Edge of the Known World

2025 IBPA Book Awards Gold Winner in Best New Voice: Fiction
2024 Chanticleer International Book Awards Winner in Global Thriller
2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in Best New Fiction
2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in Thriller: Political
2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in Thriller: Techno
2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in Science Fiction: General

“Author Sheri T. Joseph has crafted a riveting novel. . . . a brilliantly original concept that captures you right from the start.” —Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review

“In this smart, multi-layered debut, Joseph constructs a thoughtful dystopian near-future adventure complete with genetic screening, international thrills, playful wit, and a welcome touch of romance. . . . Throughout, Joseph’s vivid worldbuilding and her scarifying descriptions of an oppressive state never detract from the psychological drama of these convincing, complex characters.” —BookLife Reviews

“The skillful writing makes the book a worthy read. . . . A complicated dystopian political thriller enhanced by lively prose.” —Kirkus Reviews

“… a riveting novel of the not-far-enough-away future. It’s a future of familiar challenges—displaced people, xenophobia, technologies that threaten individual privacy. Joseph uses three key characters, and their love triangle, to examine the politics—and uses the politics to highlight personal conflicts.”—Locus Magazine

“A stellar debut! Deftly plotted and expertly executed; Joseph takes readers on a compelling and frightening tale. Alex Tashen is a character worth rooting for. Highly recommended.” —Sheldon Siegel, New York Times best-selling author of Special Circumstances

“Via pristine details, intriguing characters, and such timely themes as technology ethics and societal collapse, Joseph’s broad, bold tale of an any-day-now dystopia never strays from the intimacy of a father and daughter’s mutual love.” —Anita Gail Jones, finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction and author of The Peach Seed

“Edge of the Known World is a compelling story about technology, identity, and privacy that illuminates some of the most pressing questions facing society today.”—Corie Adjmi, Best Book Award and American Fiction Award–winning author of The Marriage Box

“Like all great dystopian fiction writers, Joseph holds a magic mirror to our world in a compelling, complex story.” —Lori Duff, INDIE Awards Gold Medalist and author of Devil’s Defense 

“Sheri T. Joseph blends intellect, wit, and passion in an intricate yet thrilling near-future tale. As readers appreciate the myriad exquisite turns of phrase, they must also grapple with burning issues of genetic testing and personal freedom.” —Jude Berman, author of The Die and The Vow

“Brainy, sexy, funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful, this is literary speculative fiction at its best. This romantic thriller is also a real look at the impact of genetic screening on privacy and belonging in a time just a heartbeat away.” —Leslie K. Barry, Chanticleer Award–winning author of Newark Minutemen 

“Joseph’s wild, far-flung, and intrigue-filled adventures offer much for future diplomats as well as scientists to ponder as they seek to deter future genocides and ethnic cleansings.” —Mary Carlin Yates, Ambassador of the United States and former deputy commander of the US Africa Command