Tag: A Man Lies Dreaming

A MAN LIES DREAMING Audiobook Out Next Week!

Posted on Monday, August 23rd, 2021

Next week, W. F. Howes are due to publish the UK audiobook edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed, award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING! Narrated by Andrew Wincott, here’s the synopsis…

1939: Adolf Hitler, fallen from power, seeks refuge in a London engulfed in the throes of a very British Fascism. Now eking a miserable living as a down-at-heels private eye and calling himself Wolf, he has no choice but to take on the case of a glamorous Jewish heiress whose sister went missing. It’s a decision Wolf will very shortly regret. For in another time and place a man lies dreaming: Shomer, once a Yiddish pulp writer, who dreams lurid tales of revenge in the hell that is Auschwitz.

Prescient, darkly funny and wholly original, the award-winning A Man Lies Dreaming is a modern fable for our time.

The novel was recently re-issued in the UK by Head of Zeus; it is available in North America, too, published by JABberwocky.

Here are just a few of the great reviews that A MAN LIES DREAMING has received…

‘Comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand. This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one, and it treats the topic of genocide with a kind of energetic unseriousness… Tidhar’s novel treats its grim theme not as a comedy, although there is plenty of caustic humour, but instead as a pulp-noir tale of seamy city streets, gumshoes and lowlifes… Tidhar gets the outre tone just right: outrageous sex and violence related in a briskly workmanlike style. And Tidhar’s Hitler is a striking reimagination of that endlessly reimagined individual: twisted with hatred, doing good almost by accident… Tidhar, who cut his teeth in the world of genre SF, understands how eloquent pulp can be… [OSAMA] won the World Fantasy award. I wouldn’t be surprised to see A MAN LIES DREAMING repeat that achievement… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and in­vented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘The best book I read last year is A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar, a form of fictional historiography based on a’ what if ‘principle. I love that, if it is done well and intelligently… It sounds ridiculous and it has certainly been written down with a great sense of irony, but at the same time it is so cleverly constructed and such a spectacular conclusion unfolds that you are going to take it all very seriously.’ — Sting (yes, that one) to Volksrant

‘A Chandler-esque mystery… a jarring tale of a grim, gray alternative world… Seldom will readers come across fantasy as well conceived and well written as this exceptional novel.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)

‘Set during the election of a demagogue who battens on the fears of an underemployed populace threatened by thousands of foreign-born refugees, A MAN LIES DREAMING feels disturbingly prescient. Tidhar holds up a mirror not just to Wolf, but to ourselves. In doing so, he reminds us that even — especially — under the most terrible of circumstances, stories are all we have. And in the right hands, they can be a formidable weapon.’ — Washington Post

Head of Zeus has also published Lavie’s OSAMA and BY FORCE ALONE, and are due to publish THE HOOD in October. Head of Zeus also publishes the Tidhar-edited THE BEST OF WORLD SF, VOLUME 1 anthology.

THE LUNACY COMMISSION by Lavie Tidhar Out Now!

Posted on Tuesday, May 25th, 2021

Lavie Tidhar‘s new short story collection, starring Wolf, THE LUNACY COMMISSION is out now! Published by JABberwocky, it is available in eBook and print-on-demand editions. Here’s the synopsis…

Lavie Tidhar’s ground-breaking, award winning novel A Man Lies Dreaming introduced Adolf Hitler as a down-at-heels private detective, forced to eke out a miserable living in 1930s London. Forgotten by history, the man now calling himself Wolf is the lowest of the low, suffering fresh humiliations at every turn.

Now Wolf is back, in five darkly comic new stories that see him take on blackmail, murder, and theft – not to mention his old comrades.

A brilliant alternate history noir with a heart, these stories are in turn shocking, horrifying and comic, as could only come from the mind of World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar.

Wolf is also the protagonist from Tidhar’s critically-acclaimed, award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING, which is also published by JABberwocky in North America. The novel will be re-issued in the UK by Head of Zeus, on April 15th.

Both of the superb JABberwocky editions’ covers are by Sarah Anne Langton.

The eBook edition of THE LUNACY COMMISSION is available from all major retailers (POD edition via Amazon and Barnes & Noble):

New North American Audio Editions of THE VIOLENT CENTURY and A MAN LIES DREAMING!

