**A “highly imaginative and utterly exhilarating” ( *Thrillist* ) debut that is “the best of what science fiction can be: a thought-provoking, heartrending story about the choices that define our lives” ( *Kirkus Reviews* , Best Debut Fiction and Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year)**. **FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY *TORDOTCOM *AND* KIRKUS REVIEWS*** **A mysterious child lands in the care of a solitary woman, changing both of their lives forever.** ** ** *I expected many things from this trip.* *I did not expect a family.* A ship captain, unfettered from time. A mute child, burdened with unimaginable power. A millennia-old woman, haunted by lifetimes of mistakes. In this captivating debut of connection across space and time, these outsiders will find in each other the things they lack: a place of love and belonging. A safe haven. A new beginning. But the past hungers for them, and when it catches up, it threatens to tear this makeshift family apart. **Praise for *The Vanished Birds*** “This is the most impressive debut of 2020.” ***—Locus*** “This extraordinary science fiction epic, which delves deep into the perils of failing to learn from one’s mistakes, is perfect for fans of big ideas and intimate reflections.” ***—Publishers Weekly* (starred review)** “A lyrical and moving narrative of space travel, found families, and lost loves set against an evocative space-opera background.” ***—Booklist* (starred review)** “ *The Vanished Birds* finds an intimate heartbeat of longing in a saga of galactic progress and its crushing fallout. . . . A novel of vast scope that yet makes time for compassion, wonder, and poetry.” **—Indra Das, author of *The Devourers***