Cage of Souls

Shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award 2020

Adrian Tchaikovsky author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:3rd Oct '19

£9.99

Available for immediate dispatch.

Cage of Souls cover

Humanity clings to life on a dying Earth. Epic, far-future SF from an award-winning author.

Humanity clings to life on a dying Earth. Stefan Advani - rebel, outlaw, prisoner, survivor - bears witness to the desperate struggle for existence between life old and new.

Humanity clings to life on a dying Earth in an epic, far-future science fiction novel from an award-winning author. The sun is bloated, diseased, dying perhaps. Beneath its baneful light, Shadrapar, last of all cities, harbours fewer than 100,000 human souls. Built on the ruins of countless civilisations, Shadrapar is a museum, a midden, an asylum, a prison on a world that is ever more alien to humanity. Bearing witness to the desperate struggle for existence between life old and new is Stefan Advani: rebel, outlaw, prisoner, survivor. This is his testament, an account of the journey that took him into the blazing desolation of the western deserts; that transported him east down the river and imprisoned him in the verdant hell of the jungle's darkest heart; that led him deep into the labyrinths and caverns of the underworld. He will meet with monsters, madman, mutants. The question is, which one of them will inherit this Earth?

Tchaikovsky livens up the tale with intrigue, duels and menagerie of horrifying creatures... The scale of the story expands well beyond the confines of [prison drama], bringing in subterranean adventures, themes about class war and political corruption, and genetic engineering... Set in a dying world where death hovers impatiently over everyone's shoulder, Cage of Souls is a frequently grim read, but it's a compelling journey' * SFX *
Tchaikovsky's world-building here is breathtaking... Cage of Souls is a fascinating read and strong ecological tale' * Starburst Magazine *
Grotesque and beautiful all at once... A brilliant examination of extremes and the way in which humanity always finds a way to navigate them. Even when others are hell bent on self-destruction' * SciFiNow *
Once again Tchaikovsky astounds with his boundless imagination and versatility in his craft * Worlds in Ink *

  • Short-listed for Arthur C. Clarke Award 2020

ISBN: 9781788547383

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

608 pages