This linked story
collection is in the same inimitable vein as Egan’s bestselling A Visit from
the Goon Squad—and every bit as good. Egan is such a gifted storyteller. She
knows how to get and keep the narrative ball rolling and is extremely good at
creating vivid characters you have no choice but to root for.
One of the things
I love about this book of linked stories is its through-line, a fascinating science
fiction conceit revolving around the idea of a mass-downloadable consciousness.
In addition to capturing a reader’s imagination, this device allows Egan to
display her virtuosity in creating gripping narratives with various highly
creative and often experimental points of view.
For me, Egan is a genius, one of the most
important and enjoyable short fiction writers of our time!
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD A Time Magazine Must-Read 'A complex, compelling read that showcases Egan's masterful storytelling' TIME 'A dazzling feat of literary construction' VOGUE
From one of the most dazzling and iconic writers of our time comes an electrifying, deeply moving novel about the quest for authenticity, privacy, and meaning in a world where our memories are no longer our own--featuring characters from A Visit from the Goon Squad.
It's 2010. Staggeringly successful and brilliant tech entrepreneur Bix Bouton is desperate for a new idea. He's forty, with four kids, and restless when…
For me, this was a
masterpiece. Then again, I admit to being a huge David Mitchell fan.
But what this novelist is able to do—with language, with storytelling—well, I find it incredibly impressive.
And he clearly takes such delight in it.
This book has few supernatural or quasi-supernatural fireworks of other
Mitchell novels, and it's the opposite of futuristic, but you don't feel the
lack. You can almost hear the author cackling in the background; he's a born
entertainer who also happens to have a great deal of basic human wisdom to
impart.
David Mitchell comes home - to England in 1982, and is in the cusp of adolescence. Jason Taylor is 13, doomed to be growing up in the most boring family in the deadest village (Black Swan Green) in the dullest county (Worcestershire) in the most tedious nation (England) on earth and he stammers. 13 chapters, each as self-contained as a short story, follow 13 months in his life as he negotiates the pitfalls of school and home and contends with bullies, girls and family politics. In the distance, the Falklands conflict breaks out; close at hand, the village mobilises against…
It is a remarkably
well-written and cold-hearted contemporary literary ecological thriller. I mean
"cold-hearted" in the best possible way; Catton is a gifted enough novelist not
to get too attached to her characters, and she does what she must to pull this
tense, well-constructed, beautifully balanced story off.
Set at the edge of a
national park in New Zealand and featuring a highly memorable tech-billionaire
villain, Birnam Wood is a vivid, substantive page-turner that manages to
be both brutal and fun. I couldn't put it down!
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER & NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER
“Birnam Wood is terrific. As a multilayered, character-driven thriller, it’s as good as it gets. Ruth Rendell would have loved it. A beautifully textured work―what a treat.” ―Stephen King “A generational cri de coeur . . . A sophisticated page-turner . . . Birnam Wood nearly made me laugh with pleasure. The whole thing crackles . . . Greta Gerwig could film this novel, but so could Quentin Tarantino.” ―Dwight Garner, The New York Times
The Booker Prize–winning author of The Luminaries brings us Birnam Wood, a gripping thriller of high drama and…
A high-altitude lake is the point of departure
for these stories of dark adventure, in which fishing guides, amateur sportsmen,
teenage misfits, scientists, mountaineers, and expatriates embark on
disquieting journeys of self-discovery in far-flung places.
“These stories bristle with
energy and immediacy. The writing is spare and meticulous and packs a hefty
emotional punch. I am not exaggerating when I say this collection kept me up at
night. I just couldn’t stop reading.” — Addison Independent.
