Radiance: A Novel

Name: Radiance: A Novel
Price: 9.62 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4 (260 reviews)
Author: Catherynne M. Valente

by Catherynne M. Valente

Literary Fiction Science Fiction

4.0 (260)

4.0 stars from 260 reviews

432 pages~7.2 hr readPublished by Tor BooksPublished 2001-01-01

$9.62Deal36% off peak

Last checked: Jun 3, 2026

Price history: $2.99 – $14.99

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Price range: $2.99 – $14.99

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Perfect for you if...

You love sprawling, formally inventive narratives that use unconventional structures like found documents and gossip columns to tell their story.
You're drawn to lush, detailed worldbuilding with a retro-futuristic aesthetic where every planet has its own strange culture and economy.
You appreciate literary science fiction that treats grand themes like loss, family legacy, and human connection with genuine emotional weight beneath the cosmic scope.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer straightforward, plot-driven narratives with clear resolutions over experimental storytelling that rewards careful reading.
You want fast-paced action and adventure rather than philosophical exploration of love and grief set against an otherworldly backdrop.
You're looking for hard science fiction grounded in real physics rather than a deliberately fantastical reimagining of the solar system inspired by classic pulp.

About this book

In an alternate 1986, talking movies are still a recent innovation due to patent control by the Edison family. Severin Unck, daughter of a famous Gothic romance director, rebels against her father's work by making documentaries. She travels through space investigating levitator cults on Neptune and lawless saloons on Mars, exploring a solar system where all planets are inhabited and travel occurs via rockets. Severin considers herself a realist in this fantastic universe. Her final film investigates the disappearance of a diving colony on Venus, a watery world populated by island-sized alien creatures. Though her crew returns to Earth and her story is preserved by the colony's last survivor, Severin does not return. Told through techniques drawn from reality TV, classic film, gossip magazines, and meta-fictional narrative, Radiance explores themes of love, exploration, family, loss, quantum physics, and silent film across the solar system.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$2.99 – $14.99

Currently on sale at $9.62 — 36% off peak. Price has dropped 5 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 286 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #78K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Climbing the charts — 40% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

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Currently 4.0★ from 260 reviews

Gaining approximately 1 new review per month. Rating has climbed from 3.9 to 4.0. Recent readers are rating it higher.

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Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $9.62. It typically returns to around $14.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.