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Here and Beyond
Earthworld is a thing of the past. Welcome to the future.
After the collapse of life on Earth as it once was known, 600 people are selected for passage on Shipworld, a spacecraft charting a 360-year voyage to a new planet. Their mission will see generation after generation born, living and dying on board – until one day their descendants finally step foot on the 'Super Earth' that might offer the last chance for humankind's survival.
But life aboard Shipworld is far from a waiting game. The spacecraft promises a world of its own, a harmonious system free of class distinctions and wealth accumulation. Yet with each new generation comes daunting challenges to the future of their civilisation – from creeping doubts about the nature of reality to an outbreak of disease that could eradicate their population, from rebels who threaten the unity of the mission to a traumatic encounter with a mysterious space phenomenon.
An intergenerational epic populated by pioneers and chroniclers, enemies and friends, leaders and legends, Here and Beyond is an intricate and imaginative exploration of the arc of human endeavour.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2025
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645 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 25, 2025
A story told across generations, as a 600 strong crew of pioneers leave a dying Earth in their generation ship on a 360 year journey to a new world. This is a gentle study of human behaviour, relationships, and resilience. It has some interesting ideas, but, for me, didn’t quite hit the mark due to slow pacing and a lack of emotional punch.
The pet project of a billionaire, Thaddeus Parsons, to allow some of humanity to escape the inexorable collapse of sustainable life on Earth, “Shipworld” is a massive self-sustaining spacecraft. The book is vague about the collapse on Earth that they are escaping - the usual combination of climate change and societal breakdown. Instead, the story focuses on the life and culture of the crew, as their fortunes ebb and flow throughout their journey.
The society on the ship is egalitarian rather than hierarchical, and the focus is on community rather than self interest. It is clear that Parsons had ascribed the various collapses on Earth to self interest of one kind of another, and had shaped society on Shipworld in an attempt to avoid the same fate. And much of the narrative explores the effect that this has both on the society on Shipworld, and the individuals, with an undercurrent of doubt about whether this can ever really be avoided, or if it is something fundamental about humanity.
While there are moments of jeopardy in the plot, the titles of the final chapters leave little doubt that their journey will have some success. And as the story spans generations, it is clear that most of the characters won’t survive to the end of the book. Perhaps because of this, I never felt particularly emotionally engaged with any of the characters.
Unfortunately, I was also quite distracted by some issues with the basic science, many of which related to the rotation of the ship and its relation to the sense of simulated gravity. Few of the science issues were important to the plot, and I just found myself frustrated that they should either be glossed over (which is absolutely fine if they’re not relevant to the storytelling), or be better researched. For example, when the dimensions and rotation of the ship are specified, it seems like laziness to then get the resulting force of simulated gravity wrong (yes, I was sufficiently distracted by other science errors to do the maths). Please just leave it vague or get it right!
I liked the concept, though - the ways in which such a closed society might develop, and the comments that can be made on human behaviour, motivation, and relationships, are interesting to explore. But, for me, this didn’t quite hit the mark.
Thank you #NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the free review copy of #HereAndBeyond without obligation. All opinions are my own.
The pet project of a billionaire, Thaddeus Parsons, to allow some of humanity to escape the inexorable collapse of sustainable life on Earth, “Shipworld” is a massive self-sustaining spacecraft. The book is vague about the collapse on Earth that they are escaping - the usual combination of climate change and societal breakdown. Instead, the story focuses on the life and culture of the crew, as their fortunes ebb and flow throughout their journey.
The society on the ship is egalitarian rather than hierarchical, and the focus is on community rather than self interest. It is clear that Parsons had ascribed the various collapses on Earth to self interest of one kind of another, and had shaped society on Shipworld in an attempt to avoid the same fate. And much of the narrative explores the effect that this has both on the society on Shipworld, and the individuals, with an undercurrent of doubt about whether this can ever really be avoided, or if it is something fundamental about humanity.
While there are moments of jeopardy in the plot, the titles of the final chapters leave little doubt that their journey will have some success. And as the story spans generations, it is clear that most of the characters won’t survive to the end of the book. Perhaps because of this, I never felt particularly emotionally engaged with any of the characters.
Unfortunately, I was also quite distracted by some issues with the basic science, many of which related to the rotation of the ship and its relation to the sense of simulated gravity. Few of the science issues were important to the plot, and I just found myself frustrated that they should either be glossed over (which is absolutely fine if they’re not relevant to the storytelling), or be better researched. For example, when the dimensions and rotation of the ship are specified, it seems like laziness to then get the resulting force of simulated gravity wrong (yes, I was sufficiently distracted by other science errors to do the maths). Please just leave it vague or get it right!
I liked the concept, though - the ways in which such a closed society might develop, and the comments that can be made on human behaviour, motivation, and relationships, are interesting to explore. But, for me, this didn’t quite hit the mark.
Thank you #NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the free review copy of #HereAndBeyond without obligation. All opinions are my own.
December 8, 2024
3.5 I love the concept and themes in this novel but the pacing and writing style didn’t quite hit the spotfor me.
What worked for me:
🚀 I loved the whole premise: following a generation ship from leaving Earth to arriving on its new planet told through interwoven generational narratives
🚀 The climate breakdown and capitalist hellscape observations of Earthworld in Jan’s section felt timely and eerily predictive
🚀 Everything about the robotic birds
🚀 Commentary around different ailments and struggles that each generation experienced; the subtle nod to history repeating itself
🚀 Poignancy of some of the story sections exposing the journal authors as unreliable narrators
🚀 The cover is beautiful
What I wasn’t so keen on was largely the writing:
☄️ In part one, we’re following two people in the close third person, but then we get random spurts of omniscient. The random omniscient appears throughout the book to confusing effect.
