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A Planet Called Happy
  • Published: 23 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529934908
  • Imprint: Del Rey
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $49.99

A Planet Called Happy

Formats & editions
EBook
23 July 2026
Audiobook
23 July 2026
Hardback
23 Aug 2026
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A brand new adventure exploring the meaning of happiness, from the author of The Last Gifts of the Universe.

Ellis appears to have it all – a great job, a loving girlfriend, and a loyal dog – yet each morning he wakes up feeling that something is missing. In a desperate quest for true happiness, he boards a luxury shuttle to Planet Happy, a hedonistic paradise where guests seek the elusive ‘Happiness X’, the trademarked secret to instant joy.

There, he encounters Nara, a VIP attendant with her own dreams of freedom, whose job is to ensure Ellis has the time of his life. But when an activist group disrupts their plans, Ellis and Nara embark on a thrilling adventure that challenges their understanding of happiness and the influence of corporate power.

Will they find what they’re searching for, or is there more to Planet Happy than what’s in the brochure?

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Praise for Riley August:

'Riley August is a major new voice in science fiction and I will read anything they write' Nadia El-Fassi

‘Raw, funny, and wise.' Julie Leong

‘Last Gifts is a quietly profound story about grief, purpose, and our place in the universe – told with a touch of humor, and a dash of adventure. Come for the cat, stay for the story.’ Sunyi Dean
  • Published: 23 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529934908
  • Imprint: Del Rey
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $49.99

Also by Riley August

The Last Gifts of the Universe
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Praise for A Planet Called Happy

A Planet Happy Called Happy really did make me happy. This book was a cosy, scathing takedown of AI and surveillance capitalism – an echo of the primal scream we all let out each time a chatbot asks how it can help us. Riley August just writes science fiction at its best.

Olivia Atwater, author of Half A Soul

At once fun, satirical, and sharply prescient, this wild adventure of a novel holds up a broken mirror to our own world and asks: are you happy yet? I loved every moment and hit the last page feeling both thoughtful and uplifted.

Sierra Branham, author of Love Galaxy