Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

Twelve-year-old Rafal, a brilliant but calculating boy, believes the key to earning society’s respect is to live strictly by reason. In 15th-century Poland, where theology is the most revered field, he publicly declares his intention to study it-until a chance meeting with a stranger ignites an irrational longing to chase his true passion: astronomy. Rafal becomes obsessed with proving the elegance of heliocentrism, the idea that the Earth orbits the Sun. But the Church enforces geocentrism-the belief that the Sun revolves around the Earth-as absolute truth, and dissenters face horrifying punishments. As he struggles to gather evidence and refine his theories, Rafal must balance his pursuit of truth with the need for secrecy. One wrong move could condemn him to the same brutal fate as those who dared to defy the Church before him.