Posted on Friday, April 23rd, 2021

There are new North American audiobook editions of Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed novels THE VIOLENT CENTURY and A MAN LIES DREAMING available now! Published by Tantor Media, here are some details…

Published in print and eBook by Tachyon Publications, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a superb reimagining of history if superheroes had been employed by global governments since World War II. The audiobook is narrated by Alex Wyndham. Here’s the synopsis…

A bold experiment has mutated a small fraction of humanity. Nations race to harness the gifted, putting them to increasingly dark ends. At the dawn of global war, flashy American superheroes square off against sinister Germans and dissolute Russians. Increasingly depraved scientists conduct despicable research in the name of victory.

British agents Fogg and Oblivion, recalled to the Retirement Bureau, have kept a treacherous secret for over forty years. But all heroes must choose when to join the fray, and to whom their allegiance is owed—even for just one perfect summer’s day.

‘A brilliantly etched phantasmagoric reconfiguring of that most sizzling of eras – the twilight 20th…  This book has it all:  time travel, political intrigue, hellacious history…  You’ve got superheroes in the guise of regular humans, you’ve got World War II … THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a torrid tour de force!’ — James Ellroy

‘Vintage Lavie, and also I think his most fully accomplished novel yet. Nobody rides that fast-rolling wave separating schlocky pulp and serious literary sensibilities so deftly as Tidhar. He manages to make serious points about the benighted twentieth-century and its obsession with ‘supermen’ without ever letting the narrative slacken or the adventure pale. If Nietzche had written an X-Men storyline whilst high on mescaline, it might have read something like THE VIOLENT CENTURY.’ — Adam Roberts, author of Jack Glass

‘Tidhar folds up history, translating fiction into reality and back, presenting it to the reader like a closely guarded secret… THE VIOLENT CENTURY ruminates on the concept of the superhero—a term which never appears in the novel—by pondering the question of heroism itself… a brilliant novel of ideas.’ — Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

The Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING is published in North America by JABberwocky, and has been recently re-issued in the UK by Head of Zeus…

Since its original 2014 publication, A Man Lies Dreaming has been translated into multiple languages and gained a cult following for its dark humor, prescient politics, and powerful exploration of the impossibility of fantasy.

1939: Adolf Hitler, fallen from power, seeks refuge in a London engulfed in the throes of a very British Fascism. Now eking a miserable living as a down-at-heels private eye and calling himself Wolf, he has no choice but to take on the case of a glamorous Jewish heiress whose sister went missing.

It’s a decision Wolf will very shortly regret.

For in another time and place a man lies dreaming: Shomer, once a Yiddish pulp writer, who dreams lurid tales of revenge in the hell that is Auschwitz.

Prescient, darkly funny, and wholly original, the award-winning A Man Lies Dreaming is a modern fable for our time that comes “crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand” (Guardian).

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and in­vented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘The best book I read last year is A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar, a form of fictional historiography based on a’ what if ‘principle. I love that, if it is done well and intelligently… It sounds ridiculous and it has certainly been written down with a great sense of irony, but at the same time it is so cleverly constructed and such a spectacular conclusion unfolds that you are going to take it all very seriously.’ — Sting (yes, that one) to Volksrant

New UK Edition of Lavie Tidhar’s A MAN LIES DREAMING out now!

Posted on Thursday, April 15th, 2021

A new edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed, Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award-winning novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING is out now in the UK! Published by Head of Zeus (via the AdAstra imprint), here’s the synopsis…

1939. In a grotty corner of London, in a flat above a shop, a private eye known as Wolf keeps his office. The city is in the throes of a very British Fascism, and Wolf is far from the life he left behind in Germany, before the Fall. Business hasn’t been good, so when a glamorous Jewish heiress comes through his door, he has no choice but to take on her case.

It’s a decision Wolf will soon regret.

For in another time and place, a man lies dreaming. Once a Yiddish pulp writer, but now imprisoned in a hell of humanity’s making, Shomer creates lurid tales of revenge in his sleep…

Prescient, darkly funny and wholly original, the award-winning A Man Lies Dreaming is a modern fable for our time.

The novel is also available in North America, published by JABberwocky (with a great cover by Sarah Anne Langton).

Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received since it was first published…

‘The best book I read last year is A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar, a form of fictional historiography based on a’ what if ‘principle. I love that, if it is done well and intelligently… It sounds ridiculous and it has certainly been written down with a great sense of irony, but at the same time it is so cleverly constructed and such a spectacular conclusion unfolds that you are going to take it all very seriously.’ — Sting (yes, that one) to Volksrant

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘Comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand. This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one, and it treats the topic of genocide with a kind of energetic unseriousness… Tidhar’s novel treats its grim theme not as a comedy, although there is plenty of caustic humour, but instead as a pulp-noir tale of seamy city streets, gumshoes and lowlifes… Tidhar gets the outre tone just right: outrageous sex and violence related in a briskly workmanlike style. And Tidhar’s Hitler is a striking reimagination of that endlessly reimagined individual: twisted with hatred, doing good almost by accident… Tidhar, who cut his teeth in the world of genre SF, understands how eloquent pulp can be… [OSAMA] won the World Fantasy award. I wouldn’t be surprised to see A MAN LIES DREAMING repeat that achievement… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and in­vented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘How does one write the Holocaust? This high-wire act of a book is his attempt. Does it work as pulp? Yes. It’s nasty, clever, waspish and witty. It finds room for guest appearances from Leni Riefenstahl, Ian Fleming and Evelyn Waugh and quotations from everyone from Chandler to Ukip…  You turn the pages avidly. You read it for the pulp story. And you read it for the frame that surrounds it. And you can’t stop reading.‘ — Herald Scotland

Next Week: New UK Edition of Lavie Tidhar’s A MAN LIES DREAMING!

Posted on Friday, April 9th, 2021

We’re very happy to report that a new UK edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award-winning novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING is due out next week! To be published by Head of Zeus on April 15th, here’s the synopsis…

1939. In a grotty corner of London, in a flat above a shop, a private eye known as Wolf keeps his office. The city is in the throes of a very British Fascism, and Wolf is far from the life he left behind in Germany, before the Fall. Business hasn’t been good, so when a glamorous Jewish heiress comes through his door, he has no choice but to take on her case.

It’s a decision Wolf will soon regret.

For in another time and place, a man lies dreaming. Once a Yiddish pulp writer, but now imprisoned in a hell of humanity’s making, Shomer creates lurid tales of revenge in his sleep…

Prescient, darkly funny and wholly original, the award-winning A Man Lies Dreaming is a modern fable for our time.

The novel is also available in North America, published by JABberwocky (with a great cover by Sarah Anne Langton).

Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received since it was first published…

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and in­vented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘The best book I read last year is A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar, a form of fictional historiography based on a’ what if ‘principle. I love that, if it is done well and intelligently… It sounds ridiculous and it has certainly been written down with a great sense of irony, but at the same time it is so cleverly constructed and such a spectacular conclusion unfolds that you are going to take it all very seriously.’ — Sting (yes, that one) to Volksrant

‘How does one write the Holocaust? This high-wire act of a book is his attempt. Does it work as pulp? Yes. It’s nasty, clever, waspish and witty. It finds room for guest appearances from Leni Riefenstahl, Ian Fleming and Evelyn Waugh and quotations from everyone from Chandler to Ukip…  You turn the pages avidly. You read it for the pulp story. And you read it for the frame that surrounds it. And you can’t stop reading.‘ — Herald Scotland

Lavie Tidhar’s THE LUNACY COMMISSION pushed back to May 25th

Posted on Friday, March 26th, 2021

We wanted to provide an update regarding Lavie Tidhar‘s anticipated new book THE LUNACY COMMISSION. It was originally intended to be published on April 13th, but it has unfortunately been pushed back: JABberwocky are due to publish both the print-on-demand edition and eBook of the short story collection on May 25th.

Starring Wolf, from Tidhar’s award-winning, critically-acclaimed A MAN LIES DREAMING, here’s the synopsis…

Lavie Tidhar’s ground-breaking, award winning novel A Man Lies Dreaming introduced Adolf Hitler as a down-at-heels private detective, forced to eke out a miserable living in 1930s London. Forgotten by history, the man now calling himself Wolf is the lowest of the low, suffering fresh humiliations at every turn.

