The Unfixed Stars [Paperback]

'I absolutely loved this novel, which is based on real events . . . Byers evokes the character of Clyde - a difficult, simple man - with great warmth and wit. Another dimension to the story is the wonderful Felix DuPrie, the rich industrialist who comes West to find dinosaurs and, if possible, God. Think of the great open spaces of a John Steinbeck novel. Think of the gin-and-jazz era of Scott Fitzgerald sent through the prism of a fine modern imagination. The result adds up to a great saga of ideas. --Readers Digest

'An interesting and enjoyable take on the talk of the young man who found one of the Solar System's most famous inhabitants.' --BBC Focus Magazine

'The novel explores the disparities of Depression-era America, pits the rundown Lowell Observatory in Kansas against Harvard and adds in some interesting plots.' -- Choice magazine

'The Unfixed Stars is ambitious in its scope, but to read it is to entrust yourself to a writer in seemingly complete control . . . Byers strikes a gentle, generous tone in his narration, subtly inflecting it with their perspectives and idioms, and allowing each of his protagonists to arrive at moments of satisfaction, or optimism, or closure.' --Times Literary Supplement

'It is a rich mix of characters, and Byers handles them assuredly. He has the rare ability to make a multistranded story seem utterly coherent and seamless. Their tales are suffused with a lovely sense of the period . . . Above all there is a poetry in Byers's prose that is utterly mesmerising . . . This is a breathtaking, triumphant book . . . IIf a passing alien were to be curious about the hopes, dreams and fears of the species who launched the probe, The Unfixed Stars would be a good place to start.' -- The Times

'Byers writes with great style, bringing to life the flapper era of 1930s America . . . This novel proves a fascinating read however, providing a glimpse into a truly explosive time in history.' -- Liverpool Daily Post via Press association

'A myriad cast of delicately and sensitively drawn characters . . . The Unfixed Stars is not only about planets and space; it is about how human beings revolve around one another, acting and reacting according to other people's orbits - and, as the Earth needs the sun, we all need light and warmth in our lives.' --Daily Mail

'A myriad cast of delicately and sensitively drawn characters...The Unfixed Stars is not only about planets and space; it is about how human beings revolve around one another, acting and reacting according to other people's orbits - and, as the Earth needs the sun, we all need light and warmth in our lives.' --Daily Mail

'Byers writes with great style, bringing to life the flapper era of 1930s America...This novel proves a fascinating read however, providing a glimpse into a truly explosive time in history.' --Press Association

'The Unfixed Stars is ambitious in its scope, but to read it is to entrust yourself to a writer in seemingly complete control...Byers strikes a gentle, generous tone in his narration, subtly inflecting it with their perspectives and idioms, and allowing each of his protagonists to arrive at moments of satisfaction, or optimism, or closure.' --Times Literary Supplement

'It is a rich mix of characters, and Byers handles them assuredly. He has the rare ability to make a multistranded story seem utterly coherent and seamless. Their tales are suffused with a lovely sense of the period...Above all there is a poetry in Byers's prose that is utterly mesmerising...This is a breathtaking, triumphant book...If a passing alien were to be curious about the hopes, dreams and fears of the species who launched the probe, The Unfixed Stars would be a good place to start.' --The Times

'A particularly moving story'
--Sunday Times

The Unfixed Stars is a novel inspired by one of the most dramatic scientific events of the 20th century: the discovery of Pluto, the hypothetical ninth planet beyond Neptune, in 1930.