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The co-op bookstore for avid readers
The Circumference of the World
Reader Score
77%
77% of readers
recommend this book
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?
--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?
Book Details
- Publisher: Tachyon Publications
- Publish Date: Sep 5th, 2023
- Pages: 256
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 8.49in - 5.62in - 0.70in - 0.61lb
- EAN: 9781616963620
- Categories: • Science Fiction - Space Opera• World Literature - England - 21st Century
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.
Praise for this book
Praise for The Circumference of the World Publishers Weekly Fall 2023 Top-Ten SF, Fantasy & Horror Titles
Literary Hub September's Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books
New Scientist Best New Science Fiction Books of September 2023
UK Guardian Best Recent Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
A Foreword Book of the Day [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."
--Molly Tanzer, author of Vermilion and Creatures of Will and Temper "The Circumference of the World is an ambitious and ambiguous book showing Tidhar at top form."
--Chicago Review of Books "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 "Tidhar's melancholy, beautiful and yet improbably light-touch narrative, meanwhile, is structured like a nesting doll."
--New Scientist "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 "The Circumference of the World is an ambitious and ambiguous book showing Tidhar at top form."
--Chicago Review of Books "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 "Like matter spiraling into a black hole--everything here simply lights up, bathing the reader with its intense radiation. An amazing read, strongly recommended."
--Blue Book Balloon 5/5 stars "Mr. Tidhar's love of SF is real, y'all, and the total shift in styles and tone and voice just makes me want to clap with joy. Again, he shows me what a world-class talent he is."
--Bradley Horner's Book Corner 5/5 stars "This is a gripping read, a blend of science fiction and fantasy with a little detective fiction thrown in. I've read other books by the author and have also found them to be strange and beautiful. I loved this."
--The Book Lover's Boudoir "Wow! I can't remember the last book I read like this that wasn't written by Phillip K. Dick! The book was trippy and weird, leaving me wondering what really happened in it in all the best ways."
--Disciples of Boltax "A creative space opera strewn with Easter eggs from science fiction and fantasy.
--Woven Tale Press "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 "Lavie Tidhar's trippy, metafictional ode to the golden age of science fiction."
--Literary Hub "This book contains a memoir, a hard-boiled detective section, a prison journal, portions of a non-existent book from the pulp era of sci-fi, and the letters of writers. It's brilliant."
--PrimmLife 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 "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 On Neom "An enrapturing conglomeration of philosophy, psychology, and storytelling, the novel melds the what-ifs with a believable and relatable scenario."
--Library Journal [STARRED REVIEW] "Neom is an extraordinary and compassionate trek into the hearts of AI."
--Foreword "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
Literary Hub September's Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books
New Scientist Best New Science Fiction Books of September 2023
UK Guardian Best Recent Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
A Foreword Book of the Day [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."
--Molly Tanzer, author of Vermilion and Creatures of Will and Temper "The Circumference of the World is an ambitious and ambiguous book showing Tidhar at top form."
--Chicago Review of Books "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 "Tidhar's melancholy, beautiful and yet improbably light-touch narrative, meanwhile, is structured like a nesting doll."
--New Scientist "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 "The Circumference of the World is an ambitious and ambiguous book showing Tidhar at top form."
--Chicago Review of Books "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 "Like matter spiraling into a black hole--everything here simply lights up, bathing the reader with its intense radiation. An amazing read, strongly recommended."
--Blue Book Balloon 5/5 stars "Mr. Tidhar's love of SF is real, y'all, and the total shift in styles and tone and voice just makes me want to clap with joy. Again, he shows me what a world-class talent he is."
--Bradley Horner's Book Corner 5/5 stars "This is a gripping read, a blend of science fiction and fantasy with a little detective fiction thrown in. I've read other books by the author and have also found them to be strange and beautiful. I loved this."
--The Book Lover's Boudoir "Wow! I can't remember the last book I read like this that wasn't written by Phillip K. Dick! The book was trippy and weird, leaving me wondering what really happened in it in all the best ways."
--Disciples of Boltax "A creative space opera strewn with Easter eggs from science fiction and fantasy.
--Woven Tale Press "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 "Lavie Tidhar's trippy, metafictional ode to the golden age of science fiction."
--Literary Hub "This book contains a memoir, a hard-boiled detective section, a prison journal, portions of a non-existent book from the pulp era of sci-fi, and the letters of writers. It's brilliant."
--PrimmLife 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 "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 On Neom "An enrapturing conglomeration of philosophy, psychology, and storytelling, the novel melds the what-ifs with a believable and relatable scenario."
--Library Journal [STARRED REVIEW] "Neom is an extraordinary and compassionate trek into the hearts of AI."
--Foreword "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