Now Wolf is back, in five darkly comic new stories that see him take on blackmail, murder, and theft – not to mention his old comrades.

A brilliant alternate history noir with a heart, these stories are in turn shocking, horrifying and comic, as could only come from the mind of World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar.

The eBook edition can be pre-ordered from all major eBook retailers (and the print-on-demand from Amazon and Barnes & Noble):

A MAN LIES DREAMING is also published by JABberwocky in North America. The novel will soon be re-issued in the UK by Head of Zeus, on April 15th.

The covers for the JABberwocky editions are both by Sarah Anne Langton.

Coming Soon: Lavie Tidhar’s THE LUNACY COMMISSION

Posted on Friday, February 19th, 2021

On April 13th, JABberwocky are due to publish a new collection of stories by Lavie Tidhar: THE LUNACY COMMISSION. Starring Wolf, from Tidhar’s award-winning, critically-acclaimed A MAN LIES DREAMING, here’s the synopsis…

Lavie Tidhar’s ground-breaking, award winning novel A Man Lies Dreaming introduced Adolf Hitler as a down-at-heels private detective, forced to eke out a miserable living in 1930s London. Forgotten by history, the man now calling himself Wolf is the lowest of the low, suffering fresh humiliations at every turn.

Now Wolf is back, in five darkly comic new stories that see him take on blackmail, murder, and theft – not to mention his old comrades.

A brilliant alternate history noir with a heart, these stories are in turn shocking, horrifying and comic, as could only come from the mind of World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is also published by JABberwocky in North America. The novel will soon be re-issued in the UK by Head of Zeus — we’ll share more information about this upcoming edition soon.

Both of these covers are by the superbly talented Sarah Anne Langton.

THE LUNACY COMMISSION is already up for pre-order, from the following eBook retailers:

Lavie Tidhar & Aliette de Bodard Nominated for Seiun Awards!

Posted on Friday, May 15th, 2020

Announced late last week, we are very happy to share the news that Lavie Tidhar and Aliette de Bodard have been nominated for Seiun Awards in Japan!

In the Best Translated Novel category, we have Lavie’s A MAN LIES DREAMING. Published in Japan by 竹書房 (Takeshobo), as 黒き微睡みの囚人, here’s the synopsis…

The novel won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award when it was first published in the UK. It was recently re-issued as an eBook by JABberwocky, with a cover by Sarah Anne Langton (above). Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world – a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

Aliette’s ‘Memorials‘ is nominated in the Best Translated Story category. Available in Japan as part of the Xuya anthology, 茶匠と探偵, published by 竹書房. Here’s the synopsis for the collection…

星々は語らない。淡く見えるとも強く輝く――

探偵と元軍艦の宇宙船がコンビを組み深宇宙（ディープ・スペーシズ）での事件を解決する表題作の他、異文化に適応しようとした女性が偽りの自分に飲み込まれる「包嚢」、宇宙船を身籠った女性と船の設計士の交流を描く「船を造る者たち」、少女がおとぎ話の真実を知る「竜が太陽から飛びだす時」。

“アジアの宇宙”であるシュヤ宇宙を舞台に紡ぐ全9篇。
現代SFの最前線に立つ作家、日本初の短篇集。

【収録作品一覧】
「蝶々、黎明に墜ちて」（“Butterfly, Falling at Dawn”）
「船を造る者たち」（“The Shipmaker”）
「包嚢」（“Immersion”）
「星々は待っている」（“The Waiting Stars”）
「形見」（“Memorials”）
「哀しみの杯三つ、星明かりのもとで」（“Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight”）
「魂魄回収」（“A Salvaging of Ghosts”）
「竜の太陽から飛びだす時」（“The Dragon That Flew Out of the Sun”）
「茶匠と探偵」（“The Tea Master and the Detective”）

The stories included in 茶匠と探偵 are available in English in THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE and OF WARS, AND MEMORIES, AND STARLIGHT — both published by Subterranean Press. The former is also available in the UK, published by JABberwocky.

Here’s the synopsis for OF WARS, AND MEMORIES, AND STARLIGHT…

A major first collection from a writer fast becoming one of the stars of the genre… Aliette de Bodard, multiple award winner and author of The Tea Master and the Detective, now brings readers fourteen dazzling tales that showcase the richly textured worldbuilding and beloved characters that have brought her so much acclaim.

