Discover the islands of the Dream Archipelago—where reality is both illusory and magical—in this “masterful . . . endlessly compelling” literary sci-fi novel for fans of Haruki Murakami and David Mitchell (Locus).
The Dream Archipelago is a vast network of islands. The names of the islands are different depending on who you talk to. Their very locations seem to twist and shift.
Some islands have been sculpted into vast musical instruments, others are home to lethal creatures, others the playground for high society. Hot winds blow across the archipelago and a war fought between two distant continents is played out across its waters.
Styled as an untrustworthy but enticing travel guide to the archipelago, The Islanders is a tale of murder, artistic rivalry, and literary trickery; a Chinese puzzle of a novel where nothing is quite what it seems; a narrative that pulls you in and plays an elegant game, just as its unreliable narrator does the same . . .
“ . . . easily one of the richest and most rewarding novels that Priest has written to date.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
Winner of the British Science Fiction Award, Best Novel Winner of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, Best Science Fiction Novel
“A glowing mosaic of a novel, puzzling, transporting and nigh-on impossible not to start again immediately once finished.” —Alison Flood, The Sunday Times
“As masterful as it is playful . . . [Priest’s] prose is supple, elegant, and seductive, his insights about memory and perception tantalizing, his skill at visualizing the radically different land and seascapes of the islands endlessly compelling.” —Locus
“A complex interweaving of plot and ideas, of playful games with reality and serious challenges to our preconceptions. The result is easily one of the richest and most rewarding novels that Priest has written to date.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
“[Priest] understands the magic of imaginary worlds, where hot winds race across parched landscapes and everyone is a dreamer. It is his first book for nearly ten years, and well worth the wait... engrossing.” —Max Davidson, The Mail on Sunday
“...piecing together the rather unpleasant lives of the main characters is entertaining; and there are episodes complete in themselves, short stories really, which are satisfying. The ghosts are excellent. And I consider the thryme an absolutely first-class invention.” —The Guardian
“Giddying, fascinating, a hugely accomplished slipstream novel.” —SFX Magazine
“Priest demonstrates once more his ability to surprise and dazzle with this twisty novel in which nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears.” —Library Journal, starred review
Discover the islands of the Dream Archipelago—where reality is both illusory and magical—in this “masterful . . . endlessly compelling” literary sci-fi novel for fans of Haruki Murakami and David Mitchell (Locus).
The Dream Archipelago is a vast network of islands. The names of the islands are different depending on who you talk to. Their very locations seem to twist and shift.
Some islands have been sculpted into vast musical instruments, others are home to lethal creatures, others the playground for high society. Hot winds blow across the archipelago and a war fought between two distant continents is played out across its waters.
Styled as an untrustworthy but enticing travel guide to the archipelago, The Islanders is a tale of murder, artistic rivalry, and literary trickery; a Chinese puzzle of a novel where nothing is quite what it seems; a narrative that pulls you in and plays an elegant game, just as its unreliable narrator does the same . . .
“ . . . easily one of the richest and most rewarding novels that Priest has written to date.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
Praise
Winner of the British Science Fiction Award, Best Novel Winner of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, Best Science Fiction Novel
“A glowing mosaic of a novel, puzzling, transporting and nigh-on impossible not to start again immediately once finished.” —Alison Flood, The Sunday Times
“As masterful as it is playful . . . [Priest’s] prose is supple, elegant, and seductive, his insights about memory and perception tantalizing, his skill at visualizing the radically different land and seascapes of the islands endlessly compelling.” —Locus
“A complex interweaving of plot and ideas, of playful games with reality and serious challenges to our preconceptions. The result is easily one of the richest and most rewarding novels that Priest has written to date.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
“[Priest] understands the magic of imaginary worlds, where hot winds race across parched landscapes and everyone is a dreamer. It is his first book for nearly ten years, and well worth the wait... engrossing.” —Max Davidson, The Mail on Sunday
“...piecing together the rather unpleasant lives of the main characters is entertaining; and there are episodes complete in themselves, short stories really, which are satisfying. The ghosts are excellent. And I consider the thryme an absolutely first-class invention.” —The Guardian
“Giddying, fascinating, a hugely accomplished slipstream novel.” —SFX Magazine
“Priest demonstrates once more his ability to surprise and dazzle with this twisty novel in which nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears.” —Library Journal, starred review
