Interstellar Vehicle Archimedes has been hurtling through space for more than five generations, an oasis of heat and light in the middle of absolutely nowhere. But now the ageing starship is preparing to brake, for it is arriving at Destination Star: Tau Ceti, the new home for the space-born descendants of the First Crew.
For trainee engineer Ravinder MacLeod, the world he knows is coming to an end. Once Archimedes succumbs to the gravitational pull of the Destination Star and its (hopefully) habitable planet, there will be no going back – or anywhere else. As Braking Day approaches, Ravi finds himself caught between the rigid requirements of the officer class to which he aspires and his blue-collar, ne’er-do-well family. Unfortunately for Ravi, Boz, his brilliant ex-con cousin, seems determined to make his life difficult – not least by her experiments with forbidden technology.
Then Ravi is assigned to routine maintenance deep in the massive engines of the Archimedes, where, alone and out of contact, he comes face to face with something impossible – mind-breakingly impossible.
Plagued by nightmares and visions and worried that his grip on reality is slipping, Ravi turns to Boz for help. Their search for answers takes them to the jagged place where the ship’s future intersects with its long past. For not everyone is excited to be reaching journey’s end, and the ghosts of the First Crew may not have been fully laid to rest.
For trainee engineer Ravinder MacLeod, the world he knows is coming to an end. Once Archimedes succumbs to the gravitational pull of the Destination Star and its (hopefully) habitable planet, there will be no going back – or anywhere else. As Braking Day approaches, Ravi finds himself caught between the rigid requirements of the officer class to which he aspires and his blue-collar, ne’er-do-well family. Unfortunately for Ravi, Boz, his brilliant ex-con cousin, seems determined to make his life difficult – not least by her experiments with forbidden technology.
Then Ravi is assigned to routine maintenance deep in the massive engines of the Archimedes, where, alone and out of contact, he comes face to face with something impossible – mind-breakingly impossible.
Plagued by nightmares and visions and worried that his grip on reality is slipping, Ravi turns to Boz for help. Their search for answers takes them to the jagged place where the ship’s future intersects with its long past. For not everyone is excited to be reaching journey’s end, and the ghosts of the First Crew may not have been fully laid to rest.
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Reviews
An intelligent, complex work of science fiction . . . combined the qualities of classic Golden Age science fiction with the social issues found in contemporary SF
I doubt I'll read a better SF novel this year
This well-realised debut adopts a refreshingly pragmatic, hopeful stance, showing people overcoming division to secure a common goal
The twisting story keeps you guessing until the end. Generation ships are definitely coming back into fashion and this is a fine addition to the canon
If you're after action, mystery and mind-bending mega-structures, look no further. It zips along with some wonderful world-building and a lot of unexpected turns
An excellent and tense thriller . . . an impressive start for a debut novelist and a very satisfying read
Fast-paced, character driven story, full of action and compelling twists. Oyebanji is definitely an author to watch
Richly imagined
Claustrophobic in the best way possible, Braking Day is a novel that's riven with tension, solid characters, excellent environmental world-building, and some truly mind-warping machines. A pure delight for space opera readers
Engaging, fast-moving, and inventive. The characters and the space environment feel totally real, as do the life-and-death challenges that never miss a step
Adam Oyebanji's BRAKING DAY blows the airlocks off the science fiction mainstay of generation ships with a vibrant world within bulkheads that's as convincing as it is fresh. The characters are fabulous, the world-building impeccable yet never in-your-face, and the plot is breathtaking. All I can say is this is the best SF novel I've read in decades and it may be the best I've ever read. This author is now a must-read for me, and I'm sure he will be for you. Bravo!!
Oyebanji crafts an amazing lived-in world aboard a sprawling generation ship, and a twisty mystery that'll keep you guessing to the very end
BRAKING DAY is an outstanding debut novel that features exceptional world-building and a really well-realised generation ship society. Filled with twists and turns, it kept me guessing in the best way right up until the end
Oyebanji's brilliant debut [is] a vibrant exploration of society aboard a generation starship. Oyebanji builds intrigue upon intrigue through the novel's first half and pays off the suspense with a series of jaw-dropping revelations. Innovative world-building, a plot packed with surprises, and Oyebanji's nuanced exploration of social and cultural shifts make this a must-read for space opera fans
A crystalline, dazzling debut, teeming with life and data and full of breathless, rip-roaring twists and turns. From its first pages, BRAKING DAY grabs you and never lets you go
At its best, Braking Day captures the awe of deep space travel but it remains a personal story about one engineer trying to better their life
This richly imagined, intricately plotted adventure is crammed with ideas, and has many surprises in store