The Rainseekers - by Matthew Kressel (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"A vivid, poignant, and compassionate story about our desperate search for meaning...whether on Earth or far beyond it." --Veronica Roth, New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series

A Most Anticipated Title from NewScientist and FanFi Addict!

A Best Science Fiction Book from BookBub!

Burned out and looking to put her past behind her, a former addict and recovering influencer interviews her fellow travelers en route to witness the first rain on Mars.

Sakunja Salazar had it all. Money, toys, women, and all the drugs money could buy. A breakout Holo influencer, seemingly overnight she lifted her family out of their tiny Mexico City apartment and into the world of the rich and famous. That all changed when she hopped on a rocket and blasted into the cosmos, never to hawk lavender moisturizer again.

What goes up must come down, and when Sakunja finally crashed back down on Mars an alcoholic, addict, and has-been she thought her life was pretty much over. That is, until a magazine editor discovered her photography and offered her a job. Now, she's the resident documentarian on a barebones expedition seeking to be the first humans to witness rain on Mars. For the first time in her life, Sakunja is turning the spotlight on someone else-interviewing her fellow travelers about what brought them to join this incredibly foolhardy crew of souls adrift in a world of danger and awe. And what they discover, both in their stories and their journey, will be more incredible than they could have ever imagined.

Review Quotes

A FanFiAddict Most Anticipated Title!
A NewScientist Best Science Fiction Book of 2026!

"A vivid, poignant, and compassionate story about our desperate search for meaning...whether on Earth or far beyond it." --Veronica Roth, New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent series

"The Rainseekers is a pleasant break from high-stakes sci-fi, and is ultimately something earthbound and relatable: a story about pilgrims on a journey, hoping to see a miracle." --The Wall Street Journal

"Matthew Kressel weaves tales of humor, heartbreak, and high adventure under a changing Martian sky. The Rainseekers is a stirring tribute to human resilience and ingenuity--and simply a whole lot of fun." --Jedediah Berry, author of The Naming Song

"This story reminds me why I read science fiction. The Rainseekers is unflinching and profound, shedding light (and rain) on the search for purpose and wonder." --Sarah Pinsker, Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author of A Song For A New Day and Lost Places

"Kressel's writing is simple yet rich, unspooling a vast breadth of storytelling in a small and compact package that will tug at readers' heartstrings by book's end." --Booklist

"This novella is about the journey and not the destination.... Will appeal to readers who enjoy sci-fi adventures that are about the search for marvels, wonders, and human connections among the stars." --Library Journal

"We could all do with a bit of hope, a bit of wonder, a bit of joy. Matthew Kressel's The Rainseekers delivers exactly that." --Locus

"Lovely and poetic....This is an enjoyable and very human companion piece to terraforming classics such as Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars trilogy." --New Scientist

"Matthew Kressel has a deserved reputation as one of the most inventive authors in the genre.... With The Rainseekers, he may have outdone even himself." --Analog Science Fiction & Fact

"Wonderfully clear and evocative writing. I'd read more SF if there was more like this." --Jeffrey Ford, author of A Natural History of Hell and Ahab's Return

"A story that speaks to our fractured time, and leaves us with both catharsis and hope. I too would risk everything to see the first rainfall on Mars. A lovely piece of work." --Nathan Ballingrud, author of The Strange

"Matt Kressel shows his talent both for robust speculation and deep characterization. Think The Canterbury Tales meets The Martian and start reading!" --James Patrick Kelly, winner of the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards

"This sci-fi pilgrimage [is] the perfect way to end a gloomy winter." --LitHub

Praise for The King of Shards

"A surreal and exotic adventure in a unique mythological setting. Scary, exhilarating fun!" -N.K. Jemisin, multiple Hugo Award-winning author of The Broken Earth trilogy

"A radical reinvention of faith and folklore, not to mention the portal fantasy...majestic, resonant, reality-twisting madness." -NPR

"An imaginative, intelligent, and soaring debut...A hell of lot of fun." -Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World

"With surprising twists and a deep and detailed universe, King of Shards, the first in a trilogy, is likely to be remembered." -Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

"In this prismatic tale of demons, righteous warriors, and multiple universes, Kressel plumbs the depths of Kabbalistic lore to create a unique fantasy cosmos... [An] engaging new epic fantasy." -The Huffington Post

"A robustly imagined fantasy world... pleasingly unpredictable. His skill at extrapolating traditional religious lore into the stuff of fantasy bodes well for future books in the series." -Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Matthew Kressel is a multiple Nebula, World Fantasy, and Eugie Award Finalist. His more than fifty works of short fiction have appeared in Tor.com/Reactor, Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, Analog, Asimov's, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and many other publications, including multiple Year's Best anthologies. He co-hosts the Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series in Manhattan with Ellen Datlow. And he is the creator of the Moksha submissions system.