Book Series Guide

Author guide

Peng Shepherd Books in Order

Peng Shepherd is an award-winning, nationally bestselling author whose speculative fiction explores memory, maps, identity, choice, and the future. Her debut novel, The Book of M, won the Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Debut Speculative Fiction. She is also the author of The Cartographers and All This and More, and the separately published short story The Future Library. Shepherd is a graduate of New York University's MFA program and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship.

science fictionfantasyspeculative fiction

Catalog record updated .

Peng Shepherd's Newest Book

Cover of All This and More

All This and More

novel · First published 2024

From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of "The Cartographers" and "The Book of M" comes an inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she’s ever made, again and again… and how far she’ll go to get her happily ever after. What is the price of a perfect life? Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsh is convinced she’s missed her chance at everything—romance, professional fulfillment, and adventure—and is desperate for a do-over. She can’t believe her luck when she’s selected to be the star of the global sensation "All This and More", a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the chance to revise their past and change their present lives. It’s Marsh’s only shot to seize her dreams, and she’s determined to get it right this time. But even as she rises to become a famous lawyer, gets back together with her high school sweetheart, and travels the world, she begins to worry that "All This and More’s" promises might be too good to be true. Because while the technology is amazing, something seems a bit off.… Can Marsh really make her life everything she wants it to be? And is it worth it? Perfect for fans of Matt Haig’s "The Midnight Library" and Kate Atkinson’s "Life After Life", bestselling author Peng Shepherd’s "All This and More" is an utterly original, startlingly poignant novel with an interactive twist—it allows the reader to decide Marsh’s fate.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of The Book of M

The Book of M

Shepherd's debut novel and earliest full-length work.

Cover of The Cartographers

The Cartographers

A standalone speculative thriller and a representative entry point to her fiction.

Cover of All This and More

All This and More

A standalone interactive speculative novel.

Cover of The Future Library

The Future Library

A short, standalone work of speculative fiction.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (3)
  1. The Book of M

    novel · 2018

    "Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates…

  2. The Cartographers

    novel · 2022

    What is the purpose of a map? Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired…

  3. All This and More

    novel · 2024

    From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of "The Cartographers" and "The Book of M" comes an inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she’s ever made, again and again… and how far she’ll go…

Short fiction (1)
  1. The Future Library

    short_story · 2021

    More than a hundred years from now, an arborist fighting to save the last remaining forest on Earth discovers a secret about the trees—one that changes not only her life, but also the fate of our world. Inspired by the real-life “Future…

Frequently asked questions about Peng Shepherd

Who is Peng Shepherd, and where was she born?

Peng Shepherd is an Asian American speculative-fiction novelist, born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University and is a National Endowment for the Arts literature fellow.

Sources: pengshepherd.com (opens in a new tab)arts.gov (opens in a new tab)

What did Peng Shepherd do before becoming a novelist?

Before earning her MFA, Shepherd studied international studies and diplomacy at SOAS University of London. She then worked for several years in private security in London and Washington, D.C., including a short-term deployment to Iraq.

Source: readingwomenpodcast.com (opens in a new tab)

What influences Peng Shepherd’s fiction?

Shepherd says Michael Kurland’s Perchance was her first exposure to science fiction, while Haruki Murakami’s work helped draw her back to fiction. She has also cited Ursula K. Le Guin, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, George Saunders, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Ted Chiang as influential authors.

Source: lapl.org (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Peng Shepherd won?

The Book of M won the 2019 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Debut Speculative Fiction. Shepherd was also a 2020 NEA Prose Fellow and received the Elizabeth George Foundation’s emerging writers grant.

Sources: home.dartmouth.edu (opens in a new tab)arts.gov (opens in a new tab)

How has Peng Shepherd’s career been recognized?

Her fiction has received best-book recognition from outlets including The Washington Post, the Today Show, and NPR, and The Cartographers was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her work has also been translated into more than ten languages and optioned for television and film.

Source: pengshepherd.com (opens in a new tab)