☄️ For this reader, the pacing was off. Sometimes, I could only manage a few pages due to the meandering, repetitive, and overwritten prose; other times, I was reading rapidly without noticing the page numbers at all! I found the journal entry chapters tedious and slow. While the story chapters were better, there was sometimes a noticeable amount of extraneous detail and pontifications that didn’t seem to add anything to the story.
☄️ The showing and telling swung heavily toward telling which might have exacerbated the previous point. I would have liked to see more distinct characterization across characters; sometimes it felt like characters were simply a vessel for clunky info-dumping through a stream of consciousness style.
☄️ I found the ending underwhelming and flat. I had a lot of unanswered questions and felt the book just stopped rather than had an intentional ending.
This had all of the ingredients of a five-star read but the recipe didn't realize the full potential for me.
I was privileged to have my request to review this accepted by Bloomsbury Publishing through NetGalley.
What worked for me:
🚀 I loved the whole premise: following a generation ship from leaving Earth to arriving on its new planet told through interwoven generational narratives
🚀 The climate breakdown and capitalist hellscape observations of Earthworld in Jan’s section felt timely and eerily predictive
🚀 Everything about the robotic birds
🚀 Commentary around different ailments and struggles that each generation experienced; the subtle nod to history repeating itself
🚀 Poignancy of some of the story sections exposing the journal authors as unreliable narrators
🚀 The cover is beautiful
What I wasn’t so keen on was largely the writing:
☄️ In part one, we’re following two people in the close third person, but then we get random spurts of omniscient. The random omniscient appears throughout the book to confusing effect.
☄️ For this reader, the pacing was off. Sometimes, I could only manage a few pages due to the meandering, repetitive, and overwritten prose; other times, I was reading rapidly without noticing the page numbers at all! I found the journal entry chapters tedious and slow. While the story chapters were better, there was sometimes a noticeable amount of extraneous detail and pontifications that didn’t seem to add anything to the story.
☄️ The showing and telling swung heavily toward telling which might have exacerbated the previous point. I would have liked to see more distinct characterization across characters; sometimes it felt like characters were simply a vessel for clunky info-dumping through a stream of consciousness style.
☄️ I found the ending underwhelming and flat. I had a lot of unanswered questions and felt the book just stopped rather than had an intentional ending.
This had all of the ingredients of a five-star read but the recipe didn't realize the full potential for me.
I was privileged to have my request to review this accepted by Bloomsbury Publishing through NetGalley.
July 28, 2025
In 2052, 600 people are chosen to be aboard Shipworld, a generation ship that will travel at 12% light speed for 360 years to HD-40307g, an exoplanet 42 light years away. Earth's wealthiest man funds this expedition, but neither he nor his many children are passengers. By his own requirements for passengers, he cannot be allowed.
The funder believes that Earth's societies have failed, so only a minimal amount of Earth's culture is brought along so that they begin anew. Their society is managed and the individual must give way to the collective. Everyone must consider how their actions could affect everyone else. Any conflict could be catastrophic. The mission always comes first.
The passengers know that despite being able to live up to 120 years old without senescence until their final years thanks to Correction that they will never see the end of their journey, nor will their children. Because of this longer and healthier lifespan, no one is allowed to have children until their late fifties and only if their closed system can allow it.
The entirety of the book is spent on the daily lives of the passengers during 8 different parts. Each part takes place during a critical time and due to the passage of time, there are very few overlapping characters. This is a character driven and centered novel, but there isn't a protagonist, instead it's a series of narrators for each particular time. Each new part summarizes what happened during the years between, which means most of the action and drama is told about rather than shown.
That is to say, this isn't really a book to read for the science, though it does well enough in that regard. If you're looking for rigorous hard science fiction here and examine every little statement, then this may not be for you. The focus is on how this group of people and their descendants live on the ship and how their society adapts to the difficulties they face over the course of 360 years.
I wasn't satisfied by the ending, not because of its ambiguity, but because how it simply ends. I refuse to abandon the continually disproved expectation with generation ship stories that far more will be done once they reach their destination. Even those that do, don't usually go the way I prefer. That they're almost always nearly entirely about the journey is acceptable though.
This is LaCroix's debut novel and it shows. I almost dropped it during the first part due to its writing, but I kept on and its quality improved. Not to where I'd say it was good, though it definitely became much better. It's arguable whether someone should publish before their writing isn't noticeably improving throughout a novel. A new draft may evened it out. If he writes another novel, I expect it'd be better and I'd give it a try.
The funder believes that Earth's societies have failed, so only a minimal amount of Earth's culture is brought along so that they begin anew. Their society is managed and the individual must give way to the collective. Everyone must consider how their actions could affect everyone else. Any conflict could be catastrophic. The mission always comes first.
The passengers know that despite being able to live up to 120 years old without senescence until their final years thanks to Correction that they will never see the end of their journey, nor will their children. Because of this longer and healthier lifespan, no one is allowed to have children until their late fifties and only if their closed system can allow it.
The entirety of the book is spent on the daily lives of the passengers during 8 different parts. Each part takes place during a critical time and due to the passage of time, there are very few overlapping characters. This is a character driven and centered novel, but there isn't a protagonist, instead it's a series of narrators for each particular time. Each new part summarizes what happened during the years between, which means most of the action and drama is told about rather than shown.
That is to say, this isn't really a book to read for the science, though it does well enough in that regard. If you're looking for rigorous hard science fiction here and examine every little statement, then this may not be for you. The focus is on how this group of people and their descendants live on the ship and how their society adapts to the difficulties they face over the course of 360 years.
