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The Book of Strange New Things

by Michel Faber
The Book of Strange New Things

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  • Synopses & Reviews

ISBN13: 9780553418866
ISBN10: 0553418866
Condition: Standard


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From Powells.com

25 Books to Read Before You Die: 21st Century

These books create a stunning portrait of contemporary American life.


Staff Pick

Full disclosure: I was mourning a very recent loss when I read Michel Faber's latest (and I'm told, last) novel, so the effect it had on me may have been amplified by my own grief. Still, this book carved a hole in me the way really good books do, and I don't think it's just because I happened to be sad at the time. Through a narrative I probably would have avoided, were it not for the ravings of my coworkers, Faber lands a solid emotional punch, rendering faith, despair, wonder, and longing with equal skill. It's a preternaturally beautiful story, and if it is indeed Faber's last novel, a lovely note on which to end his career. Recommended By Tove H., Powells.com

An emotionally atmospheric achievement, I felt as though the author was holding my hand through the entire book. Not only are all of the characters believable, but there is a hopefulness which, despite how fragile and volatile the situations are, threads its way through to the very end. Recommended By Aubrey W., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

A monumental, genre-defying novel that David Mitchell calls "Michel Faber's second masterpiece," The Book of Strange New Things is a masterwork from a writer in full command of his many talents.

It begins with Peter, a devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Bea. Peter becomes immersed in the mysteries of an astonishing new environment, overseen by an enigmatic corporation known only as USIC. His work introduces him to a seemingly friendly native population struggling with a dangerous illness and hungry for Peter's teachings — his Bible is their "book of strange new things." But Peter is rattled when Bea's letters from home become increasingly desperate: typhoons and earthquakes are devastating whole countries, and governments are crumbling. Bea's faith, once the guiding light of their lives, begins to falter.

Suddenly, a separation measured by an otherworldly distance, and defined both by one newly discovered world and another in a state of collapse, is threatened by an ever-widening gulf that is much less quantifiable. While Peter is reconciling the needs of his congregation with the desires of his strange employer, Bea is struggling for survival. Their trials lay bare a profound meditation on faith, love tested beyond endurance, and our responsibility to those closest to us.

Marked by the same bravura storytelling and precise language that made The Crimson Petal and the White such an international success, The Book of Strange New Things is extraordinary, mesmerizing, and replete with emotional complexity and genuine pathos.

Review

"Defiantly unclassifiable....The Book of Strange New Things squeezes its genre ingredients to yield a meditation on suffering, love and the origins of religious faith....Faber reminds us there is a literature of enchantment, which invites the reader to participate in the not-real in order to wake from a dream of reality to the ineffability, strangeness, and brevity of life on Earth." Marcel Theroux, The New York Times Book Review (cover review)

Review

"Eerie and ambitious....Faber is a genuinely gifted storyteller and his novel gains resonance and tidal force in its final third." The New York Times

Review

"Faber illustrates, movingly, the impossibility of adequate communication in the face of life-changing experience....Rich and memorable." The New Yorker

Review

"Fascinating...Poignant...Remarkable... Despite its bizarre setting and all the elements of an interplanetary opera, this is a novel of profound spiritual intimacy....I relished every chance to cloister myself away with The Book of Strange New Things...[It] offers exactly what I crave: a state of mingled familiarity and alienness that leaves us with questions we can't answer — or forget." Ron Charles, Washington Post

Review

"A wonderful adventure story, a quasi-science fiction tale and a probing examination of a marriage....A truly strange and wonderful novel....Please read Michel Faber's The Book of Strange New Things. You won't regret it." Cleveland Plain-Dealer

Review

"I would almost like to say, 'Read this book,' and leave it with that. Because its charms, and they are considerable, are so tied with discovering what the heck is going on. That challenges a reviewer, because almost anything I tell you will spoil a moment of discovery...the writing is such a pleasure." Dallas Morning News

Review

"[Faber] approaches this interplanetary saga as an expert genre traveler....[His] potent new amalgam of sci-fi and spirituality puts him within rocket range of David Mitchell." New York

Review

"Brilliant, and disquieting....Faber's novel is entirely true to itself and wonderfully original. It makes a fine update to Walter M. Miller Jr.'s Canticle for Leibowitz, with some Marilynne Robinson-like homespun theology thrown in for good measure....A profoundly religious exploration of inner turmoil." Kirkus (starred review)

Review

"A marvelously creative and intricate novel, thought-provoking and arresting." Booklist

Review

"The book wears its strong premise and mixture of Biblical and SF tropes extremely well." Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Michel Faber has written seven other books, including the highly acclaimed The Crimson Petal and the White, The Fahrenheit Twins and the Whitbread-shortlisted novel Under the Skin. The Apple, based on characters in The Crimson Petal and the White, was published in 2006. He has also written two novellas, The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps and The Courage Consort, and has won several short-story awards, including the Neil Gunn, Ian St James and Macallan. Born in Holland, brought up in Australia, he lives in the Scottish Highlands.

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Average customer rating 4.3 (3 comments)

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David Jordan , August 24, 2015 (view all comments by David Jordan)
My first exposure to a combination of science fiction/Christian missionary tale. It's an extremely engrossing novel describing extraterrestrial evangelism, but the most enjoyable aspect of the story is the account of the love shared between the missionary and his wife back home on an increasingly deteriorating Earth. What a beautiful and challenging story of the universe's furthest "long distance relationship." Highly recommended.

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Sheila Deeth , July 28, 2015 (view all comments by Sheila Deeth)
“These three remain,” says St. Paul in Corinthians, “faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” It’s a famous Biblical statement, filled with passion and meaning. But it also might summarize the joy of reading Michel Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things, where these three most truly do remain. Faith hope and love are never simple, of course, and the author doesn’t flinch from tackling each with haunting honesty. The complexities and depths of foreign soil, wide breadths of alien concepts and human misunderstandings, and a moveable mountain of ideas fill the pages, all perfectly measured against great characters and pitch-perfect dialog. (Even the rendering of foreign words is beautifully real.) The science of this tale set in earth’s near future rings as true as the best of any in “hard” science fiction. The love of the protagonists is as beautifully and convincingly portrayed as in any contemporary literary masterpiece. Questions of faith are as deep and engaging as those in any real discussion of this world’s divisions. And the combination of all these factors is simply wonderful: lyrically written in convincingly varying styles (after all, one protagonist would much rather speak than write), wonderfully described with a wealth of powerful allusions, and perfectly plotted with a story arc that simply won’t let go. If you haven’t read spoilers yet, or haven’t studied the back of the book, then don’t. This novel unfolds convincingly and quietly, affording the un-knowing reader all the delight of discovery, and the joy of learning “strange new things” at a pace that’s perfectly balanced between fast and slow, never forced, never weighty despite the weight of the concepts to be found, and never overwhelming in its internal or external musings. The author writes with a joyfully light touch, even in the depths of darkness. And this novel must surely be one of the best I’ve ever read. Disclosure: Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

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mccaly28 , July 07, 2015 (view all comments by mccaly28)
I'm still not sure what to think about this book. I was absolutely blown away with how simple and detailed and haunting the whole thing is. We're given just enough to be along for the ride in this story without being overwhelmed with details or world building. It's a fascinating exploration of humanity that doesn't answer all of the questions that it brings up.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780553418866
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
06/30/2015
Publisher:
HOGARTH PRESS (ENGLAND)
Author:
Michel Faber
Subject:
Literature-A to Z

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