The Bookman - Softcover

Tidhar, Lavie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007346581 ISBN 13: 9780007346585

Publisher: Angry Robot, 2010

Synopsis

A masked terrorist has brought London to its knees – there are bombs inside books, and nobody knows which ones. On the day of the launch of the first expedition to Mars, by giant cannon, he outdoes himself with an audacious attack.

For young poet Orphan, trapped in the screaming audience, it seems his destiny is entwined with that of the shadowy terrorist, but how?

Like a steam-powered take on V for Vendetta, rich with satire and slashed through with automatons, giant lizards, pirates, airships and wild adventure, The Bookman is the first of a series.

File under: Steampunk [Serial killer / Alternate Victorian London / Exploding Books / Historical Crime]

About this title

Product Description:

A masked terrorist has brought London to its knees -- there are bombs inside books, and nobody knows which ones. On the day of the launch of the first expedition to Mars, by giant cannon, he outdoes himself with an audacious attack.

Review:

“An emerging master”
– LOCUS Magazine

Praise for Lavie's short fiction:
"Tidhar beautifully evokes the power of technology "
- The Fix, reviewing The Dying World (Clarkesworld Magazine)

“richly detailed characters in a well paced and well thought out story”
- Tangent reviewing The Pattern Makers of Zanzibar (Murky Depths)

"Tidhar's story reads like a drug-infused John Le Carré novel, if Le Carré wrote science fiction and dropped LSD as he pounded on the typewriter... an amazing accomplishment, and highly recommended."
- The Fix, reviewing The Shangri-La Affair (Strange Horizons)

“Sultry and crackling, Lavie Tidhar’s prose intimately evokes Ethiopian [?] weather and the high-running emotions of his characters.”
- Tangent, reviewing What The Thunder Said (Strange Horizons)

"It's stomach churning and very sweet at the same time, bizarreness and beauty like most of Tidhar's stories."
- The Fix, reviewing The Butcher and The Flykeeper - A Christmas Love Story (Murky Depths)

“The strength of this work is the setting. It is incredibly inventive and fun... a wonderful story, especially for those who enjoy the more surreal edges of speculative fiction.”
- Tangent, reviewing High Noon in Clown Town (Postscripts

"Tidhar's story is classic noir, but with its tongue firmly in its cheek from beginning to end. A very enjoyable read."
- The Fix, reviewing Hard Rain at the Fortean Cafe (Aeon)

About this edition

• Publisher: Angry Robot
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0007346581
• ISBN 13: 9780007346585
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416