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Inworld: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 2 Mar 27The Three-Body Problem meets Annihilation in this epic science fiction novel by an astrophysicist, following an enclave of humans fighting for survival outside an alien megastructure, struggling to decode a cryptic language that will either return them to Earth or help them endure the savage, uncharted center of the sphere.
When a doctoral student makes the discovery of a lifetime, hardly anyone will believe her...until evidence of a signal from another star system becomes too much to ignore. When an alien starship arrives in Earth orbit, requesting ten thousand humans to board, a strange pseudo-mathematical language emerges that layers all five of the senses. Those who board the ship, bound for the signal’s distant origin, decode an enigmatic This Canon defines the divine will of the Makers.
One hundred years later, the descendants of those who took the trip are at a breaking point. Their home, Yomi, is on a desolate ring orbiting Inworld, a dangerous Eden at the heart of the star system. With their resources running dry, the city is divided between those who want to give up, those who have put all their hope in a rescue mission from Earth, and those who want to travel to Inworld—something forbidden by the punitive laws of the Canon. Laws they’ve spent generations trying to translate. Laws enforced by merciless sentinels.
When possible intelligent life is detected on Inworld, an elite group is dispatched in secret. Some make the journey to search for answers in the Canon. Others are there to contact other sentient creatures, in the hopes of understanding who brought them to this place, and why. No matter their mission, as the team cross the vastness of Inworld, facing predators, homicidal superbeings, and titanic forces of nature, they all must follow one rule. Obey the Canon, or face certain extinction.
When a doctoral student makes the discovery of a lifetime, hardly anyone will believe her...until evidence of a signal from another star system becomes too much to ignore. When an alien starship arrives in Earth orbit, requesting ten thousand humans to board, a strange pseudo-mathematical language emerges that layers all five of the senses. Those who board the ship, bound for the signal’s distant origin, decode an enigmatic This Canon defines the divine will of the Makers.
One hundred years later, the descendants of those who took the trip are at a breaking point. Their home, Yomi, is on a desolate ring orbiting Inworld, a dangerous Eden at the heart of the star system. With their resources running dry, the city is divided between those who want to give up, those who have put all their hope in a rescue mission from Earth, and those who want to travel to Inworld—something forbidden by the punitive laws of the Canon. Laws they’ve spent generations trying to translate. Laws enforced by merciless sentinels.
When possible intelligent life is detected on Inworld, an elite group is dispatched in secret. Some make the journey to search for answers in the Canon. Others are there to contact other sentient creatures, in the hopes of understanding who brought them to this place, and why. No matter their mission, as the team cross the vastness of Inworld, facing predators, homicidal superbeings, and titanic forces of nature, they all must follow one rule. Obey the Canon, or face certain extinction.
- GenresScience FictionAdult
Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A thought-provoking exploration of consciousness, divine law, free will, human purpose, and humanity’s place within the larger universe.
Inworld turned out to be much deeper and more ambitious than I expected when I first picked it up. What begins as an expedition quickly becomes a fight for survival as the characters encounter alien predators, powerful beings, and forces of nature far beyond their control. But beneath the adventure is a much larger exploration of what it means to be human and why humanity exists in the first place.
The characters are searching for answers to some fascinating questions: Who brought humanity to Inworld? Why were they brought there? What exactly is the Canon? And what are the Makers ultimately trying to accomplish? I found these questions to be some of the most interesting parts of the story because they give the adventure a much bigger sense of purpose.
The premise is ambitious and genuinely intriguing, and the world-building creates a lot of potential. I especially enjoyed the combination of advanced alien technology, mysterious forces, and unexplained rules. There’s a constant feeling that there is something much larger happening just beyond the characters’ understanding, which kept me curious about where the story was going. This will likely appeal to readers who enjoy expansive, idea-driven science fiction that isn’t afraid to explore big concepts.
I also liked the unsettling perspective the story creates around humanity’s place in such a vast universe. The characters are confronted with beings and forces so far beyond their comprehension that humanity can seem almost insignificant. At the same time, their determination to keep searching for answers feels deeply human. Even when they don’t understand what they’re facing, they continue to question, explore, and try to make sense of it.
That said, the sheer amount of world-building and philosophical ideas may feel overwhelming for readers who prefer a more straightforward or fast-paced story. There are a lot of concepts, questions, and layers being introduced, and at times the novel can feel like it’s trying to take on a lot at once. For me, though, that ambition was actually one of the things I enjoyed most. The philosophical elements gave the story more depth and encouraged me to think beyond the immediate adventure.
Overall, Inworld is an ambitious and thought-provoking science-fiction novel built around some genuinely big questions. The mystery surrounding the Makers, the Canon, and humanity’s origins kept me interested, but it was the deeper questions that stayed with me most: Why are we here? Is there a larger purpose behind our existence? And how much of our path do we actually get to choose for ourselves?
I found myself thinking about those questions even after I finished the book, and ultimately, that’s what made Inworld memorable for me.
Inworld turned out to be much deeper and more ambitious than I expected when I first picked it up. What begins as an expedition quickly becomes a fight for survival as the characters encounter alien predators, powerful beings, and forces of nature far beyond their control. But beneath the adventure is a much larger exploration of what it means to be human and why humanity exists in the first place.
The characters are searching for answers to some fascinating questions: Who brought humanity to Inworld? Why were they brought there? What exactly is the Canon? And what are the Makers ultimately trying to accomplish? I found these questions to be some of the most interesting parts of the story because they give the adventure a much bigger sense of purpose.