I wasn't satisfied by the ending, not because of its ambiguity, but because how it simply ends. I refuse to abandon the continually disproved expectation with generation ship stories that far more will be done once they reach their destination. Even those that do, don't usually go the way I prefer. That they're almost always nearly entirely about the journey is acceptable though.
This is LaCroix's debut novel and it shows. I almost dropped it during the first part due to its writing, but I kept on and its quality improved. Not to where I'd say it was good, though it definitely became much better. It's arguable whether someone should publish before their writing isn't noticeably improving throughout a novel. A new draft may evened it out. If he writes another novel, I expect it'd be better and I'd give it a try.
July 6, 2025
I was attracted by this take on the familiar story of a series of characters living on a ship that has struck out from a dying Earth towards a new planet that the earlier generations will never see; they'll live out their lives on the ship in order to shepherd later generations towards their new home. I think generation-ship SF always has the potential to be incredibly rich, raising both questions of intergenerational justice, and also the possibility of examining how people create societies in such confined, almost lab-like circumstances. In Here and Beyond, debut novelist Hal LaCroix uses a series of time jumps to move the reader forward through the 350-year journey of the ship towards its eventual arrival. I wasn't put off by the fact that this is more of an interconnected collection of long short stories than a traditional novel, as this can be one of my favourite forms. The intention is clearly to consider historical change in microcosm; what makes societal rules shift, and how are these ruptures remembered in retrospect? However, Here and Beyond never quite got to grips with its material in the way that I'd hoped, and I'm still pondering why this didn't quite work for me.
I was disappointed with the lack of attention to how this society is governed. LaCroix chooses to focus on individual mavericks who change Shipworld either through open rebellion, a crucial scientific discovery or a more subtly subversive act, rather than on day-to-day life. It's a kind of 'great people' theory of history, which I don't find convincing. There are some really tantalising cultural details. Shipworld, unlike other generation ships I've encountered in fiction, is actively uninterested in preserving humanity's cultural heritage. A small, random collection of books, a single Durer painting and an Olmec head are the only things that seem to have been kept. In its early years, Shipworld radically limits people's access to any kind of record-making; even writing things down is discouraged, as is listening to music. The reasoning is that one of the problems with Earthworld was how people were distanced from each other through screens, and there's a need to encourage social interaction. But, I wanted to know a lot more about this! Also, characterisation is a weakness. We get a succession of different protagonists, which wasn't a problem for me, but I never felt we got to know any of them. They're very samey, with similar critical, observational attitudes. I'd have loved to hear from somebody who was a mad devotee of Shipworld, or somebody who is just focused on their own ordinary life and doesn't really think much about bigger questions. I admire LaCroix's ambition, but this felt like sketches for a more compelling novel. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
I was disappointed with the lack of attention to how this society is governed. LaCroix chooses to focus on individual mavericks who change Shipworld either through open rebellion, a crucial scientific discovery or a more subtly subversive act, rather than on day-to-day life. It's a kind of 'great people' theory of history, which I don't find convincing. There are some really tantalising cultural details. Shipworld, unlike other generation ships I've encountered in fiction, is actively uninterested in preserving humanity's cultural heritage. A small, random collection of books, a single Durer painting and an Olmec head are the only things that seem to have been kept. In its early years, Shipworld radically limits people's access to any kind of record-making; even writing things down is discouraged, as is listening to music. The reasoning is that one of the problems with Earthworld was how people were distanced from each other through screens, and there's a need to encourage social interaction. But, I wanted to know a lot more about this! Also, characterisation is a weakness. We get a succession of different protagonists, which wasn't a problem for me, but I never felt we got to know any of them. They're very samey, with similar critical, observational attitudes. I'd have loved to hear from somebody who was a mad devotee of Shipworld, or somebody who is just focused on their own ordinary life and doesn't really think much about bigger questions. I admire LaCroix's ambition, but this felt like sketches for a more compelling novel. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
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December 17, 2025Good review by Lisa Tuttle of this new generation-ship novel:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
"The only realistic way human beings could colonise planets beyond our solar system is if they spent their lives travelling and committed their children and grandchildren to the same fate, so their descendants might have a chance to reach another habitable world. Writers who have taken this fictional challenge, including Robert A Heinlein and Brian Aldiss, have assumed civilisational breakdowns would result, with the survivors coming to believe their ship is the only world there ever was. The author of this brilliant, character-driven debut novel has taken a more optimistic view. On Earthworld, success was measured in terms of expansion and exploitation, but on Shipworld, survival depends on preservation, recycling and austerity. During 360 years of travel to planet HD-40307g, the descendants of the original 600 pioneers never lose sight of the distant goal, along the way meeting unexpected challenges, setbacks and tragedies, but also innovations, insights and moments of joy. It’s an imaginative journey that’s absorbing, thoughtful and deeply humane."
I'm in.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
"The only realistic way human beings could colonise planets beyond our solar system is if they spent their lives travelling and committed their children and grandchildren to the same fate, so their descendants might have a chance to reach another habitable world. Writers who have taken this fictional challenge, including Robert A Heinlein and Brian Aldiss, have assumed civilisational breakdowns would result, with the survivors coming to believe their ship is the only world there ever was. The author of this brilliant, character-driven debut novel has taken a more optimistic view. On Earthworld, success was measured in terms of expansion and exploitation, but on Shipworld, survival depends on preservation, recycling and austerity. During 360 years of travel to planet HD-40307g, the descendants of the original 600 pioneers never lose sight of the distant goal, along the way meeting unexpected challenges, setbacks and tragedies, but also innovations, insights and moments of joy. It’s an imaginative journey that’s absorbing, thoughtful and deeply humane."
I'm in.
