The Circumference of the World
Lavie Tidhar
(Author)
Description
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2023 Caught between realities, a mathematician, a book dealer, and a mobster desperately seek a notorious book that disappears upon being read. Only the author, a rakish sci-fi writer, knows whether his popular novel is truthful or a hoax. In a story that is cosmic, inventive, and sly, multi-award-winning author Lavie Tidhar (Central Station) travels from the emergence of life to the very ends of the universe. "Ingeniously constructed and stylistically protean, this seven-course banquet of a novel glistens with the Golden Age of science fiction, even as it nourishes our neurons with a marvelous thought experiment."--James Morrow, award-winning author of Shambling Towards Hiroshima Delia Welegtabit discovered two things during her childhood on a South Pacific island: her love for mathematics and a novel that isn't supposed to exist. But the elusive book proves unexpectedly dangerous. Oskar Lens, a science fiction-obsessed mobster in the midst of an existential crisis, will stop at nothing to find the novel. After Delia's husband Levi goes missing, she seeks help from Daniel Chase, a young, face-blind book dealer. The infamous novel Lode Stars was written by the infamous Eugene Charles Hartley: legendary pulp science-fiction writer and founder of the Church of the All-Seeing Eyes. In Hartley's novel, a doppelganger of Delia searches for her missing father in a strange star system. But is any of Lode Stars real? Was Hartley a cynical conman on a quest for wealth and immortality, creating a religion he did not believe in? Or was he a visionary who truly discovered the secrets of the universe?
Product Details
Price
$17.95
$16.69
Publisher
Tachyon Publications
Publish Date
September 05, 2023
Pages
256
Dimensions
5.62 X 8.49 X 0.7 inches | 0.61 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781616963620
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About the Author
British Science Fiction, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Award winning author Lavie Tidhar (A Man Lies Dreaming, The Escapement, Unholy Land, The Hood) is an acclaimed author of literature, science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, and middle grade fiction. Tidhar received the Campbell, Xingyun, and Neukom awards for the novel Central Station. In addition to his fiction and nonfiction, Tidhar is the editor of the Apex Best of World Science Fiction series and a columnist for the Washington Post. His speaking appearances include Cambridge University, PEN, and the Singapore Writers Festival. He has been a Guest of Honour at book conventions in Japan, Poland, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, China, and elsewhere; he is currently a visiting professor and writer in residence at the American International University. Tidhar currently resides with his family in London.
Reviews
Advance Praise for The Circumference of the World Publishers Weekly Fall 2023 Top-Ten SF, Fantasy & Horror titles [STARRED REVIEW] "World Fantasy Award winner Tidhar (Neom) wows with a mind-bending existential adventure that seeks to answer the age-old question of why humanity exists. In 2001 London, four characters converge around the lost science fiction book Lode Stars, written decades earlier by Eugene Charles Hartley. It's rumored that Hartley, who also founded the sketchy Church of God's All-Seeing Eyes, discovered the 'true nature of reality' and encoded it into the novel, which follows heroine Delia as she searches for her father. The novel also posits that humans are reconstructed memories swirling inside black holes, which are the eyes of God, and that alien 'eaters' feed on these reconstituted humans. Only possession of Lode Stars itself can ward off this danger. Albino mathematician Delia Welegtabit, who happens to have the same name as Lode Star's heroine, is drawn into the hunt for the book by her husband, obsessive mathematician Levi. When Levi disappears, Delia turns to Daniel Chase, a rare book collector, to investigate--but then Daniel is himself kidnapped by mobster Oskar Lens, who believes in the book's power and wants it to protect him from the eaters. Toggling between perspectives and the ethereal text of Lode Stars, Tidhar's slippery metafictional tale lyrically entangles scientific fact, mysticism, and mental illness. This is a knockout."
--Publishers Weekly [STARRED REVIEW] "Inquisitive, daring, and rich with possibilities, The Circumference of the World is a speculative masterpiece."
