Theory of Bastards

Name: Theory of Bastards
Price: 16.71 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.3 (965 reviews)
Author: Schulman, Audrey

by Schulman, Audrey

Literary Fiction Science Fiction

4.3 (965)

4.3 stars from 965 reviews. Top 90% of Literary Fiction books we track.

358 pages~6 hr readPublished by Europa Editions

$16.71Near peak price

Last checked: May 24, 2026

Price history: $1.99 – $17.99

While not the biggest discount we've seen for this book, it's still a great deal and we recommend grabbing it before price returns to its normal range.

Price range: $1.99 – $17.99

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Perfect for you if...

You're drawn to literary science fiction that treats complex science seriously and uses it to explore what makes us human.
You enjoy character-driven narratives where the personal stakes matter as much as the intellectual ones.
You appreciate speculative fiction that's grounded in real research and doesn't shy away from messy, morally complicated relationships.

Maybe not for you if...

You want plot-driven action and spectacle. This is quiet, thoughtful, and moves at a meditative pace.
You prefer your science fiction to focus on technology and world-building rather than interpersonal dynamics and primate behaviour.
You need clear resolutions and tidy endings. The book sits with ambiguity and doesn't resolve everything neatly.

About this book

In a near-future world marked by coastal flooding, Midwest dust storms, and neural implants connecting humans to the Web, Dr. Francine Burk has made a breakthrough in primate sexuality research. After surgery funded by her MacArthur Award, she accepts a position at a prestigious research institute to verify her Theory of Bastards. Frankie relocates from Manhattan to a research campus outside Kansas City to study bonobos. She discovers the animals have distinct personalities and works closely with a research partner whose past is complicated. When the campus faces a sudden emergency, the boundaries between researcher and subject—and between colleague and companion—become unclear. The novel examines communication, the consequences of technological progress, and love. It won the Philip K. Dick Award and the 2019 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Speculative Fiction, and was named one of The Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Fiction in 2018.

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Price History

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

$1.99 – $17.99

Price has dropped 27 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 80 days.

Sales Rank

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

Currently around #699K in the Kindle store — a niche title. Climbing the charts — 21% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.3★ from 965 reviews

Review activity has been quiet recently. Rating has remained stable at 4.3 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

This book goes on sale roughly every 80 days. Next drop estimated in about 10 weeks. Typical discount: 89% off.

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.