August 17, 2025
In and around the year 2065, 600 people embark on a 360 year journey to find another planet on which to set up a new civilisation. Whilst earth is still habitable it is in decline - deadlines have been missed for tackling climate change, the planet is polluted and greed/lethargy rule the roost as far as the population are concerned. This intrepid group of adventurers are given the opportunity to improve life for future generations and this book is the story of their journey.
I should say from the outset that I am not a great fan of Sci-fi so my views may differ from most readers. I guess, if you are going to be pernickety, this book is strictly speaking dystopian, or at least earth is approaching a dystopian state. Whether dystopian literature is generally considered to be sci-fi I am not sure so please forgive me if I have used all the wrong terminology. Anyway, much to my surprise, I did find that there was a lot to like about this book. For a start there were no alien spaceships filled with little green men littering the skies and no ridiculous monsters inhabiting other planets and threatening mankind. Instead, life was remarkably normal. An entrepreneurial individual had meticulously designed a ship which could travel through space and sustain a large enough population to begin a new life on another planet. The human life span was pretty much like we are used to on earth now so the journey would be undertaken by many generations of humans who had to procreate and also be fed, watered, educated, trained to run the ship and encouraged to live a life which blended in with their environment rather than destroying it. The measures that were taken to make this work were meticulously designed and utterly fascinating – how credible they really were in scientific terms I have no idea. All sorts of interesting things were taken into account for the design of this “Shipworld” such as waste management, building a sustainable population from a small gene pool, providing food for this population, controlling access to external influences to try and avoid a repeat of the corruption on “Earthworld” etc. etc.
Reality and plausibility are important to me and this book largely ticks those boxes. It struck me as the kind of project that Elon Musk might take on with a single-minded determination to succeed. It was almost like “life as we know it” (but not quite).
In that sense I think it is fictional rather than fictitious if I have correctly understood the difference (apparently there is a third option – “fictive” but I’m not sure I have got my head round that one. Every day really is a schoolday).
It is also a good story, well conceived and well written.
However, the area in which it scores very highly indeed is memorability. It is now a couple of weeks since I finished the book and I can still remember it very vividly and in great detail - this must be a sign that it has had some impact on me.
However, there were some negatives, mainly surrounding the execution .of the narrative. I did find that I got a bit bogged down in places and lost my enthusiasm for reading any further. This happened particularly in the middle section which I found to be slow and a little dull – it just wasn’t very gripping. This may just be a result of inexperience on the part of the author and would be relatively easy to fix for subsequent novels (and I hope he does persevere and write more).
Overall I would recommend this book, even if this genre is not really your cup of tea. It has a lot of interesting observations and ideas and is definitely worth a read. I do have a sneaking and unsubstantiated suspicion that it may appeal more to “non sci-fi fans” than “sci-fi afficionados”.
I should say from the outset that I am not a great fan of Sci-fi so my views may differ from most readers. I guess, if you are going to be pernickety, this book is strictly speaking dystopian, or at least earth is approaching a dystopian state. Whether dystopian literature is generally considered to be sci-fi I am not sure so please forgive me if I have used all the wrong terminology. Anyway, much to my surprise, I did find that there was a lot to like about this book. For a start there were no alien spaceships filled with little green men littering the skies and no ridiculous monsters inhabiting other planets and threatening mankind. Instead, life was remarkably normal. An entrepreneurial individual had meticulously designed a ship which could travel through space and sustain a large enough population to begin a new life on another planet. The human life span was pretty much like we are used to on earth now so the journey would be undertaken by many generations of humans who had to procreate and also be fed, watered, educated, trained to run the ship and encouraged to live a life which blended in with their environment rather than destroying it. The measures that were taken to make this work were meticulously designed and utterly fascinating – how credible they really were in scientific terms I have no idea. All sorts of interesting things were taken into account for the design of this “Shipworld” such as waste management, building a sustainable population from a small gene pool, providing food for this population, controlling access to external influences to try and avoid a repeat of the corruption on “Earthworld” etc. etc.
Reality and plausibility are important to me and this book largely ticks those boxes. It struck me as the kind of project that Elon Musk might take on with a single-minded determination to succeed. It was almost like “life as we know it” (but not quite).
In that sense I think it is fictional rather than fictitious if I have correctly understood the difference (apparently there is a third option – “fictive” but I’m not sure I have got my head round that one. Every day really is a schoolday).
It is also a good story, well conceived and well written.
However, the area in which it scores very highly indeed is memorability. It is now a couple of weeks since I finished the book and I can still remember it very vividly and in great detail - this must be a sign that it has had some impact on me.
However, there were some negatives, mainly surrounding the execution .of the narrative. I did find that I got a bit bogged down in places and lost my enthusiasm for reading any further. This happened particularly in the middle section which I found to be slow and a little dull – it just wasn’t very gripping. This may just be a result of inexperience on the part of the author and would be relatively easy to fix for subsequent novels (and I hope he does persevere and write more).
Overall I would recommend this book, even if this genre is not really your cup of tea. It has a lot of interesting observations and ideas and is definitely worth a read. I do have a sneaking and unsubstantiated suspicion that it may appeal more to “non sci-fi fans” than “sci-fi afficionados”.
July 22, 2025
Here And Beyond is an unusually thoughtful, part Utopian examination of the travels of a generation ship. Generation ships are spaceships designed to carry multiple generations of usually colonists to distant stars, being the closest solution we have to the issue of the impossibility of faster than light travel. Here a group of billionaire funded travellers leave a crisis stricken Earth to aim at a planet that will take them 360 years away. However generation ship novels are often sliithers of the journey, a moment of crisis or something unusual happening. A lot happens in Here And Beyond but an awful lot is within the parameters of the set-up: political and philosophical upheaval, mystery illnesses, energy shortages. There is one moment of potential inexplicable activity, but that is the exception, not the rule.
