July Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club: Ode to the Half-Broken

Schedule

Fri Jul 24 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Old Town Books | Alexandria, VA

Advertisement
Join us for a discussion of our July Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club pick: Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer
About this Event

Old Town Books' Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Club is free and open to the public. While buying the book at OTB is not required to attend, we would greatly appreciate it to help keep our free literary programming sustainable! Buy your copy of Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer at the shop or online and note "book club" to get 10% off.

By attending any and all Old Town Books events you are agreeing to our code of conduct.

Old Town Books is committed to creating accessible events and spaces for the widest possible audience. Please reach out to us at [email protected] for reasonable accessibility accommodations.

About the book:

In the abandoned New York Botanical Gardens, forty years after the world nearly ended, a worn-out robot is attacked, and realizes old evils are stirring
Wrestling with themes of loneliness, connection, and purpose, this hope-punk sci-fi is for fans of Becky Chambers’s Monk & Robot duology—featuring a cyborg dog!
Thirty years ago the world nearly ended.
Be was there, but the old robot has since settled into a life of isolation in the abandoned New York Botanical Gardens, determined to forget their role in that cataclysmic conflict.
But then they wake up in a bathtub. And their leg is missing. And the only one to ask for help is a very chatty cyborg dog. Be may want to forget the world, but it seems the world hasn’t forgotten them.
Forced out of solitude, Be embarks on a quest to reclaim their leg, accompanied by that talkative (read: smart-ass) dog and a human mechanic with nightmares of her own. Their motley crew soon discovers that recovery from the war is uneven and faltering, and Be begins to suspect a malicious hand trying to rekindle old conflicts. In order to stop them, Be needs to come to terms with both their own past and who they have become. Being left alone is no longer an option, and peace may be impossible.
A tale of resilience and hope, this is an ode to those struggling to become whole in a world half-broken.

Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Old Town Books, 130 South Royal Street, Alexandria, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 0.00

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Old Town Books

Host or Publisher Old Town Books

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in Alexandria

Alexandria Beats, Bites and Brews
Sat, 01 Aug at 11:00 am Alexandria Beats, Bites and Brews

John Carlyle Square Park

August Improv Comedy Show with the Auxiliary
Sat, 01 Aug at 08:00 pm August Improv Comedy Show with the Auxiliary

The Lyceum: Alexandria's History Museum

COMEDY NONPROFIT
MV Ward 2d Hour Classes
Sun, 02 Aug at 11:30 am MV Ward 2d Hour Classes

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

RELIGIOUS
MV Youth Activities
Wed, 05 Aug at 07:00 pm MV Youth Activities

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

RELIGIOUS
Creative Book Club at Del Ray Artisans (Book for January 10 & April 11)
Sat, 10 Jan at 10:00 am Creative Book Club at Del Ray Artisans (Book for January 10 & April 11)

Del Ray Artisans

ART FINE-ARTS
Book Lovers' Night Out
Thu, 12 Feb at 07:00 pm Book Lovers' Night Out

Old Town Books

PARTIES ENTERTAINMENT
February Queer Book Club: Palaver
Fri, 13 Feb at 07:00 pm February Queer Book Club: Palaver

Old Town Books

ART LITERARY-ART
Let Me Handle Your Heart: An Intimate Black Love Day Literary Conversation
Fri, 13 Feb at 08:00 pm Let Me Handle Your Heart: An Intimate Black Love Day Literary Conversation

2417 Mt Vernon Ave

ART LITERARY-ART
February  JAMS (Judy's Altered Minds) Meeting at Artistic Artifacts
Sun, 15 Feb at 01:30 pm February JAMS (Judy's Altered Minds) Meeting at Artistic Artifacts

Artistic Artifacts

MEETUPS ART
February Fiction Book Club: Make Your Way Home
Tue, 17 Feb at 07:00 pm February Fiction Book Club: Make Your Way Home

Old Town Books

ART LITERARY-ART
Rachel Reid Book Club-Meeting One
Wed, 18 Feb at 07:00 pm Rachel Reid Book Club-Meeting One

301 Cameron St

MEETUPS
Beginner's Bookclub- February Discussion
Thu, 19 Feb at 07:00 pm Beginner's Bookclub- February Discussion

301 Cameron St

February Bad Romance Book Club: Silver & Blood
Fri, 20 Feb at 07:00 pm February Bad Romance Book Club: Silver & Blood

Old Town Books

MEETUPS ART
To Be Read Book Club: Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Sat, 21 Feb at 12:00 pm To Be Read Book Club: Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

2200 Mt Vernon Ave

TRIPS-ADVENTURES ART
Classics Book Club: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Mon, 23 Feb at 06:00 pm Classics Book Club: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

2200 Mt Vernon Ave

ART LITERARY-ART
February A Good Yarn Book Club: The Seven Daughters of Dupree
Mon, 23 Feb at 07:00 pm February A Good Yarn Book Club: The Seven Daughters of Dupree

Old Town Books

ART LITERARY-ART
February M**der by the Book Club: King of Ashes
Tue, 24 Feb at 07:00 pm February M**der by the Book Club: King of Ashes

Old Town Books

ART LITERARY-ART
Author Event: Ashley Elston in conversation with Elle Cosimano
Thu, 26 Feb at 06:30 pm Author Event: Ashley Elston in conversation with Elle Cosimano

Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum

ART LITERARY-ART
February Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club: The Works of Vermin
Fri, 27 Feb at 07:00 pm February Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club: The Works of Vermin

Old Town Books

ART LITERARY-ART
NVWC First Annual Winter Festival
Sat, 28 Feb at 10:00 am NVWC First Annual Winter Festival

717 Queen St, Alexandria, VA 22314-2420, United States

ART LITERARY-ART

What's Happening Next in Alexandria?

Discover Alexandria Events