Come discover the breadth and endless invention of her universes, ranging from a dark Gothic Paris devastated by a magical war; to the multiple award-winning Xuya, a far-future space opera inspired by Vietnamese culture where scholars administrate planets and sentient spaceships are part of families.

In the Nebula award and Locus award winning “Immersion”, a young girl working in a restaurant on a colonized space station crosses paths with an older woman who has cast off her own identity. In the novelette “Children of Thorns, Children of Water”, a shapeshifting dragon infiltrating a ruined mansion finds more than he’s bargained for when his partner is snatched by eerie, child-like creatures. And in the award-winning “Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight”, three very different people — a scholar, an engineer, and a spaceship — all must deal with the loss of a woman who was the cornerstone of their world.   

This collection includes a never-before seen 20,000-word novella, “Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness”, set in Bodard’s alternative dark Paris.

The Seiun Awards were originally planned to be presented at F-CON, the 59th Japan SF Convention, scheduled for August 22-23, 2020 in Fukushima prefecture. However, the convention has now been postponed until March 13-14, 2021.

Congratulations to Lavie and Aliette! Both very well-deserved nominations and we have our fingers crossed!

Lavie Tidhar Curates the BEST OF BRITISH SFF Story Bundle…

Posted on Thursday, April 16th, 2020

Lavie Tidhar has curated an excellent Story Bundle, featuring some of the best of British science fiction! The bundle is available until April 3rd, as a pay-what-you-want/can, and goes to support not only the authors but also Locus Magazine. Here’s a short description from Lavie…

It feels surreal to be writing this as the world is in the grip of a pandemic, and Britain itself, like much of the rest of the world, is on lockdown, in scenes that could only have been dismissed as science fiction a few weeks ago. Or years. How long has it been? I have lost the sense of time by now. As we’re all holding on, many, including the writers here and elsewhere, have been affected. Bookshops and newsstands are closed, publishers are laying off staff and delaying books, and all of us are feeling the pinch. Buying this bundle will help the small publishers included here, from Apex and NewCon to Solaris and Tachyon – the very independent publishers who continue to champion exciting new voices and works.

Finally, this bundle will help, in however small a way, my favourite magazine. Locus was established in 1968, and has become the single most important news source for the SF/F field, offering unparalleled cover, in-depth reviews and author interviews, and so much more. They have won the Hugo Award more times than I can mention. The effect of the shutdown has hit Locus hard. As a non-profit, they rely on a mixture of traditional revenue and on donations. Your purchase of this bundle will raise some much needed cash to help Locus weather the current apocalypse – and we all need Locus.

The bundle includes the following titles:

If you pay at least $15, you will also get the following six books:

  • THE BEST OF MICHAEL MOORCOCK
  • COIL by Ren Warom
  • A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar
  • THE IRON TACTICIAN by Alastair Reynolds
  • BEST OF BRITISH FANTASY 2018 edited by Jared Shurin
  • BEST OF BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION 2018 edited by Donna Scott

Lavie Tidhar’s A MAN LIES DREAMING available again in eBook!

Posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

A new eBook edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed, award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING is available now! Published via the JABberwocky eBook Program in the UK and North America, here’s the synopsis…

Since its original 2014 publication, A Man Lies Dreaming has been translated into multiple languages and gained a cult following for its dark humor, prescient politics and powerful exploration of the impossibility of fantasy.

1939: Adolf Hitler, fallen from power, seeks refuge in a London engulfed in the throes of a very British Fascism. Now eking a miserable living as a down-at-heels private eye and calling himself Wolf, he has no choice but to take on the case of a glamorous Jewish heiress whose sister went missing.

It’s a decision Wolf will very shortly regret.

For in another time and place a man lies dreaming: Shomer, once a Yiddish pulp writer, who dreams lurid tales of revenge in the hell that is Auschwitz.

The excellent cover, an homage to the Penguin Classics, is by the ever-excellent Sarah Anne Langton.

