Praise for Circular Motion: A Guardian Best Book of 2025 Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize "A debut both wildly imaginative and deeply emotional . With shades of emotional planetary disaster novels like Karen Thompson Walker''s "The Age of Miracles" and politically charged climate fiction like Stephen Markley''s "The Deluge," Circular Motion comes from a writer capable of two things often misconstrued as counter to each other: deep, rich characters and elaborate, challenging ideas."-- Jonathan Russell Clark, Washington Post "Alex Foster''s novel treats climate catastrophe through high-concept satire . It''s a gonzo conceit, and Foster spells out the consequences, his richly rendered characters caught up in their own lives as the world spirals out of control . The increasing whirligig of the many strands of storytelling converge on their inevitable conclusion, with Foster''s sparky writing, clever plotting and biting wit spinning an excellent tale."-- Guardian "Wonderful - maybe my top read of the year so far: disturbing, clever, beautifully written and, like all the best dystopias, it makes me even more grateful for the world I live in now . stunningly impressive."-- Alison Flood, The New Scientist "Impressive .

The work of a writer with real talent. The prose is lively, too: vivid, full of lovely touches, and equally able to describe the large-scale disasters, thunderstorms, earthquakes, end-of-days big-screen doom, and the minutiae of ordinary living."-- Adam Roberts, Guardian "Foster keeps the novel balanced on a knife''s edge between satire and realism, imagining compromises with day contraction that are both ridiculous and extremely plausible . If Foster doesn''t fully give in to the satirical impulse, however, it is because he is too interested in his characters. In those people who, like us, are.affected by, and in some small ways, responsible for, the world''s dissolution."-- Locus "An intense character study, Circular Motion ''s moody prose is entrenched in bottomless loneliness and emotional disrepair . In the pessimistic but thoughtful future-set novel Circular Motion , existential anxieties intermesh and explode as the sun rises and sets with increased frequency.

"-- Foreword "Most end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it novels draw on a short list of culprits: environmental crisis, asteroid strike, pandemic, nuclear war. So it''s to Alex Foster''s credit that in Circular Motion he''s come up with something new . It''s a fable for our times, with a moral about corporate responsibility and the need for concerted political action to address what are clear and present, not to mention hastening, threats. [Foster] shows impressive skill at world building and unbuilding in this well-paced adventure."-- Alex Good, Toronto Star "Foster combines climate-change parable and science fiction in his exciting debut . Foster shines in his condemnation of corporations and their eagerness to deflect attention away from their role in the climate crisis. Fans of gleeful and unflinching satire will find plenty to love."-- Publishers Weekly "An impressive debut.

Foster is a writer of imaginative daring and narrative dexterity."--Jeffrey Eugenides "Circular Motion is a gift: every paragraph offers something to make you think, laugh, feel, or simply look up from the page and sigh in awe or recognition."--Jonathan Safran Foer "I''m a sucker for doomsday novels, but Circular Motion sucker-punched me right in the heart. Brilliantly written and utterly absorbing. Who needs gravity when Alex Foster keeps you absolutely grounded in his prose."--Gary Shteyngart "Circular Motion is a deep investigation of how time is valued in contemporary society, while also being a deftly plotted page-turner. I read it in just a couple of sittings; time flew."--Vauhini Vara, author of The Immortal King Rao, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.