The Genesis of Misery

Neon Yang

Sep 2022 · Sold by Tor Books

About this ebook

A Goodreads Best Science Fiction Choice Award Nominee
A New York Public Library Top 10 Book of 2022

An immersive, electrifying space-fantasy, Neon Yang's debut novel The Genesis of Misery is full of high-tech space battles and political machinations, starring a queer and diverse array of pilots, princesses, and prophetic heirs.

"This is Joan of Arc meets Gideon the Ninth with a touch of Pacific Rim thrown in as a treat. A mind-blowing rollercoaster ride of a space opera, propulsive and strange in the best way."—Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author

It’s a story you think you know: a young person hears the voice of an angel saying they have been chosen as a warrior to lead their people to victory in a holy war.

But Misery Nomaki (she/they) knows they are a fraud.

Raised on a remote moon colony, they don’t believe in any kind of god. Their angel is a delusion, brought on by hereditary space exposure. Yet their survival banks on mastering the holy mech they are supposedly destined for, and convincing the Emperor of the Faithful that they are the real deal.

The deeper they get into their charade, however, the more they start to doubt their convictions. What if this, all of it, is real?

A reimagining of Joan of Arc’s story given a space opera, giant robot twist, the Nullvoid Chronicles is a story about the nature of truth, the power of belief, and the interplay of both in the stories we tell ourselves.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

This book was such a fun and wild ride! It was fast-paced and intense, with an exciting world and such a unique sci-fi religion! Such a good take on a Joan of Arc story, especially one set in this phenomenal space opera back drop! Misery is such a fun and compelling character, and watching her evolve throughout this story was such a treat! I do wish some of the characters had more depth, especially Lightning, but Misery was such a fun POV character I'm not that mad about it! Can't wait for #2 !!

Boring, poorly written and uninspired. If this is the best the author can do the that's quite unfortunate.

About the author

Neon Yang (they/them) is a queer non-binary author based in the UK. They have been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Lambda Literary, Ignyte, and Locus Awards, and their Tensorate series of novells was an Otherwise Award Honoree. In previous incarnations, Neon was a molecular biologist, a science communicator, a writer for animation, games and comic studios, and a journalist for one of Singapore's major papers. The Genesis of Misery is their first full-length novel.