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Rotherweird: Rotherweird Book I

Rotherweird: Rotherweird Book I

by Andrew Caldecott (Author), Andrew Caldecott (Author), Sasha Laika (Illustrator)

  • Used

    Illustrated 2017

    $4.25
Synopsis

'Intricate and crisp, witty and solemn: a book with special and dangerous properties' Hilary Mantel

The town of Rotherweird stands alone - there are no guidebooks, despite the fascinating and diverse architectural styles cramming the narrow streets, the avant garde science and offbeat customs. Cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I, Rotherweird's independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history.

For beneath the enchanting surface lurks a secret so dark that it must never be rediscovered, still less reused.

But secrets have a way of leaking out.

Two inquisitive outsiders have arrived: Jonah Oblong, to teach modern history at Rotherweird School (nothing local and nothing before 1800), and the sinister billionaire Sir Veronal Slickstone, who has somehow got permission to renovate the town's long-derelict Manor House.

Slickstone and Oblong, though driven by conflicting motives, both strive to connect past and present, until they and their allies are drawn into a race against time - and each other. The consequences will be lethal and apocalyptic.

Welcome to Rotherweird!

A twisted, arcane murder-mystery with shades of Hope Mirrlees, Ben Aaronovitch, Mervyn Peake and Edward Gorey at their disturbing best.

'Baroque, Byzantine and beautiful - not to mention bold' M.R. Carey

'Compelling . . . the love child of Gormenghast and Hogwarts' Guardian

$4.25

Save:$14.80 (78%)

Quantity

1 in stock

More Information

Format: Illustrated
 Pages: 480
 Edition: Illustrated
 Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books
Published: 18 May 2017
ISBN 10: 1784297615
ISBN 13: 9781784297619

Media Reviews
A history-tragic-comedy all rolled into one, Rotherweird is intricate and crisp, witty and solemn: a book not unlike other books, but with special and dangerous properties. Line by line, silent and adroit, it opens a series of trap-doors in the reader's imagination * Hilary Mantel, two-time Man Booker prize winner *
An imaginative tour de force * The Times *
Baroque, Byzantine and beautiful - not to mention bold. An enthralling puzzle picture of a book * M R Carey, author of the bestselling The Girl With All The Gifts *
Compelling . . . the love child of Gormenghast and Hogwarts * Guardian *
Sublime . . . Call me greedy, but I'm already itching to return to Caldecott's universe * The Irish Times *
One of this year's most anticipated debut novels * SFX *
This novel is a remarkable achievement. It's also extremely funny, in a typically British sort of way . . . a delightful Harry Potter for grown ups * Sunday Independent *
Truly, sinisterly magical. 10/10 * Starburst *
A great introduction to its strange and mesmerising world, and a feat of imagination, packed with ideas and extraordinary people. It's well worth the visit * SciFiNow *
This is a twisty, hilarious, magical story crammed full of intricate characters and nefarious plots * The Little Squid *
I LOVED this book. It just did something to me. I was utterly immersed from page one . . . This is a novel of magnificence and detail, of science and nature * Fantastical Library *
Assured and ambitious . . . deeply impressive debut * Nick Curtis, Evening Standard on Higher than Babel *
Hugely entertaining . . . this novel is a remarkable achievement. It's also extremely funny, in a typically British sort of way * Independent.ie *
Vivid and absorbing and grapples with big ideas without being dry, difficult or patronising * Sarah Hemming, Financial Times on Higher than Babel *
What an enjoyable read! So vividly written, I could visualise every winding street and twisting chimney of Rotherweird . . . If you like Ben Aaronovitch, Neil Gaiman or Susanna Clarke, this book is for you! * Book Geek Girl *
If J. K. Rowling had given Jasper Fforde permission to document a decade of derring-do in Diagon Alley, the result would read rather like Rotherweird * Tor.com *
A quirky portal fantasy peppered with singular names . . . Top marks for inventiveness * Speculative Herald *
This is an immensely enjoyable, Gothic(ish) / steampunk/ Gormanghast-esque romp with Dickensian overtones. Rotherweird itself is a great imaginative creation . . . A fun, often funny, exciting and highly readable story. Get it now * Blue Balloon *
Highly recommended, I think this novel will eventually be viewed as a modern classic * The Eloquent Page *
One of the most appealing and fascinating books I've read in some time now. There is darkness and humour here together with invention and originality. For me there are echoes of the work of both Mervyn Peake and Neil Gaiman here * Books and More Books *
This is quite possibly the best fantasy novel I have read this year * Silvia Kay on YouTube *
The writing is a true pleasure . . . an airy, yet incisive quality; a purposeful dreaminess; images that stick with me, yet prose that does not labor to describe * Strange Horizons *
A highly unusual book, a kind of portal fantasy/historical fantasy/contemporary urban fantasy blend. It reminds me most of Robert Holdstock or Charles de Lint, though less ominous in tone than either * The Review Curmudgeon *
Unusual, mannered, quirky * Library Thing *
A fun blend of absurdist humour, creepy peril and fecund magic to be found here * Press Reader *
History, fantasy, tragedy and comedy collide in new and unusual ways, to create a novel that is full of intrigue and mystery * The Book Muse *
Rotherweird definitely delivered. The flippant way to describe it would be as a Midsomer Murders episode as told by Jeff VanderMeer with a touch of Agatha Christie. That doesn't do it justice though because joking aside it's a very good book * Stefen's Books *
I loved the blend of past, present and other worlds. I loved the characters, the intricate plotting and the playfulness with words, English and Latin * Boffins Books *
A mystical tale of suspense and adventure, mixed in with the macabre and Tudor England. Andrew Caldecott's ability to create and shape worlds and the characters in them, draws the reader into an intense narrative of plot and subtext that keeps you guessing. Enchanting and beautifully written * lifehasafunnywayofsneakinguponyou.wordpress.com *
The kind of book that is so glorious you'll want to talk to your friends about it for days afterwards ... often extremely funny, and so richly textured with characters so expertly drawn you'll being to wonder if a real town called Rotherweird might not actually exist ... Truly, sinisterly magical. * Starburst *
Sublime . . . Call me greedy, but I'm already itching to return to Caldecott's universe. * The Irish Times *
A mystical tale of suspense and adventure, mixed in with the macabre and Tudor England. Andrew Caldecott's ability to create and shape worlds and the characters in them, draws the reader into an intense narrative of plot and subtext that keeps you guessing. Enchanting and beautifully written * lifehasafunnywayofsneakinguponyou.wordpress.com *
Hugely entertaining . . . this novel is a remarkable achievement. It's also extremely funny, in a typically British sort of way * Independent.ie *
Author Bio
Andrew Caldecott (Author)
Andrew Caldecott is a QC specialising in media law; he has represented a wide variety of clients, from the BBC and the Guardian to supermodel Naomi Campbell. An occasional playwright, he turned his hand to fiction when, informed by his love of history, which he studied at New College, Oxford, he was seized by the notion of a city-state hiding a cataclysmic secret. Wyntertide continues the story started in Rotherweird.

Sasha Laika (Illustrator)
Sasha Laika studied figurative art in Moscow, followed by a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration in the UK. A London-based artist for the last 10 years, Sasha creates highly intricate works that draw on imagery from mythology, folklore and religious iconography. Her works are inhabited by mystical creatures that morph between human and animal, and exist in transition somewhere between the worlds of fantasy and reality. She considers Rotherweird the perfect subject for her debut work as a book illustrator.