The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain is a science fiction novella by Sofia Samatar set aboard a vast ship whose crew is divided by a rigid hierarchy. The laborers known as the Chained live and work in the ship's hold. One boy, raised among them, is taken from the hold and given a place at the ship's university, where he is educated alongside the privileged. There he forms an unexpected bond with one of his professors. As the boy learns more about the ship, its history and the people who run it, he has to decide what he owes to those he left behind in the hold. The novella was a 2025 Hugo Award finalist.