Engagement:
Genre:
Science Fiction
Published:
2019
Page Count:
165
Where to Buy:
To Be Taught, If Fortunate
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Content Ratings
Mild Themes
The novella explores the meaning of scientific exploration when civilization may not survive to receive the results, the ethics of altering one's own body to adapt to alien environments, and the quiet courage of choosing discovery over safety.
No Violence
There is no violence; the story's tension is entirely philosophical and emotional.
Synopsis
A small crew of scientists on a long-range exploration mission to distant habitable worlds sends a message back to Earth asking whether anyone is still listening—and the novella is that message, a record of four worlds encountered and the team's growing uncertainty about whether there is anything to return to. A quiet, beautiful meditation on the purpose of exploration and the meaning of connection across impossible distance. Chambers at her most distilled.