The question begged in Here And Beyond is that there is more than enough drama here for multiple books. LaCroix slices his 360 years into a number of discrete sections. We start about 100 years in with the first major philosophical crisis (the rights of the individual versus those of the mission), and then we go back to the first few years. And then we skip in fifty-year chunks until a few chapters at the end. There are a few cheats here, they have extended the standard healthy lifetime of humans to about 120 years (so we get through less generations), and for all the avoidance of genre standards like FTL travel, and cryogenic sleep, there's still lots of magical science here (fabricators and cosmic radiation shielding). But LaCroix is most interested in engaging in the political cut and thrust, there is a point in the last third where a generation who have only lived on the ship, and are about to land, genuinely wonder if they are better off living their current way, one of many points here where the book successfully pulls us out of the grand project and into the equally grand project of an individual life.
I enjoyed Here And Beyond for its rigour and its commitment to making the journey the destination. The characters are strong and believable even in the very alien scenario, and there is a commitment to rounding them out that makes the science prodigy also someone who is sceptical about certain political decisions. This is a Utopian project, while massive problems occur, they are always resolved with the application of intelligence and humanity (the one that might not be we only see from a distance of history), and it ends hopefully for both the project and mankind.
The question begged in Here And Beyond is that there is more than enough drama here for multiple books. LaCroix slices his 360 years into a number of discrete sections. We start about 100 years in with the first major philosophical crisis (the rights of the individual versus those of the mission), and then we go back to the first few years. And then we skip in fifty-year chunks until a few chapters at the end. There are a few cheats here, they have extended the standard healthy lifetime of humans to about 120 years (so we get through less generations), and for all the avoidance of genre standards like FTL travel, and cryogenic sleep, there's still lots of magical science here (fabricators and cosmic radiation shielding). But LaCroix is most interested in engaging in the political cut and thrust, there is a point in the last third where a generation who have only lived on the ship, and are about to land, genuinely wonder if they are better off living their current way, one of many points here where the book successfully pulls us out of the grand project and into the equally grand project of an individual life.
I enjoyed Here And Beyond for its rigour and its commitment to making the journey the destination. The characters are strong and believable even in the very alien scenario, and there is a commitment to rounding them out that makes the science prodigy also someone who is sceptical about certain political decisions. This is a Utopian project, while massive problems occur, they are always resolved with the application of intelligence and humanity (the one that might not be we only see from a distance of history), and it ends hopefully for both the project and mankind.
August 13, 2025
3.5 stars
600+ pioneers leave a dying earth in the near future on an intergenerational voyage to planet HD-40307d . Funded by a tech billionaire who wanted to make sure the descendants of the crew don't repeat the mistakes that doomed our world.
I don't read much Sci Fi so wouldn't have picked up this book had it not been a book group selection received free of charge in return for an honest review. To my surprise I really enjoyed it, though not without its issues- pacing is slow, characters tend to blend together, leaps about in timeline take a bit of getting used to and there's no real sense of danger since every time anything comes along to threaten the Mission it's dealt with quickly and the narrative continues.
In addition multiple voices make it difficult to connect and engage on more than a superficial level as the revolving cast necessarily moves on. A List of Characters to refer back to would've been a useful addition.
Probably not for serious sci fi fans but I found the premise interesting though I couldn't quite get my head round actually visualising 'Shipworld.' Interestingly any similarity between the funder and Elon Musk stops at wealth because Shipworld's founder envisaged an egalitarian social order to favour the collective good above individualism that in the 21st C contributed to earth's failure to act against climate change and provide decent living standards for the majority of people. Consequently the ship carries previous few cultural artifact. A Dürer self-portrait then carries a full weight of meaning to successive shipmate caretakers. Ominously there's a Bible.
A book that certainly makes you think, certainly about whether human nature itself renders impossible the better world hoped for by the generation that leaves Shipworld for a new home, new future? The ending leaves open a possible sequel.
600+ pioneers leave a dying earth in the near future on an intergenerational voyage to planet HD-40307d . Funded by a tech billionaire who wanted to make sure the descendants of the crew don't repeat the mistakes that doomed our world.
I don't read much Sci Fi so wouldn't have picked up this book had it not been a book group selection received free of charge in return for an honest review. To my surprise I really enjoyed it, though not without its issues- pacing is slow, characters tend to blend together, leaps about in timeline take a bit of getting used to and there's no real sense of danger since every time anything comes along to threaten the Mission it's dealt with quickly and the narrative continues.
In addition multiple voices make it difficult to connect and engage on more than a superficial level as the revolving cast necessarily moves on. A List of Characters to refer back to would've been a useful addition.
Probably not for serious sci fi fans but I found the premise interesting though I couldn't quite get my head round actually visualising 'Shipworld.' Interestingly any similarity between the funder and Elon Musk stops at wealth because Shipworld's founder envisaged an egalitarian social order to favour the collective good above individualism that in the 21st C contributed to earth's failure to act against climate change and provide decent living standards for the majority of people. Consequently the ship carries previous few cultural artifact. A Dürer self-portrait then carries a full weight of meaning to successive shipmate caretakers. Ominously there's a Bible.
A book that certainly makes you think, certainly about whether human nature itself renders impossible the better world hoped for by the generation that leaves Shipworld for a new home, new future? The ending leaves open a possible sequel.
December 21, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Here and Beyond takes the slightly tired trope of the intergenerational spaceship heading to a new planet and manages to make it readable by presenting short segments from half a dozen phases in the spacecraft’s journey, from the first few years through to the beginning of a new civilisation on the planet.
