HOLD BACK THE STARS

HOLD BACK THE STARS is the story of Max and Carys’s entire relationship, told in real-time, as they fall through space with only 90 minutes of air remaining, intercut with memories of their life on a utopian earth. Like Gravity crossed with One Day, the narrative moves between the present (in space), and the past (down on Earth), and seeks to combine the chemistry of When Harry Met Sally with the futuristic landscapes of Station Eleven.

Set after the inevitable self-destruction of the Middle East and USA, the rest of the world has formed a multicultural utopia in which individuals move often, living in mixed European communities (Voivodes) where they are responsible for their own actions, no longer fudged in the name of god, king or country. The story follows Max and Carys, who meet after Max answers Carys’s query on the MindShare (the Twitter of the future). They spark and a date seems likely; though Max, staunchly pro-utopian and therefore individual, realises with some trepidation that Carys is someone he might want to stay with long-term – which is impossible. Despite the odds, their relationship survives as they rotate separately through the different Voivodes, finally requesting a repeal of society’s rules so they can be together.

HALCYON opens in the present, as Max and Carys fall together through space. As their 90 minutes of remaining air ticks down, they fight to survive, attempting to create chemical reactions in their packs and dealing with the science of micro-gravity, before falling deep into a hazardous asteroid field. The connection between their time on Earth and their present dilemma in space becomes clear when, at the very end, one is offered the chance of salvation – but which? Here the timeline fractures to explore whether we ever really move on from our first love, and if it’s just human nature to be unhappy and rebel against the rules, even in a perfect world.

It’s a big blockbuster of a book, and will appeal to the same readership as THE MARTIAN, STATION ELEVEN and THE TIME TRAVELLER’S WIFE – it’s incredibly filmic and commercial, but with a clever high-concept edge.

Katie Khan works in marketing for Paramount, and is a graduate of the Faber Academy Novel Writing Course (other notable students of which include SJ Watson (Before I Go To Sleep), Rachel Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) and Renee Knight (Disclaimer).)