Overview

From the acclaimed author of The Deep Sky and The Stardust Grail comes the tender and gripping tale of two sisters who sail across oceans to find their missing third sister – and Earth’s salvation. ONE OF ELLE'S BEST FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS OF 2025 LONGLISTED FOR GOODREADS READER'S FAVOURITE SCIENCE FICTION 2025 'An absorbing, compelling tale of love, loyalty and danger' Guardian 'A deft and intimate family saga set against the backdrop of an utterly believable dystopian world' Elle 'An unforgettable novel that teems with big ideas and abundant heart' Michelle Min Sterling, New York Times bestselling author of Camp Zero 'A brilliant triumph and a heartfelt love letter' J.R. Dawson, award-winning author of The First Bright Thing 'Urgent and gorgeously written' Sarah Brooks, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands In Earth's near future, seas consume coastal cities and mutant fish lurk in their depths. Skipper, a skilled sailor and the youngest of three sisters, earns money skimming and reselling plastic from the ocean to care for her ailing grandmother. Her eldest sister, Nora, left home in pursuit of a cure for failing crops all over the world. Now, she’s missing. When Skipper and her other sister, Carmen, receive a cryptic plea for help, they must put aside their differences and set out across the sea to save her. But their voyage through a dying world both beautiful and strange brings them to question what dangerous attention did Nora attract, and how well do they really know their sister – or each other? Thus begins an epic journey spanning oceans and continents and a wistful rumination on sisterhood, friendship, and ecological disaster. 'Get a copy of Saltcrop for all the perpetually warring siblings you know' Vajra Chandrasekera, author of the Nebula, Ignyte, Crawford, and Locus award-winning The Saint of Bright Doors 'Luminous, credible, and engrossing from beginning to end' Kirkus, starred review 'A tale that feels both intimate and expansive. It’s an impressive feat' Publishers Weekly, starred review

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9780008764678

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Reviews

Praise for Saltcrop: ""The blighted and ruined landscapes the Shimizu sisters traverse, and the disease-struck, semi-feral communities they encounter, all feel dangerously nearby, a world three minutes into the the future of our present disastrous trajectory. The love they bear for each other, even if it’s often tangled up in old pains and many mutual irritations, make even that future feel survivable. Get a copy of Saltcrop for all the perpetually warring siblings you know."" Vajra Chandrasekera, author of the Nebula, Ignyte, Crawford, and Locus award-winning The Saint of Bright Doors Praise for Yume Kitasei: ""Come to The Stardust Grail for Indiana Jones-style outer space heist adventure, stay for the sensitively drawn characters and thoughtful exploration of other forms of life far beyond our own"" Veronica Roth, New York Times bestselling author of Chosen Ones ""The Stardust Grail is a puzzle box of a book, one that invites readers into an ambitious and endlessly imaginative adventure. A strange, surreal, and startlingly tender glimpse into worlds beyond our own."" Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief ""The Stardust Grail is a boisterous journey, rife with protean planets, intriguing spaceports, and remarkable life forms. The stakes are high. The characters are engaging and delightful. The plot is fast-paced and action-packed. But at its core, the book is also an exploration of understanding, forgiveness, and the importance of being true to our friends, and ourselves. For any fan of space adventures, this book is a must-read."" –Emily Jane, USA Today bestselling author of On Earth as it Is on Television ""Both an intimate character portrait and a thriller."" Mary Robinette Kowal, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards ""In The Deep Sky, Kitasei puts us under the microscope not in judgment but with a fair and caring eye; she looks for the best in us."" C. L. Clark, author of The Unbroken ""Smart, emotionally mature, quick-paced"" Associated Press

Author Information

Yume Kitasei is the author of The Deep Sky and The Stardust Grail. She is Japanese and American and grew up in a space between two cultures-the same space where her stories reside. She lives in Brooklyn with two cats, Boondoggle and Filibuster. Her stories have appeared in publications including New England Review, Catapult, SmokeLong Quarterly, and Baltimore Review.

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