To Be Taught, If Fortunate: fiercely beautiful sci-fi novella from the bestselling author of A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

· Hodder & Stoughton · Narrated by Patricia Rodriguez
8 reviews
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4 hr 47 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook

In the future, instead of terraforming planets to sustain human life, explorers of the galaxy transform themselves.

*FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR*

At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as somaforming, astronauts can survive in hostile environments off Earth using synthetic biological supplementations. They can produce antifreeze in sub-zero temperatures, absorb radiation and convert it for food, and conveniently adjust to the pull of different gravitational forces. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor, human beings are at last able to explore neighbouring exoplanets long suspected to harbour life.

Ariadne is one such explorer. On a mission to ecologically survey four habitable worlds fifteen light-years from Earth, she and her fellow crewmates sleep while in transit, and wake each time with different features. But as they shift through both form and time, life back on Earth has also changed. Faced with the possibility of returning to a planet that has forgotten those who have left, Ariadne begins to chronicle the wonders and dangers of her journey, in the hope that someone back home might still be listening.

(P) 2019 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
In the future, instead of terraforming planets to sustain human life, explorers of the galaxy transform themselves. *FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR* At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as ...

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Ratings and reviews

8 reviews
Mady Littler
October 2, 2024
one of my favorite books, a very real and human centric SciFi novel. it also includes quite a bit of actual science that's explained very well.
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Nasir Alam
February 2, 2026
Dr ko nono
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About the author

Becky Chambers is the bestselling author of the Wayfarers series, the Monk and Robot novellas, and other works of science fiction. She is a two-time Hugo Award winner, a Locus Award winner, and has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Women's Prize for Fiction, among others. Her latest novel is As You Wake, Break the Shell, the first half of a new duology. Becky has a background in performing arts, and grew up in a family heavily involved in space science. She spends her free time playing video games, hanging out in the woods, and learning about the universe. She still hopes to see Earth from orbit one day, though she's gotten picky about who she'd take a ride from. Prone to hopping around, Becky can be found either in her home state of California or her wife's home country of Iceland.

Becky Chambers is the bestselling author of the Wayfarers series, the Monk and Robot novellas, and other works of science fiction. She is a two-time Hugo Award winner, a Locus Award winner, and has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Women's Prize for Fiction,...

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Narrated by Patricia Rodriguez