Narrator James Fouhey serves up a delicious feast of a performance in this unusual combination of science fiction, philosophy, and food. When teenaged Kenna stumbles onto the opportunity for a meal at the greatest restaurant in the universe, he doesn’t know that it will upend his entire existence. Fouhey gives his all to the melodramatic action of a high-stress space kitchen. He enthusiastically embodies flamboyant chef Paulius, spidery manager Scrimshaw, and a whole rogue’s gallery of kitchen outcasts. Fouhey perfectly pitches young Kenna as somber and reserved—in contrast to the raucous found family whose members slowly bring him out of his shell as he discovers his personal philosophy and learns to craft the perfect meal. N.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
The Sol Majestic: A novel
Narrated by James Fouhey
Ferrett SteinmetzUnabridged — 13 hours, 5 minutes
The Sol Majestic: A novel
Narrated by James Fouhey
Ferrett SteinmetzUnabridged — 13 hours, 5 minutes
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Overview
"Narrator James Fouhey serves up a delicious feast of a performance in this unusual combination of science fiction, philosophy, and food." - AudioFile Magazine
The Sol Majestic is a big-hearted and delightful intergalactic adventure for fans of Becky Chambers and The Good Place.
"A feast of a book.”-Hugo Award-winning author Seanan McGuire
Kenna, an aspirational teen guru, wanders destitute across the stars as he tries to achieve his parents' ambition to advise the celestial elite.
Everything changes when Kenna wins a free dinner at The Sol Majestic, the galaxy's most renowned restaurant, giving him access to the cosmos's one-percent. His dream is jeopardized, however, when he learns his highly-publicized "free meal" risks putting The Sol Majestic into financial ruin. Kenna and a motley gang of newfound friends-including a teleporting celebrity chef, a trust-fund adrenaline junkie, an inept apprentice, and a brilliant mistress of disguise-must concoct an extravagant scheme to save everything they cherish. In doing so, Kenna may sacrifice his ideals-or learn even greater lessons about wisdom, friendship, and love.
Utterly charming and out of this world, Ferrett Steinmetz's The Sol Majestic will satisfy the appetites of sci-fi aficionados and newcomers alike.
Editorial Reviews
“Much like the kitchen in which it’s set, Steinmetz’s culinary space opera is filled with variety. At its heart, it’s a complex, chaotic, and mystifying coming-of-age story of a young man becoming a lover, an aesthete, and an activist....Steinmetz (The Uploaded) elevates his story with lush details and vividly rendered characters, crafting a memorable love letter to the nourishment of body and soul as well as the dignity of work and service.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The Sol Majestic by Ferrett Steinmetz is not a love letter: it's a love asterisk, a love starburst, radiating out in so many contradictory directions that it shouldn't possibly work, and yet somehow, gloriously, does.
It is a feast of a book!” —New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire
“Ferrett's fiction always has something clever and hungry about it, and The Sol Majestic is no exception - if anything it's the logical next step, and his pinnacle so far. Strange, rich, thoughtful, and just plain fun - this is a book to swallow whole.” — Cherie Priest, Hugo and Nebula Award nominated author for Boneshaker
“There are moving tales and clever tales. This one happens to be both. Steinmetz never ceases to amaze.”— Ken Liu, Author of The Dandelion Dynasty and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
“If Baz Luhrmann was going to direct an episode of Chef's Kitchen, this book would be the result. Steinmetz has brought his signature high-saturation prose to questions of identity, truth, faith, food, and sex in this completely one-of-a-kind book. It grabbed me by the brain and didn't let go until long after I got to the end.” – Hugo and Campbell award finalist Sarah Gailey, author of River of Teeth
“Dizzying, beautiful worldbuilding with characters that make you ache. Damn this book is good.” – Hugo Award finalist Mur Lafferty, author of Six Wakes
“From the first hors d'oeuvre to the last bite of dessert, there is a complexity of characters, motivations, and love. Compelling and delicious!” –Lawrence M. Schoen, author of The Moons of Barsk
“Steinmetz builds up to a suspenseful finale that's deliciously satisfying. An uneven first course, but the meal as a whole is worth savoring.” —Kirkus Reviews
Narrator James Fouhey serves up a delicious feast of a performance in this unusual combination of science fiction, philosophy, and food. When teenaged Kenna stumbles onto the opportunity for a meal at the greatest restaurant in the universe, he doesn’t know that it will upend his entire existence. Fouhey gives his all to the melodramatic action of a high-stress space kitchen. He enthusiastically embodies flamboyant chef Paulius, spidery manager Scrimshaw, and a whole rogue’s gallery of kitchen outcasts. Fouhey perfectly pitches young Kenna as somber and reserved—in contrast to the raucous found family whose members slowly bring him out of his shell as he discovers his personal philosophy and learns to craft the perfect meal. N.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
2019-03-18
The richest people in the galaxy have to make reservations years in advance to eat at the Sol Majestic, but each night the restaurant gives a free meal to whomever can best answer a simple question: Why do you love food?
When Kenna stumbles on the line of people waiting to answer this question, he is starving and barely alive. He's a member of a religious class called the Inevitable Philosophers, who used to command immense power but have since fallen out of favor, leaving Kenna and his parents scrounging to feed themselves. Despite their plight, Kenna's parents are still devoted to their personal "Inevitable Philosophies," simple ideas like "I will lead my people out of darkness" that form the foundation of all their actions and beliefs. Kenna, however, is struggling to keep the faith. Bewildered by the idea of enjoying the kind of exotic cuisine offered by a restaurant like the Sol Majestic, Kenna hopes that if he had "one good meal, to show [him] what life [he] could dream about," then maybe he'd discover his Philosophy. Much to his surprise, Kenna is swept into the hallowed halls of the Sol Majestic by its eccentric and volatile leader, Paulius, who introduces him to a world of not just fantastic food, but of friendship, love, and purpose. When Paulius decides to risk everything to host an epic meal in the traditional style of the Inevitable Philosophies, Kenna finds that the fates of the restaurant and his new group of friends all rest on his ability to fake a religion he isn't sure he can believe in anymore. The colorful cast of characters feels cartoonish at the beginning, and there are pivotal scenes that are too melodramatic to make an emotional impact. But as the story progresses, Kenna and his friends gain much-needed depth, and the villain introduced toward the end is all the more terrifying for being true to life. By the end, Steinmetz (The Uploaded, 2017, etc.) builds up to a suspenseful finale that's deliciously satisfying.
An uneven first course, but the meal as a whole is worth savoring.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940173669964 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Macmillan Audio |
| Publication date: | 06/11/2019 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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