The premise is ambitious and genuinely intriguing, and the world-building creates a lot of potential. I especially enjoyed the combination of advanced alien technology, mysterious forces, and unexplained rules. There’s a constant feeling that there is something much larger happening just beyond the characters’ understanding, which kept me curious about where the story was going. This will likely appeal to readers who enjoy expansive, idea-driven science fiction that isn’t afraid to explore big concepts.
I also liked the unsettling perspective the story creates around humanity’s place in such a vast universe. The characters are confronted with beings and forces so far beyond their comprehension that humanity can seem almost insignificant. At the same time, their determination to keep searching for answers feels deeply human. Even when they don’t understand what they’re facing, they continue to question, explore, and try to make sense of it.
That said, the sheer amount of world-building and philosophical ideas may feel overwhelming for readers who prefer a more straightforward or fast-paced story. There are a lot of concepts, questions, and layers being introduced, and at times the novel can feel like it’s trying to take on a lot at once. For me, though, that ambition was actually one of the things I enjoyed most. The philosophical elements gave the story more depth and encouraged me to think beyond the immediate adventure.
Overall, Inworld is an ambitious and thought-provoking science-fiction novel built around some genuinely big questions. The mystery surrounding the Makers, the Canon, and humanity’s origins kept me interested, but it was the deeper questions that stayed with me most: Why are we here? Is there a larger purpose behind our existence? And how much of our path do we actually get to choose for ourselves?
I found myself thinking about those questions even after I finished the book, and ultimately, that’s what made Inworld memorable for me.
October 6, 2026
Inworld is a sprawling sci-fi epic that follows a cast of intrepid characters tied together by an intriguing plot full of stellar exploration and deep introspection that spans time and space. A scientist decodes a message from a distant star, and takes a journey to follow where it leads her. One of her descendants continues in her footsteps and embarks on a journey to Inworld, the core of a new system to try and find the meaning behind it all.
This is one of the best Science Fiction debuts I’ve read in a long time. The science behind the story is interesting, the characters are complex and likable, and the mystery surrounding Inworld and Canonspace kept me wanting to read more. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an intelligent Sci-fi story with an adventurous spirit at its core.
My thanks to the publisher and the author for sending me an Advance Reader Copy of this book. It was provided to me through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Everything stated in my review is my own opinion written in my own words.
This is one of the best Science Fiction debuts I’ve read in a long time. The science behind the story is interesting, the characters are complex and likable, and the mystery surrounding Inworld and Canonspace kept me wanting to read more. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an intelligent Sci-fi story with an adventurous spirit at its core.
My thanks to the publisher and the author for sending me an Advance Reader Copy of this book. It was provided to me through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Everything stated in my review is my own opinion written in my own words.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First of all, thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free e-copy of Inworld by Arthur H. Manners for review. Inworld is a fantastic and riveting sci-fi epic that follows humanity at their breaking point after they become stranded on a planet that is not Earth for years. The only home they've known is such a harsh and desolate place and so foreign compared to what civilization before has known. What made this large book such a breezy read was the immersive world-building and the deeply rendered characters of Morgan and the others who are simply fighting to survive towards the end of the novel. The novel made it very easy to mentally picture where the characters were and the thoughts swimming in their heads as they tried to overcome this massive obstacle. I will be making sure sci-fi fans hear about Inworld going forward.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a difficult book to rate. It's hard sci-fi. Really hard. And in that sense it helps if your mind has a mathematical bent. If not, you could be lost in word-clouds that have no real meaning, no intrinsic value to you. In my opinion there was too much of this, especially at the outset. A bit of a slog, then. The story spans eras. Characters come and go, and this also can be frustrating. Just as you're getting to know and like characters, they become the new character's ancestors.. But in the novel's defense the central mystery is unique and fascinating, and perhaps that will keep you entertained enough to keep going.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The premise is interesting and I applaud the attempt to grapple with big themes such as humanity's place in the universe, the pursuit of curiosity and knowledge and free will, and the power of stories and language. However, I felt like the story's pacing dragged quite a bit and I found myself bored by it. I felt like I was supposed to be gut-punched emotionally by the twist, but because I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters, it didn't have the emotional depth that I suspect the author was going for. A lot of the science and Canon parts I skimmed and sped through, but I think fans of hard sci-fi will probably enjoy it more than I did.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The description for this book said it was for fans of Annihilation and i definitely am that! I was so excited when i found out i got an advanced copy and the book did not disappoint. Mind-bending from start to end this was an engaging, emotional read that had me staying up into the night trying to find out what would happen next. I can’t believe nobody else has logged this book yet on Goodreads and I feel honored to be the first :) I’ll definitely be recommending it to anyone who’s a sci-fi fan!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
InWorld had some really creative and ambitious ideas, but I struggled with how abstract much of the story felt. The Canon/headspace sequences in particular were just too intangible for me, and I wanted more concrete explanations and world-building to help me understand and visualize what was happening.
The story did pick up for me toward the end, with a reveal I didn’t expect and more of the answers and closure I had been waiting for. There’s a lot of imagination here, but ultimately I had a hard time connecting with the way the story was told.
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
The story did pick up for me toward the end, with a reveal I didn’t expect and more of the answers and closure I had been waiting for. There’s a lot of imagination here, but ultimately I had a hard time connecting with the way the story was told.
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews