You flew on the wings of dragons, now soar into a sea of stars. Tor Vice President and Publisher Devi Pillai announced the acquisition of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, a new science fiction novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christopher Paolini via Simon Lipskar of Writers House Literary Agency in a seven-figure deal. The book will be jointly edited by Devi Pillai and Executive Editor William Hinton.
During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, xenobiologist Kira Navárez finds an alien relic that thrusts her into the wonders and nightmares of first contact. Epic space battles for the fate of humanity take her to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and, in the process, transform not only her—but the entire course of history.
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is an exciting departure from Paolini’s global phenomenon epic fantasy series; it’s a story of enormous intergalactic weight and consequence, but also of deeply personal human strength, compassion, and awe. Of the acquisition, Pillai remarked, “The opportunity to publish authors of Christopher Paolini’s caliber do not come along often. I have been a tremendous fan of The Inheritance Cycle, and I am thrilled to work with him on his first adult novel and first foray into science fiction. I can’t wait for his fans to read #TSIASOS and enter the amazing world he has created.”
Paolini says of the novel, “I am extremely excited to be working with the awesome folks at Tor Books to publish To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. This book is my love letter to the genre of science fiction. With it, I wanted to capture the sense of wonder I feel when looking at the stars…or when thinking about the future of humanity as it expands beyond Earth. I’ve been working on this story for over six years, and I can’t wait for people to read it!”
Pan Macmillan’s Tor imprint will publish the book in all formats in the UK, and it was acquired by Publisher Jeremy Trevathan with Editorial Director Bella Pagan. Of the acquisition, Trevathan commented, “Christopher Paolini’s new science fiction novel is a complete triumph; everything you’d expect from a writer of his stature and more. We are delighted to be embarking on this publishing adventure together.”
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is planned for publication in the US across all formats on September 15, 2020