--Foreword "Brilliant and bizarre, Lavie Tidhar's The Circumference of the World is many things--but fundamentally it is a love letter to the Golden Age of science fiction, whether or not it deserves it (it does), as well as a love letter to its writers, whether or not they deserve it (they don't. Well, mostly.)."
--Molly Tanzer, author of Vermilion and Creatures of Will and Temper "Maybe the universe's energy really does get recycled, because this eclectic speculative novel manages to be simultaneously contemporary, nostalgic, and retro in a way that wouldn't be unfamiliar to the SF icons to which it pays tribute.... Tidhar's rich portrayal of the pulpy golden age of science fiction, distinctive characters, and nimble turns of phrase make for a cool confection."
--Kirkus "Longtime SF readers will easily spot the real-world parallels, but that doesn't stop Tidhar from telling a compelling story of obsession and greed that will make readers think about the nature of reality. VERDICT Readers who fell hard into the metafiction of The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge or the you-are-there gossip of Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee will likely be as obsessed with this book as the characters are with Lode Stars."
--Library Journal "Ingeniously constructed and stylistically protean, this seven-course banquet of a novel glistens with the Golden Age of science fiction, even as it nourishes our neurons with a marvelous thought experiment."
--James Morrow, award-winning author of Shambling Towards Hiroshima "Tidhar wins it all with this magnificently original mind-bender of a novel about a missing husband and a mysterious book that disappears as soon as you read it. The Circumference of the World is two parts Philip K. Dick, two parts Brothers Strugatsky, and six parts blow your f**king mind."
--Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao "I always have been partial to dangerous books, and to fictions about dangerous books, and the one at the swirling center of this exhilarating tour de force is a doozy--just like every book by Lavie Tidhar."
--Andy Duncan, three-time World Fantasy Award winner "Reading a new Lavie Tidhar novel is always a treat. You can count on engaging prose paired with an inventive story and The Circumference of the World certainly fits that bill."
--The Speculative Shelf "A genre-splitting poetic expression that pays homage to classic science fiction with call-outs and appearances by Campbell, Heinlein, and others."
--Those Crazy Books Praise for Lavie Tidhar On Central Station John W. Campbell Award Winner
Neukom Literary Arts Award Winner
Arthur C. Clarke Award Finalist
NPR Best Books
Barnes and Noble Best Science Fiction and Fantasy
Locus Recommended Reading List "Beautiful, original, a shimmering tapestry of connections and images."
--Alastair Reynolds, author of the Revelation Space series "A dazzling tale of complicated politics and even more complicated souls. Beautiful."
--Ken Liu, author of The Paper Menagerie and The Grace of Kings [STARRED REVIEW] "Readers of all persuasions will be entranced."
--Publishers Weekly [STARRED REVIEW] "A fascinating future glimpsed through the lens of a tight-knit community."
--Library Journal "If Nalo Hopkinson and William Gibson held a séance to channel the spirit of Ray Bradbury, they might be inspired to produce a work as grimy, as gorgeous, and as downright sensual as Central Station."
--Peter Watts, author of Blindsight and The Freeze-Frame Revolution On Neom "An enrapturing conglomeration of philosophy, psychology, and storytelling, the novel melds the what-ifs with a believable and relatable scenario."
--Library Journal "Yet again, Lavie Tidhar's future world of Neom is exciting and distinctive, his characters complex and fascinating, and his themes powerful and thought-provoking. [Tidhar] is the best sort of science fiction."
--Kij Johnson, author of The River Bank [STARRED REVIEW] "Neom is an extraordinary and compassionate trek into the hearts of AI."
--Foreword "Vivid and techno-mythological, Neom infects you with something special that transcends all the incidents and terrors--a shimmering current of guarded optimism."
--David Brin, author of Existence, Earth and The Postman "This is Tidhar at his best: the crazily proliferating imagination, the textures, the ideas, the dazzling storytelling. A brilliant portrait of community and its possibilities."
--Adam Roberts, author of Purgatory Mount
--Publishers Weekly [STARRED REVIEW] "Inquisitive, daring, and rich with possibilities, The Circumference of the World is a speculative masterpiece."