The time jumps are the book’s biggest strength and greatest weakness. They mean we cover a great deal of ground— we’re in a very different place by the end of the novel— but it also makes it difficult to get attached to any of the characters. As soon as you know someone they’re already dead and we’ve jumped on to the next person… It was also frustrating that, for a society without much record-keeping, they also seemed to remember quite a lot of their 360-year past and the society changed very little. The changes that were mentioned were really interesting, but given the novel covers almost as much time as between us and Shakespeare, I would have expected a greater cultural shift.
As for the writing style, at its best it’s beautiful and poetic, while sometimes it just feels inconsistent and jumpy, moving from character to character and from tight scenes with dialogue to huge sweeping statements. One second we’re in the middle of a conversation, and the next paragraph we’re told that character is now dead, which is effective at points but jarring at others.
Overall, Here and Beyond is a solid sci-fi for people who don’t like sci-fi. It’s not particularly original and it’s not the most exciting story, but it’s thought-provoking without being too literary, so worth a read if you’d like some speculative fiction where the emphasis is on the people rather than the science.
Here and Beyond takes the slightly tired trope of the intergenerational spaceship heading to a new planet and manages to make it readable by presenting short segments from half a dozen phases in the spacecraft’s journey, from the first few years through to the beginning of a new civilisation on the planet.
The time jumps are the book’s biggest strength and greatest weakness. They mean we cover a great deal of ground— we’re in a very different place by the end of the novel— but it also makes it difficult to get attached to any of the characters. As soon as you know someone they’re already dead and we’ve jumped on to the next person… It was also frustrating that, for a society without much record-keeping, they also seemed to remember quite a lot of their 360-year past and the society changed very little. The changes that were mentioned were really interesting, but given the novel covers almost as much time as between us and Shakespeare, I would have expected a greater cultural shift.
As for the writing style, at its best it’s beautiful and poetic, while sometimes it just feels inconsistent and jumpy, moving from character to character and from tight scenes with dialogue to huge sweeping statements. One second we’re in the middle of a conversation, and the next paragraph we’re told that character is now dead, which is effective at points but jarring at others.
Overall, Here and Beyond is a solid sci-fi for people who don’t like sci-fi. It’s not particularly original and it’s not the most exciting story, but it’s thought-provoking without being too literary, so worth a read if you’d like some speculative fiction where the emphasis is on the people rather than the science.
January 23, 2025
Here and Beyond by Hal LaCroix presents an imaginative and thought-provoking exploration of humanity's future and the intricacies of interstellar travel. The world-building is undeniably impressive, with LaCroix creating a universe that feels both expansive and meticulously crafted. The way the narrative weaves together science fiction elements with human emotion and ambition is captivating, offering readers a refreshing take on the genre.
However, while the book excels in imagination, it falters when it comes to addressing real-world issues like climate change and cultural preservation. The novel largely glosses over the significant impact of climate change, offering little in terms of meaningful reflection on Earth's environmental crisis. In a story set in a future beyond our own, you'd expect more substantial commentary on how humanity's past mistakes might influence the trajectory of civilization. The treatment of Earth's culture, too, feels a bit dismissive. There’s a distinct sense of erasure in how the cultural complexities of our planet are portrayed, as if they’ve been swept aside in favor of a more convenient narrative about exploration and survival in space.
Overall, Here and Beyond is an enjoyable read with a lot of potential, but it misses an opportunity to delve into the deeper, more urgent issues facing our world today. If you’re looking for a story that blends science fiction with socio-political insights, this may not fully deliver on that front.
However, while the book excels in imagination, it falters when it comes to addressing real-world issues like climate change and cultural preservation. The novel largely glosses over the significant impact of climate change, offering little in terms of meaningful reflection on Earth's environmental crisis. In a story set in a future beyond our own, you'd expect more substantial commentary on how humanity's past mistakes might influence the trajectory of civilization. The treatment of Earth's culture, too, feels a bit dismissive. There’s a distinct sense of erasure in how the cultural complexities of our planet are portrayed, as if they’ve been swept aside in favor of a more convenient narrative about exploration and survival in space.
Overall, Here and Beyond is an enjoyable read with a lot of potential, but it misses an opportunity to delve into the deeper, more urgent issues facing our world today. If you’re looking for a story that blends science fiction with socio-political insights, this may not fully deliver on that front.
August 19, 2025
The descriptions of social aspects of a generational voyage are interesting, and the various protagonists varied enough.
However, the whole thing is not very believable.
The main issue for me is that the science is completely bogus: the inertial effects of acceleration are completely ignored, and while a great deal is made of the fact the spaceship is rotating on its axis, not a single mention of the Coriolis effect, which renders most descriptions of physical activity on board unrealistic.
Even worse in the case of EVA. There is a reason most rotating spaceships are designed as a rotating torus and a fixed spoke: manoeuvres with an aperture that's rapidly rotating would be very dangerous and energy intensive.
The ship, going 10% lightspeed can't get any news of Earth because it's too fast?
And upon arrival the pioneers wander around the surface like tourists, including children, even after finding alien artefacts. I want to believe such naivete is intentional, but I'm not sure…
However, the whole thing is not very believable.
The main issue for me is that the science is completely bogus: the inertial effects of acceleration are completely ignored, and while a great deal is made of the fact the spaceship is rotating on its axis, not a single mention of the Coriolis effect, which renders most descriptions of physical activity on board unrealistic.
Even worse in the case of EVA. There is a reason most rotating spaceships are designed as a rotating torus and a fixed spoke: manoeuvres with an aperture that's rapidly rotating would be very dangerous and energy intensive.
