New Planet

Martin Vopěnka sets an archetypal, biblical story of love and betrayal in a distant future.

The main character of this sci-fi novel is twelve-year-old Daniel, growing up in a technically advanced, but fully isolated civilization, which is called New Planet. This dehumanized society is divided into two groups: those who are privileged and those who are not. They pretend to have left Earth, but in reality they have only built an impenetrable wall around themselves. The privileged Daniel loves his three step-brothers without knowing they hate him. Due to their betrayal, one day he finds himself lying on a heap of corpses on the other side of the wall. There is no way back, so he has to fight for survival in the underdeveloped world outside. Soon he discovers the terrifying foundations the civilization of the New Planet has been built on.

It is no coincidence that Daniel’s fate is reminiscent of the biblical story of Josef, who was sold to Egypt by his stepbrothers. Like Josef, Daniel becomes responsible for the lives of many people. How will he tackle his extraordinary destiny?

Awards

• The book won the 2016 Golden Ribbon, a Czech award, in the young adult fiction category.

• It was included in the White Raven catalogue of notable titles deserving worldwide attention.

• Čitajuščij Petěrburg (Russia)

Reviews

Book detail

Original title: Nová planeta
Publisher: Mladá fronta 
ISBN: 978-80-204-3731-0
623 pages
Age: 12+

Cover of the book