Moonbound

A Novel

By: Robin Sloan

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

Robin Sloan expands the Penumbraverse to new reaches of time and space in a rollicking far-future adventure.

In Moonbound, Robin Sloan has written a novel with the full scope and ambitious imagination of the very books that lit the engines of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: an epic quest as only Sloan could conceive it, mixing science fiction, fantasy, good old-fashioned literary storytelling, and unrivaled enthusiasm for what’s next.

It is eleven thousand years from now . . . A lot has happened, and yet a lot is still very familiar. Ariel is a boy in a small town under a wizard’s rule. Like many adventurers before him, Ariel is called to explore a world full of unimaginable glories and challenges: unknown enemies, a mission to save the world, a girl. Here, as they say, be dragons. But none of this happens before Ariel comes across an artifact from an earlier civilization, a sentient, record-keeping artificial intelligence that carries with it the perspective of the whole of human history—and becomes both Ariel’s greatest ally and the narrator of our story.

Moonbound is an adventure into the richest depths of Story itself. It is a deeply satisfying epic of ancient scale, blasted through the imaginative prism one of our most forward-thinking writers. And this is only the beginning.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Great world building but ...

Beneath some very elaborate and creative world building, this is your basic young wizard coming of age story. And there's no clear denomment. This reads more like the first half of a book rather than the first book in a series.

favorite book of 2024

how many science fiction books would you say are genuinely hopeful? I would say this one was.

A weird and wonderful world

Robin Sloan’s latest addition to his “Penumbraverse” is Moonbound (absolutely no knowledge of the previous books required!). Moonbound is a multi-genre fusion of myth, sci-fi, fantasy and fable, beautifully decanted into an adventurous and engaging tale. Many of my favorites can be discerned in its DNA: Arthurian myth, Narnia, the Wizard of Oz, Studio Ghibli and a big dose of Adventure Time among others, and yet its a novel that is wholly its own, with a weird and wonderful world to explore as we follow the protagonist Ariel on his quest. A parade of curious and engaging characters enlivens the journey, and Sloan’s prose is vivid and well crafted, and moves the story along without snags, using humor to great effect (as with the previous Penumbraverse novels). Sci-fi so far into the future that it bends into fantasy is a rich vein to mine, and I’m left hungry for much more of this world, with its sentient swords, fungal AI, talking animals and hyper-dimensional beings. I can see many more tales waiting around the corners and much more of this world to be mapped, and I hope Sloan has the opportunity to continue doing just that. Gabra Zackman was the perfect voice for the Chronicler, narrating the story with range and warmth.

Oh my goodness! What a joy!

I haven't been so engrossed and entertained by an audio book in a long time! I am a huge science fiction fan of mostly hard science fiction. So, when I saw that it was fantasy with some science fiction, I was dubious. I am SO glad I gave it a go! With a 10 hour drive ahead of me I started the book and I never wanted it to end! So beautifully written and so beautifully performed! I will be recommending this book to friends whom I know will love it too, and they will thank me! I rarely read or listen to the same book twice, but I already want to listen to this one again. I love you Robin Sloan and Gabra Zackman, you were the perfect performer. Thank you both!!

optimistic dystopia

reminded me a bit of the neverending story; a thrilling romp through a post-human, AI-dominated dystopia that doesn't paint any particular creature or group as wholly bad or good - bringing much needed nuance to a tale infused with archetypes. I loved it!