The ship, going 10% lightspeed can't get any news of Earth because it's too fast?
And upon arrival the pioneers wander around the surface like tourists, including children, even after finding alien artefacts. I want to believe such naivete is intentional, but I'm not sure…
July 9, 2025
Absolute stunner of a book! Got an ARC publishers copy through “Coundon library book club” and was absolutely enthralled from the opening chapter. The writing is flawless and chapters well presented as a passage through set periods of time. At first I was slightly confused by the change of characters in second chapter then referred back to chapter titles and it was really very obvious (yes I’m a title skipper normally so missed that).
To my understanding this is a debut novel from a new author and honestly from very early on I could see this making the big screen as a film. It also ended with the opportunity to progress to future books to develop the journey of mankind in more than one manner. I hope the author does produce more books following this one and eagerly await future releases of any books by them as enjoyed the style so much.
To my understanding this is a debut novel from a new author and honestly from very early on I could see this making the big screen as a film. It also ended with the opportunity to progress to future books to develop the journey of mankind in more than one manner. I hope the author does produce more books following this one and eagerly await future releases of any books by them as enjoyed the style so much.
August 8, 2025
An absorbing tale of a generation ship, told across the generations.
It’s three-and-a-half centuries long journey from here (a dying earth) to beyond (the exoplanet HD-40307g - a real planet, 42 light years away).
A really good debut novel, reminiscent of the gentle, feel good nature of Becky Chambers novels, it explores the nature of when to explore and push the boundaries of a community verses when to work together to preserve the unity of a community. Dramatic things happen in a not particularly dramatic way. People divide, but mostly also stick together.
Sometimes it feels a little trite, but it hangs together well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on the shortlist for the Arthur C Clarke award.
It’s three-and-a-half centuries long journey from here (a dying earth) to beyond (the exoplanet HD-40307g - a real planet, 42 light years away).
A really good debut novel, reminiscent of the gentle, feel good nature of Becky Chambers novels, it explores the nature of when to explore and push the boundaries of a community verses when to work together to preserve the unity of a community. Dramatic things happen in a not particularly dramatic way. People divide, but mostly also stick together.
Sometimes it feels a little trite, but it hangs together well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on the shortlist for the Arthur C Clarke award.
June 23, 2025
Set in a not so distant future there the effects of climate change have ravaged the planet a small group of humans hurtle towards a new home.
The detail in this book used to describe life on ship world is intricate and fascinating down to the culture of no TVs and phones, the new type of democracy they have built, the society and food.
I found the first part of the story the style of writing a little chaotic not knowing whose voice was whose but once I got into it was sucked into the world. I really loved the diary entry’s of the first generation and how life changed on board.
Thank you NetGalley for the early copy opinions my own
The detail in this book used to describe life on ship world is intricate and fascinating down to the culture of no TVs and phones, the new type of democracy they have built, the society and food.
I found the first part of the story the style of writing a little chaotic not knowing whose voice was whose but once I got into it was sucked into the world. I really loved the diary entry’s of the first generation and how life changed on board.
Thank you NetGalley for the early copy opinions my own
August 12, 2025
ARC Received through Coundon Library Book Club Coventry.
I was hooked from the opening chapters, especially the scene where the first generation gazes out at the stars, knowing they’ll never see their destination—it set such a bittersweet tone. I liked the imaginative details of Shipworld, from the humming hydroponic gardens to the curious mechanical birds that flit through the air.
The generational shifts were my favorite part—watching new leaders emerge, old traditions fade, and unexpected rebellions spark made the story feel alive.
Hal LaCroix balances wonder and humanity beautifully, making Here and Beyond a journey I didn’t want to end.
I was hooked from the opening chapters, especially the scene where the first generation gazes out at the stars, knowing they’ll never see their destination—it set such a bittersweet tone. I liked the imaginative details of Shipworld, from the humming hydroponic gardens to the curious mechanical birds that flit through the air.
The generational shifts were my favorite part—watching new leaders emerge, old traditions fade, and unexpected rebellions spark made the story feel alive.
Hal LaCroix balances wonder and humanity beautifully, making Here and Beyond a journey I didn’t want to end.
July 18, 2025
I was lucky to get an ARC as part of Coundon Library Book Club.
I choose this book as it is a little different to my usual reads. The Earth is dying so a group of pioneers plan to travel to a far off planet, that they will never reach. Their decendents will be in the ones to take the first steps on the new planet....if all goes to plan!
An enjoyable read. I felt i related to some characters more than others.
I choose this book as it is a little different to my usual reads. The Earth is dying so a group of pioneers plan to travel to a far off planet, that they will never reach. Their decendents will be in the ones to take the first steps on the new planet....if all goes to plan!
An enjoyable read. I felt i related to some characters more than others.
July 19, 2025
“I would like to thank the publishers for the advance copies of this book sent to our book club to read and review.”
Ambitious novel which doesn’t quite deliver for me. I found the colloquial language and detailed complex scientific explanations a jarring combination, and the loose storyline meant that it took real concentration to focus on the plot. This is a real shame as the book started out with such promise. DNF.
Ambitious novel which doesn’t quite deliver for me. I found the colloquial language and detailed complex scientific explanations a jarring combination, and the loose storyline meant that it took real concentration to focus on the plot. This is a real shame as the book started out with such promise. DNF.
February 14, 2026
L'ambientazione mi sa di romanzo di fantascienza anni '70 alla Rendezvous with Rama, mentre lo sviluppo stilistico è quello di un romanzo introspettivo e più incentrato su concetti filosofici che sul seguire una trama avvincente (mi ricorda vagamente un Jeff Vandermeer a cui sia stato tolto l'alone di mistero). Questa dissonanza può piacere oppure no, personalmente sono del team dell'oppure no: con un mix del genere ho l'impressione che si perdano i punti di forza di entrambe le parti
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January 27, 2025The writing is minimalistic and fits the bill.
