."—Max Gladstone, Hugo- and Nebula-Award Winning Author

"Curtis has done it again—delivering a high stakes slice-of-life novel that’s bleeding with heart. The underbelly of the Abeona hotel may be rotting with secrets, but like the guests, you’ll be too dazzled by its effortless charm to notice. If you read one sci-fi novel this year, make it this one.”—Kate Dylan, author of Mindwalker

"Bittersweet and breathtaking, with evocative prose and a scope that's somehow both intimate and galaxy-spanning, Floating Hotel is like the Abeona itself. It invites you to enjoy its atmospheric and multi-layered story and lovable cast at your leisure—and the deeper you get, the less willing you are to let it go. Grace Curtis has a new fan for life!”—Jules Arbeaux, author of Lord of the Empty Isles

A Fun Story

At first I didnt see how all the different character vignettes were going to come together as a story, but once they did, it made for an entertaining, cozy tapestry of people who made the spaceship hotel their home.

A great little sci-fi mystery

A charming slow burn sci-fi mystery that's written as a series of delightful low-stakes character vignettes, each chapter presents the perspective of a different staff member working onboard a giant spaceship hotel. The blurb describes the book as "cozy," and while there's truth in that, it does sell the worldbuilding a little bit short because the wider universe is decidedly dystopian. The grim tyranny that exists outside the confines of the ship is important in setting up The Grand Abeona Hotel as a refuge for misfits, outcasts, and rebels who've found family and safety onboard. Highly recommended!

I stopped listening

I would love to be on a space cruise. This didn't feel like that. Mostly just people talking about nothing for long periods. I'll never find out who the lamplighter is and I think I'm okay with that.