Literature and Fiction · Hardback

The Orangery

Norwegian title: Oransjeriet

Gro Dahle

The Orangery is a science fiction drama about the relationship between man and machines, skewed power dynamics, and a strange new world.

Nesle wakes abruptly after fifteen years of cryosleep on a spaceship called the Orangery. She won’t survive another sleep induction and is therefore denied a place on the ship headed for her home planet. Nesle is instead sent to explore a planet hoped to be habitable. She is the only human on the mission, and must go, despite trying to back out of it.

Nesle is given the embot Poppel for support. Embots can supposedly do everything a human can, be a collaborator, friend, servant, confidant and lover. A strange relationship develops between Nesle and the embot. Is the embot a kind of slave? Can they be equals? Is the embot programmed for lifelong loyalty, or is there something else there?

The pair reach a lush and hot planet. After landing, something happens to the embot that changes its priorities. Nesle is all alone. Could the embot have found other creatures or machines there?