The Quantum Rose

Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Catherine Asaro

Winner of the Nebula Award, this science fiction adventure “features sound characterization, straightforward plotting, abundant world building detail, and almost as much humor” (Booklist).

As the young ruler of a destitute province burdened by obsolete technology, Kamoj Argali must marry to save her people from starvation. She has managed to make peace with her betrothal to the arrogant leader of a wealthy neighboring province. Then Havyrl Lionstar, a mysterious visitor to their land, steps in to claim Kamoj as his wife, sowing chaos in their lives. 

In this science fictional retelling of a classic folk tale, Havryl appears as a beast to Kamoj’s people. But what is the truth behind his strange, erratic behavior? In dealing with the upheavals he brings to their world, Kamoj discovers that the universe is much larger than she ever understood. 

This new edition contains a revised, expanded version of the essay that appeared in the original book, in which Catherine Asaro explains how she found inspiration for The Quantum Rose while earning her doctorate at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, where she studied the quantum theory of scattering processes. 

“A freestanding page-turner as a romance, with a hard science fiction framework.” —Publishers Weekly
“Bolsters [Asaro’s] reputation for skillfully putting classic romance elements in an sf setting.” —Booklist
“Fans of futuristic romance will revel in the delights of a top notch romantic adventure set against an impeccably crafted, richly imagined background.” —Romantic Times

“Sturdy and absorbing.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Asaro plants herself firmly into that grand SF tradition of future history franchises favored by luminaries like Heinlen, Asimov, Herbert, Anderson, Dickson, Niven, Cherryh, and BaxterBaxter.” —Paul Di Filippo, Locus

Contributor Bio

Catherine Asaro is the author of thirty books, ranging from thrillers to science fiction and fantasy. Her novel The Quantum Rose and novella The Spacetime Pool both won the Nebula Award, and she has been nominated for multiple Hugo Awards. Asaro holds a doctorate in chemical physics from Harvard; her research specializes in applying the mathematical methods of physics to problems in quantum physics and chemistry.

Asaro has appeared as a speaker at many institutions, including the Library of Congress, Georgetown’s Communication, Culture, and Technology program, the New Zealand National ConText Writer's program, the Global Competitiveness Forum in Saudi Arabia, and the US Naval Academy. She has been the guest of honor at science fiction conventions across the United States and abroad, including the National Science Fiction Conventions of both Denmark and New Zealand, and served as president for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She can be reached at www.catherineasaro.net and has a Patreon page at www.patreon.com/CatherineAsaro.

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