Overview

From the Locus and Hugo Award-winning author Ray Nayler, this haunting novel blends history and speculative wonder into a story of survival, loyalty and the fragile beauty of life in the darkest of times. 'an extraordinary science fiction novel' SFX MAGAZINE 'constantly surprising, moving and thought-provoking' GUARDIAN 'a must-read author' SFF WORLD June 1941, Eastern Europe. As the German blitzkrieg tears across a divided continent, four young lives are thrown into chaos: Neriya, a young Jewish girl who dreams of becoming a scientist; Czeslaw, an underage Polish deserter fleeing the Red Army; Kezia, a Roma horse trader whose family is on the run from Soviet collectivisation; and a nameless,, abandoned boy who cannot speak. Driven deep into the Lithuanian woods, they form an unbreakable bond with one another and with a flock of crows whose uncanny intelligence hints at a secret older and stranger than they could ever have imagined.

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9781399637596

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Reviews

Roll over, George Orwell: This post-apocalyptic dystopia makes Airstrip One look like a summer camp. Nayler's sophomore novel is set in a familiar future world in which totalitarian orders rule, with recognisably Putinesque touches in what's called the (né Russian) Federation, not least an autocratic ruler who's been running the show for decades . . . A richly detailed evocation of a grim future that is, sadly, absolutely believable * Kirkus (starred review) * Nayler's twisting, turning political thriller has spectacular surprises, grounded by realistic, complex characters who are determined to change their world, however hopeless it may seem. A bold, epic SF story and an inspiring tale about taking down all forms of authoritarianism * Booklist (starred review) * An intense, claustrophobic novel . . . a work of first-rate science fiction * Cory Doctorow *

Roll over, George Orwell: This post-apocalyptic dystopia makes Airstrip One look like a summer camp. Nayler's sophomore novel is set in a familiar future world in which totalitarian orders rule, with recognisably Putinesque touches in what's called the (né Russian) Federation, not least an autocratic ruler who's been running the show for decades . . . A richly detailed evocation of a grim future that is, sadly, absolutely believable * Kirkus (starred review), for Where the Axe is Buried * Nayler's twisting, turning political thriller has spectacular surprises, grounded by realistic, complex characters who are determined to change their world, however hopeless it may seem. A bold, epic SF story and an inspiring tale about taking down all forms of authoritarianism * Booklist (starred review), for Where the Axe is Buried * An intense, claustrophobic novel . . . a work of first-rate science fiction * Cory Doctorow, for Where the Axe is Buried * A brilliant . . . blend of history and fantasy * Kirkus Reviews * An impassioned paean to togetherness even in the midst of the chaotic isolation of war and to the power of storytelling to keep memory and hope alive * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review *

Author Information

Ray Nayler is the author of the novels Where the Axe Is Buried and The Mountain in the Sea, which won the Locus Award for Best First Novel, and the novella The Tusks of Extinction, which won a Hugo Award. Born in Quebec and raised in California, Nayler lived and worked abroad for two decades in Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans. He most recently served as international adviser to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and was a visiting scholar at the George Washington University's Institute for International Science and Technology Policy. He lives in Washington, DC.

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