The Ragged Astronauts
First edition cover
AuthorBob Shaw
Cover artistAlan Brooks
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SeriesLand and Overland
Release number
1
GenreScience fiction
PublisherGollancz
Publication date
1986
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages310
AwardsBSFA Award for Best Novel (1986)
ISBN978-0-575-03639-0
OCLC59196211
Followed byThe Wooden Spaceships 

The Ragged Astronauts is a novel by Bob Shaw published in 1986 by Gollancz. It is the first book in the series Land and Overland. It won the BSFA Award for Best Novel.

Plot summary

The Ragged Astronauts is a novel in which people can use a hot-air balloon for interplanetary travel between twin planets that share the same atmosphere.[1] The feudal residents of Land have to migrate to the nearby planet of Overland due to overexploitation of resources on their homeworld. The story is told from the perspective of nobleman Toller Maraquine who clashes with a military Prince before and during the chaotic evacuation accelerated by rioting and a global pandemic.

Reception

Dave Langford reviewed The Ragged Astronauts for White Dwarf #81, and stated that "Pi, in this book, equals 3. Therefore the universe isn't ours, the gravitational constant is different, and physicists will kindly pipe down."[1]

Reviews

Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Ref.
1986 BSFA Award for Best Novel Won [2]
1987 Arthur C. Clarke Award Nominated [3]
1987 Hugo Award for Best Novel Nominated [4]
1987 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel 25 [5]

References

  1. ^ a b Langford, Dave (September 1986). "Critical Mass". White Dwarf. Games Workshop (81): 16.
  2. ^ "Previous BSFA Award winners". British Science Fiction Association. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Arthur C. Clarke Award 1987". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  4. ^ "1987 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  5. ^ "Locus Awards 1987". Science Fiction Awards Database. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
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