The All-Consuming World - by Cassandra Khaw (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"A visionary, foul-mouthed, gory sci-fi adventure, dripping viscera, violence, and beauty in equal measure."--NPR

In space, everything hungers.

Maya has died and been resurrected into countless cyborg bodies during her dangerous career with the Dirty Dozen, the most storied crew of criminals in the galaxy before their untimely and gruesome demise. Decades later, she and her team of broken, diminished outlaws must get back together to solve the mystery of their last, disastrous mission and to rescue a missing and much-changed comrade . . . but they're not the only ones in pursuit of the secret at the heart of the planet Dimmuborgir.

The highly evolved AI of the galaxy will do whatever it takes to keep humanity from regaining control. As Maya and her comrades spiral closer to uncovering the AIs' vast conspiracy, this band of violent women--half-clone and half-machine--must battle both sapient ageships and their own traumas, in order to settle their affairs once and for all.

Review Quotes

"A visionary, foul-mouthed, gory sci-fi adventure, dripping viscera, violence, and beauty in equal measure. . . . will consume your attention and linger in your thoughts, a very good ride and a remarkable what-if." --NPR Books on The All-Consuming World

"An explosive, lyrical, foul-mouthed science fiction novel in which tech­nological advances fail to silence the most basic human emotions, The All-Consuming World . . . proves Khaw is exactly what readers of their shorter work have known for a long time: Khaw is one of the most exciting voices in contemporary genre fiction." --Locus on The All-Consuming World

"Reminds me of the first time I read Snow Crash -- The All-Consuming World has that frenetic, urgent energy that doesn't so much compel you to read further as it grabs you by the chin and drags you across the pages. Khaw has written a surly, sneering, zero-g, sharp-toothed poem of vulgarity and violence, and I am here for every electric word of it." --Chuck Wendig, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Wanderers on The All-Consuming World

"What a @#*% ride! Cassandra Khaw has written an utterly bold and bombastic sci-fi novel--complete with sentient warships, conniving AI, and quite possibly the most dangerous and violent foul-mouthed lady cyborg mercenaries in the known universe! And I am absolutely here for all of it! Khaw has built a world as scarily beautiful and complex as their expansive imagination. Be warned though: once this book gets a hold of you, it won't let go until the mind-bending, explosive end!" --P. Djèlí Clark, award-winning author of Ring Shout on The All-Consuming World

"Khaw's first full-length novel is a sensory deluge of language and action that will sweep readers away in a flood of joyful, violent abandon." --Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW on The All-Consuming World

"Unwholesomely eldritch....Hellebore is a perilous place you'll definitely want to visit." --The New York Times on The Library at Hellebore

"Khaw reminds us why they're considered one of the best prose stylists in the horror game...The Library at Hellebore [is] one of the finest horror books you're likely to pick up this summer." --Paste Magazine on The Library at Hellebore

"This is the punk rock, eldritch god, carnage-fueled battle royale dark academia. The Library at Hellebore is more metal than I'll ever be and too cool for most of you." --Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six on The Library at Hellebore

"Khaw's writing will have you by the throat...Gory, gruesome, and gloriously gripping!" --RuNyx, New York Times bestselling author of Gothikana on The Library at Hellebore

"As rich and gruesome as a fresh-plucked heart...The Library at Hellebore is a perfect horror novel by one of my favorite writers." --Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author on The Library at Hellebore

"Wonderfully inventive and thoroughly engrossing. Khaw takes dark academia to a terrifying new level." --Kelley Armstrong, #1 New York Times bestselling author on The Library at Hellebore

"A gorgeous, gory shuddering heart of a book! Khaw's prose and storytelling remain god-tier!" --Katee Robert, New York Times bestselling author on The Library at Hellebore

"Khaw's poetic prose and stylish approach to gore make it a blood-soaked, unforgettable gem." --The New York Times on The Salt Grows Heavy

"Devastatingly effective...a folklore-infused world that feels wholly unique. Expertly blending a gothic atmosphere with elements of splatterpunk, this brilliant novella is not to be missed." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW on The Salt Grows Heavy

"With this brilliantly constructed tale that consciously takes on a well-known story and violently breaks it open to reveal a heartfelt core, Khaw cements their status as a must-read author." --Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW on The Salt Grows Heavy

About the Author