--Foreword "Brilliant and bizarre, Lavie Tidhar's The Circumference of the World is many things--but fundamentally it is a love letter to the Golden Age of science fiction, whether or not it deserves it (it does), as well as a love letter to its writers, whether or not they deserve it (they don't. Well, mostly.)."
--Molly Tanzer, author of Vermilion and Creatures of Will and Temper "Maybe the universe's energy really does get recycled, because this eclectic speculative novel manages to be simultaneously contemporary, nostalgic, and retro in a way that wouldn't be unfamiliar to the SF icons to which it pays tribute.... Tidhar's rich portrayal of the pulpy golden age of science fiction, distinctive characters, and nimble turns of phrase make for a cool confection."
--Kirkus "Longtime SF readers will easily spot the real-world parallels, but that doesn't stop Tidhar from telling a compelling story of obsession and greed that will make readers think about the nature of reality. VERDICT Readers who fell hard into the metafiction of The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge or the you-are-there gossip of Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee will likely be as obsessed with this book as the characters are with Lode Stars."
--Library Journal "Ingeniously constructed and stylistically protean, this seven-course banquet of a novel glistens with the Golden Age of science fiction, even as it nourishes our neurons with a marvelous thought experiment."
--James Morrow, award-winning author of Shambling Towards Hiroshima "Tidhar wins it all with this magnificently original mind-bender of a novel about a missing husband and a mysterious book that disappears as soon as you read it. The Circumference of the World is two parts Philip K. Dick, two parts Brothers Strugatsky, and six parts blow your f**king mind."
--Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao "I always have been partial to dangerous books, and to fictions about dangerous books, and the one at the swirling center of this exhilarating tour de force is a doozy--just like every book by Lavie Tidhar."
--Andy Duncan, three-time World Fantasy Award winner "Reading a new Lavie Tidhar novel is always a treat. You can count on engaging prose paired with an inventive story and The Circumference of the World certainly fits that bill."
--The Speculative Shelf "A genre-splitting poetic expression that pays homage to classic science fiction with call-outs and appearances by Campbell, Heinlein, and others."
--Those Crazy Books Praise for Lavie Tidhar On Central Station John W. Campbell Award Winner
Neukom Literary Arts Award Winner
Arthur C. Clarke Award Finalist
NPR Best Books
Barnes and Noble Best Science Fiction and Fantasy
Locus Recommended Reading List "Beautiful, original, a shimmering tapestry of connections and images."
--Alastair Reynolds, author of the Revelation Space series "A dazzling tale of complicated politics and even more complicated souls. Beautiful."
--Ken Liu, author of The Paper Menagerie and The Grace of Kings [STARRED REVIEW] "Readers of all persuasions will be entranced."
--Publishers Weekly [STARRED REVIEW] "A fascinating future glimpsed through the lens of a tight-knit community."
--Library Journal "If Nalo Hopkinson and William Gibson held a séance to channel the spirit of Ray Bradbury, they might be inspired to produce a work as grimy, as gorgeous, and as downright sensual as Central Station."
--Peter Watts, author of Blindsight and The Freeze-Frame Revolution On Neom "An enrapturing conglomeration of philosophy, psychology, and storytelling, the novel melds the what-ifs with a believable and relatable scenario."
--Library Journal "Yet again, Lavie Tidhar's future world of Neom is exciting and distinctive, his characters complex and fascinating, and his themes powerful and thought-provoking. [Tidhar] is the best sort of science fiction."
--Kij Johnson, author of The River Bank [STARRED REVIEW] "Neom is an extraordinary and compassionate trek into the hearts of AI."
--Foreword "Vivid and techno-mythological, Neom infects you with something special that transcends all the incidents and terrors--a shimmering current of guarded optimism."
--David Brin, author of Existence, Earth and The Postman "This is Tidhar at his best: the crazily proliferating imagination, the textures, the ideas, the dazzling storytelling. A brilliant portrait of community and its possibilities."
--Adam Roberts, author of Purgatory Mount
