Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh book cover

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Some Desperate Glory

440 pages 2023 Science Fiction, Space Opera 🌶️ Clean Standalone

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The Vibe

Kyr grew up on a dying space station, trained to be a weapon against the alien species that destroyed Earth. She's the perfect soldier — until she discovers everything she was raised to believe is a lie. Tesh writes the best deradicalization narrative in science fiction: how do you leave a cult when the cult is all you've ever known?

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Content Heads-Up

Radicalization
Violence
Genocide themes
War

Is This Book for You?

Skip if you dislike:

Need light sci-fi
No military themes

Ending: Transformative

Pacing: Fast

What This Book Feels Like

Moods: Intense Deradicalizing Queer Military

Tropes: Child Soldier Cult Deprogramming Alien AI Multiple Timelines

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The Fifth Season

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An Unkindness of Ghosts

Same generation-ship political awakening

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it about deradicalization?

Central — Kyr's journey from true believer to free thinker is the entire arc.

Is it queer?

Yes — queerness is part of Kyr's self-discovery.

Did it win awards?

Hugo Award winner 2024.

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