Circular Motion: One of The Guardian's Best Sci-Fi Books for 2025 - Softcover

Foster, Alex

Softcover

ISBN 10: 180471111X ISBN 13: 9781804711118

Publisher: Grove Press UK, 2026

Synopsis

'Sparky writing, clever plotting and biting wit [spin] an excellent tale' GUARDIAN, BOOKS OF THE YEAR

The acceleration of Earth's spin begins gradually. At first, days are just a few seconds shorter than normal. Awareness of the mysterious phenomenon hasn't reached Tanner, a young man who flees his Alaskan hometown to work at CWC, a corporation which runs a network of massive aircraft that orbit the Earth, allowing people to visit Paris for an evening or order sushi from Japan. But a wave of social unrest presents challenges for CWC.

That unrest sweeps up Winnie. A high school outcast, she falls in with a group of teen activists who blame the company for the planet's acceleration. As days on Earth quicken to twenty-three hours, then twenty, the sun rising and setting ever faster, causing violent storms and political meltdowns, Tanner and Winnie's stories spiral closer together.

Three-hour days. Two-hour days . . .

A propulsive exploration of capitalism, technology, and our place within a system that dwarfs us, Circular Motion is one of the most ingenious debut novels of our time.

About this title

About the Author

Alex Foster received his MFA from New York University, where he served as fiction editor of Washington Square Review. Previously, he studied economics at the University of Chicago and conducted research for the U.S. government and for the World Bank's Gender Innovation Lab in West Africa. Circular Motion is his first novel.

From the Back Cover

A brilliantly imagined literary debut of love, despair and two people's search for belonging in a world literally spinning out of control.

Edition details

• Publisher: Grove Press UK
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 180471111X
• ISBN 13: 9781804711118
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368