The concept of a spaceship with selected successors of humanity spanning across generations is cool and explores multitudes of human life in a short space.
Had this been more detailed and longer, had the concept been fully explored, I would have enjoyed this more.
Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The concept of a spaceship with selected successors of humanity spanning across generations is cool and explores multitudes of human life in a short space.
Had this been more detailed and longer, had the concept been fully explored, I would have enjoyed this more.
Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
August 17, 2025
I am reviewing this book as an advance reader copy for Coundon Library book club.
I have given this book a good go, however , I am struggling to get infused about it. I have read fantasy books previously, but this one , onboard shipworld is hard-work to engage with. Not really getting the plot.
I have reached page 127 and have given up on it sad to say.
Life is too short.
I have given this book a good go, however , I am struggling to get infused about it. I have read fantasy books previously, but this one , onboard shipworld is hard-work to engage with. Not really getting the plot.
I have reached page 127 and have given up on it sad to say.
Life is too short.
November 9, 2025
Science fiction is the pretexte the lead us on this light-hearted yet engaging interstellar journey, which shows us part of the interactions and evolution that a human society can experience. A good and sometimes funny book; don't expect complex concepts. Perfect if you're looking for a light read based on interstellar travel. Really cute!
November 21, 2025
Firstly, thank you for a copy from Jubilee Crescent Book Club.
I did enjoy this book, although at times it can be quite a slow read. Also, obviously due to the story spanning hundreds of years, it does jump forward quite a lot and sometimes I wish there were more details and information around certain events that were happening. Overall a fairly enjoyable read.
I did enjoy this book, although at times it can be quite a slow read. Also, obviously due to the story spanning hundreds of years, it does jump forward quite a lot and sometimes I wish there were more details and information around certain events that were happening. Overall a fairly enjoyable read.
May 30, 2025
Here and Beyond really amazed me and moved me. I loved the way it used the mothership genre to deal with big questions like 'who should society serve?' and 'what's the best way to live your life?' Very smart book written by a very smart guy. Amazing that it's a first novel.
September 7, 2025
A book more focused on people than the science fiction, it starts well but slows considerably.
I found myself not caught up in the characters or their issues. It might have been much better if we stuck with the first characters and the civil war that spread.
I found myself not caught up in the characters or their issues. It might have been much better if we stuck with the first characters and the civil war that spread.
December 8, 2025
Un libro che forse poteva essere qualcosa di più (... Cloud Atlas?), ma che nella sua dignità letteraria, nel suo ampio respiro capace di abbracciare un possibile (nostro) futuro, è più che abbastanza.
Un'uscita del 2025 passata in sordina che avrebbe meritato maggiore attenzione.
Un'uscita del 2025 passata in sordina che avrebbe meritato maggiore attenzione.
August 25, 2025
A mellow, undramatic but nicely written intergenerational space voyage. Characters come and go and are forgotten but the whole thing sails along at some fraction of light speed.
January 19, 2026
Love a good generation starship story and this was beautifully realised.
January 20, 2026
Excellent. Left me pleased and wanting more...always a good outcome 😋. Loved the easy flowing story telling which played out over generations in an ark-ship-world environment.
August 3, 2025
If you're wanting an exciting sci-fi adventure, you will need to look elsewhere. This is nothing but noodley navel-gazing tut.
Never have I read a book so determined to remove any excitement or interest in its own story. I got more thrills reading the label on a bottle of bleach.
Never have I read a book so determined to remove any excitement or interest in its own story. I got more thrills reading the label on a bottle of bleach.
February 12, 2025
This is a space opera of considerable breadth and depth the a real space Odyssey
The story captures the feeling of being on a multigenerational space Odyssey never potentially seeing the end . As well as this however there are a number of fully formed characters that develop that you feel You really get to know them .
A Lot of sci-fi novels are primarily Story generated it was notable that this particular novel had strong enough character development to mean that the story the novel was also character generated
The spaceship itself is described very well throughout the novel and changes as time passes. This allows the novel not to feel claustrophobic. You really feel that you’re in a full world whilst drifting along on the spaceship.
I loved the fact that an old master painting is bought along on the ship keeps turning up in different time periods
I loved the authors writing style which is clear crisp and easy to read. This novel was a thoroughly immersive enjoyable read
The detail of the ship throughout was beautifully described I felt this would make a beautiful film or TV series
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for an unbiased review. The book is published in the UK on the 3rd of July 2025 by Bloomsbury publishing plc.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK StoryGraph, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com
After publication, it will also appear on Amazon UK
The story captures the feeling of being on a multigenerational space Odyssey never potentially seeing the end . As well as this however there are a number of fully formed characters that develop that you feel You really get to know them .
A Lot of sci-fi novels are primarily Story generated it was notable that this particular novel had strong enough character development to mean that the story the novel was also character generated
The spaceship itself is described very well throughout the novel and changes as time passes. This allows the novel not to feel claustrophobic. You really feel that you’re in a full world whilst drifting along on the spaceship.
I loved the fact that an old master painting is bought along on the ship keeps turning up in different time periods
I loved the authors writing style which is clear crisp and easy to read. This novel was a thoroughly immersive enjoyable read
The detail of the ship throughout was beautifully described I felt this would make a beautiful film or TV series
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for an unbiased review. The book is published in the UK on the 3rd of July 2025 by Bloomsbury publishing plc.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK StoryGraph, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com
After publication, it will also appear on Amazon UK
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews