{"id":179,"date":"2023-09-20T21:44:06","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T21:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/astratheatre.sheshe.co.uk\/?page_id=179"},"modified":"2024-08-08T15:49:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T15:49:32","slug":"the-books","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/the-books\/","title":{"rendered":"The Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Praise for The Gaia Chronicles <\/em><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018For Hunger Games<\/em> fans of all ages\u2019 \u2013 Library Journal (USA).<\/p>\n

‘A friend, alarmed by my five-year concentration on Middle Eastern problems, recommended Astra<\/em> as an invigorating sort of escapism. She was right. My first experience of SF enchanted and stimulated me \u2013 making me wonder how soon a version of the Astra world could become our reality\u2026\u2019 Dervla Murphy \u2013 author of Full Tilt<\/em> and Eight Feet in the Andes<\/em><\/p>\n

‘Rook Song is thoroughly engrossing, with great edge and energy, full of gritty detail and fierce, intelligent characters. It has the joy of an adventure story and the weight of myth, as crafted by a true storyteller.’ \u2013Bidisha<\/p>\n

‘This is nothing like The Hunger Games<\/em>; this is slow and beautiful and aching, painting a picture of paradise on earth so close to being what it pretends to be that it physically hurts.\u2019 Skydancer8<\/p>\n

\u2018Have you ever read a book that impressed you so much you had no real idea what to say about it\u2026? This is one of those . . . an astounding work of fictional art . . .\u2019 Over The Effing Rainbow<\/p>\n

\u2018a beguiling and absorbing sci-fi\/fantasy novel set in a post-apocalyptic eco-utopia . . . It also happens to be an uplifting celebration of bodily diversity and an illustration of the \u2018social model\u2019 of disability in action.\u2019 Blind Spot<\/p>\n

\u2018 . . . the book promises something even better than a new A Door Into Ocean<\/em>: the possibility of an SF Are You There God? It\u2019s Me, Margaret<\/em> . . . it is nice to see a science fiction novel\u2014crucially one not marketed as YA\u2014taking the Judy Blume approach and confronting angst, lust, alienation, and jealousy (and, of course, menstruation and masturbation) head on.\u2019 Strange Horizons [WARNING: review contains spoilers]<\/p>\n

‘Offering plenty of twists and surprises, Rook Song<\/em> outdoes its predecessor \u2026 Book one was a comment on how society should live to protect the planet, book two is a comment on how people should prevent international conflict and wars. We can only wait with bated breath to see what book three will campaign for.’ – Starburst Magazine<\/p>\n

In [The Blood of the Hoopoe<\/em>], Astra takes us further into the polluted wasteland that lies beyond the paradise she grew up in. It is a place littered with the remains of crimes against Gaia and the evidence of the foolish wars fought in the region. It gives Astra new insights into the world and its history, some of which the Gaian elders did not think needed to be included in her education. The place she travels through is a fascinating mix of truly ancient references and more modern history and mythology . . .\u00a0\u00a0The Gaia theory inspired politics are slightly less prominent in the book but still very noticeable. It\u2019s a combination that continues to attract me. \u2013 \u00a0Val\u2019s Random Comments<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Praise for The Gaia Chronicles   \u2018For Hunger Games fans of all ages\u2019 \u2013 Library Journal (USA). ‘A friend, alarmed by my five-year concentration on Middle Eastern problems, recommended Astra as an invigorating sort of escapism. She was right. My first experience of SF enchanted and stimulated me \u2013 making me wonder how soon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"left-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-179","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Books - Astra Theatre<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/the-books\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Books - Astra Theatre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  Praise for The Gaia Chronicles   \u2018For Hunger Games fans of all ages\u2019 \u2013 Library Journal (USA). ‘A friend, alarmed by my five-year concentration on Middle Eastern problems, recommended Astra as an invigorating sort of escapism. She was right. 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When her scientist mother reveals a dark secret, Astra is thrust on a cosmic quest to heal her broken brother and their toxic world. The Story Set on a hot, post-fossil fuel Earth, ASTRA tells the story of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"The ASTRA logo, a divided triangle inside a sun circle, against a map of Is-Land and non-Land, and a background of fire. ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-content\/uploads\/Logos-and-maps-and-fire.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-content\/uploads\/Logos-and-maps-and-fire.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-content\/uploads\/Logos-and-maps-and-fire.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-content\/uploads\/Logos-and-maps-and-fire.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":375,"url":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/our-vision\/","url_meta":{"origin":179,"position":3},"title":"Our Vision","author":"sheila","date":"August 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20,"url":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/","url_meta":{"origin":179,"position":4},"title":"An Epic Vision","author":"sheila","date":"September 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Writer: Naomi Foyle | Director: Peter Hinton-Davis OC An award-winning, creatively accessible adaptation of Naomi Foyle's critically acclaimed eco-science fantasy quartet The Gaia Chronicles, ASTRA is an epic theatrical work that sets our future on a burning planet centre stage \u2013 urging audiences to believe that, together, humanity can rise\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"British Sign Language Interpreter Sumayya Si-Tayeb, dressed in black with a gold skirt, signs in front of a shadow puppet screen showing a crowd dancing or demonstrating.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/astratheatre.sheshe.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/11C1784_Urbanflo_ASTRA_DP_72dpi-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/astratheatre.sheshe.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/11C1784_Urbanflo_ASTRA_DP_72dpi-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/astratheatre.sheshe.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/11C1784_Urbanflo_ASTRA_DP_72dpi-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/astratheatre.sheshe.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/11C1784_Urbanflo_ASTRA_DP_72dpi-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/astratheatre.sheshe.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/11C1784_Urbanflo_ASTRA_DP_72dpi-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/astratheatre.sheshe.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/11C1784_Urbanflo_ASTRA_DP_72dpi-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10,"url":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/creative-team\/","url_meta":{"origin":179,"position":5},"title":"Our Team","author":"sheila","date":"September 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Naomi Foyle | WRITER Naomi (she\/they) is an award-winning British-Canadian poet, science fiction novelist, verse dramatist and essayist. Her work for theatre includes the libretto for Hush (Theatre Passe Muraille, 1990), a chamber opera co-directed by Peter Hinton-Davis which won three Dora Awards; and \u2018The Strange Wife\u2019 for 66 Books\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Naomi Foyle, a white middle aged woman with short hair, smiling.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/astratheatre.sheshe.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/NaomiBioPic.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260,"href":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/179\/revisions\/260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naomifoyle.com\/astra\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}