Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: August 2008
Format: Paperback
UK ISBN: 9781841496207
US ISBN: 9780316068093
UK eISBN: 9780748109081
US eISBN: 9780316075282
Extracts
Here is an extract from the opening of the book.
And here is an extract from a bit later on.
Buying Links:
UK Print: Amazon.co.uk | Book Depository | Play.com | Waterstone’s | WHSmith
UK eBook: Amazon.co.uk | iTunes | KoboBooks | Waterstone’s | WHSmith
US Print: Amazon.com | BarnesandNoble.com | Borders.com | IndieBound.org | HachetteBookGroup.com
About the Book:
Flanagan (who is, for want of a better word, a pirate) has a plan. It seems relatively simple: kidnap Lena, the Cheo’s daughter, demand a vast ransom for her safe return, sit back and wait. Only the Cheo, despotic ruler of the known universe, isn’t playing ball…
This is a story of space pirates and evil empires…mixed with descriptive poetry and narrative craziness and mingled too with the thought-diary of a wicked, selfish, yet also wonderful and heroic thousand year old woman – Lena.
This is science fiction for the post-Matrix generation, full of violence, sex, complex morality, humour, more humour, and dark introspection.
Award winning SF writer Jon Courtenay Grimwood describes this book as: “well written, fast moving and defiantly weird”.
Eric Brown in The Guardian said that it was “so crammed with startling ideas, scintillating prose, incredible aliens and plot twists that it evokes wonder and admiration.” The Times reviewer believed that ‘this is ambitious science ficition, bristling with ideas and a sense of wonder, accessible yet sophisticated, and always fun.”
SF Revu’s reviewer claimed that this is “one of those rare books that holds your focus on every page, and feeds your imagination as it does so”, while The Book Swede described it as a “truly fantastic read.”
Blogger Dave-Brendon de Burgh memorably wrote in his critique: “Reading Debatable Space is akin to being shoved into a washing machine while tripping your brains out – it is such a wild ride that I still find myself amazed that I survived it! Take it from me…Philip Palmer is going to be regarded as one of the legends of SF. This book, as more and more people read it, is going to be held up as one of the most innovative SF novels to hit the shelves in years!” And my friend Jayne Kirkham, who is not a critic or a blogger, and has nothing to do with the SF world, wrote memorably: “I am loving this book. What delicious mouth-watering prose.”
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Having dipped into the Palmer-verse via Version 43, I have just finished Debatable Space, which is a breathtaking 1000 year romp. Exceptionally entertaining, and wonderfully populated. Lena is a hard character to love, but I think watching Flannagan get the better of her is the most satisfying Beatrice and Bennedick moment in fiction!
Thanks for those comments Robin…!
Bought the book in Saigon (limited selection of books in english language there of course, noting in german …) as some german tourist on the way to Vietnam’s “Majorca” (called Phu Quoc) for having … oh, no, kind of devoured it in about three days in between ordinary tropical island activity. And read selected “scenes” over and over again.
Sorry, my english is just not good enough to express my thinking about it. Which are the right words? Lunatic? Mental? Inventive? – All the same: this is just best entertainment for those who appreciate most black humour etc. – and powerful visions about a not that wonderful future. Enjoyed it very much – and asked myself whether I am really mental to do so. Which I quite do consider an achievement for a book …
Regards Walter
Hi Walter – ‘mental’ is a compliment in my book! Really glad you enjoyed…
Since a few days I started training running (C25K) and one of the inspirations that keep flashing through my head when I do it is in the scene early in Debatable Space where the crew visit planet Wild West and have a little fun: specifically the short section where Harry the Loper takes to the track (I have it on page 63/64) and describes how he feels the run, is the run and just runs and runs and runs.
Would you consider releasing this as a mini excerpt for us to share with the online running community? My favorites are the folks at /r/running and /r/rc25k on Reddit.
Hi – that sounds like a great idea. I go running round my local park and much of DS was plotted on those long Sunday morning runs, with an iPod soundtrack blasting as the sun came up.
I don’t know those sites but I’ll check them out and post that excerpt.
Keep on running…
Hi mr. Palmer,
I’ve just finished Sean Williams’s ‘The Grand Conjunction’ and found an excerpt of your book ‘Debatable Space’. Now I’m interested in buying it and your other four books, but I’d really like to have DS with the same type of cover as the other four
Where can I order that (newer?) version? Amazon (co.uk and com) point me to the version with the spaceship on front I’m afraid.
I really would appreciate your help.
Cheers,
Max
Hi Max….unfortunately the snazzy Debatable Space cover is only available for the e-book format. For the tree-book version, it’s only possible to get it with the space ship cover. I do like that early cover but I much prefer the style Orbit adopted for the other books, which they then retro-fitted for the digital DS. Hopefully at some point they’ll issue a version with the new cover but don’t know when that might be.
Enjoy…!