The eBook is available from all major eBook retailers. Here are some links:

Here’s just a small number of the reviews the novel has received so far…

‘Comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand. This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘[S]avagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and in­vented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘The best book I read last year is A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar, a form of fictional historiography based on a’ what if ‘principle. I love that, if it is done well and intelligently… It sounds ridiculous and it has certainly been written down with a great sense of irony, but at the same time it is so cleverly constructed and such a spectacular conclusion unfolds that you are going to take it all very seriously.’ — Sting (yes, that one) to Volksrant

‘Everything in this genre-bender works; intriguing historical characters are worked into expertly managed plots, and the visceral noir atmosphere is juxtaposed nicely against the drawing-room world of London’s political scene.’ — Booklist (Starred Review)

‘A Chandler-esque mystery… a jarring tale of a grim, gray alternative world… Seldom will readers come across fantasy as well conceived and well written as this exceptional novel.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)

‘Set during the election of a demagogue who battens on the fears of an underemployed populace threatened by thousands of foreign-born refugees, A MAN LIES DREAMING feels disturbingly prescient. Tidhar holds up a mirror not just to Wolf, but to ourselves. In doing so, he reminds us that even — especially — under the most terrible of circumstances, stories are all we have. And in the right hands, they can be a formidable weapon.’ — Washington Post

JABberwocky has also published a number of Lavie’s other books.

黒き微睡みの囚人: Lavie Tidhar’s award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING out now in Japan!

Posted on Thursday, January 31st, 2019

Lavie Tidhar‘s award-winning, critically-acclaimed novel A MAN LIES DREAMING is out today in Japan! Published by 竹書房 (Takeshobo) as 黒き微睡みの囚人, here’s the synopsis…

私立探偵ウルフ。ドイツで総統になるはずだった男。
作家ショーマー。アウシュヴィッツで総統の夢を見る男。

かつてウルフはドイツで有力な政治家だった。
しかし、“大転落”と呼ばれる政変が起こり、
権力を失った彼は、ロンドンに逃れ私立探偵をしていた。
ユダヤ人嫌いのウルフだが、金のためにユダヤ人女性の行方を探すことになり、
さらに娼婦連続殺人事件にも巻き込まれてしまう。
そして調査を進めるうちにウルフは
元同志たちが暗躍するイギリスの暗部へと足を踏み入れる。

時間と場所を隔てた別の世界。
アウシュヴィッツで、作家が夢を見ていた。
自分から、ユダヤ人から、すべてを奪ったあの男の夢を。
夢の中では男は私立探偵をしていた――。

ひとから想像力を奪うことはできない。
だが、すべてを奪われ想像力だけが残されたとき、それはひとに何をもたらすのか。
ホロコーストを新たな視点で描いた、歴史改変奇想ノワール。

A MAN LIES DREAMING, which won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award, is published in the UK by Hodder (where it is currently on sale in eBook), and in the US by Melville House. The novel has also been published in a number of translated editions. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world – a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

Here, too, is just a small selection of the critical acclaim the novel has received since it was first published in 2014…

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘Set during the election of a demagogue who battens on the fears of an underemployed populace threatened by thousands of foreign-born refugees, A MAN LIES DREAMING feels disturbingly prescient. Tidhar holds up a mirror not just to Wolf, but to ourselves. In doing so, he reminds us that even — especially — under the most terrible of circumstances, stories are all we have. And in the right hands, they can be a formidable weapon.’ — Washington Post

‘This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one… Tidhar’s novel treats its grim theme not as a comedy, although there is plenty of caustic humour, but instead as a pulp-noir tale of seamy city streets, gumshoes and lowlifes… Tidhar gets the outre tone just right… Tidhar, who cut his teeth in the world of genre SF, understands how eloquent pulp can be… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Everything in this genre-bender works; intriguing historical characters are worked into expertly managed plots, and the visceral noir atmosphere is juxtaposed nicely against the drawing-room world of London’s political scene.’ — Booklist (Starred Review)

‘A Chandler-esque mystery… a jarring tale of a grim, gray alternative world… Seldom will readers come across fantasy as well conceived and well written as this exceptional novel.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘When Tidhar writes of the Holocaust it is with brutal accuracy and a deep sensitivity… it’s poetic and terrible… Many will find elements of this story deeply disturbing, not the least of which is a possible sympathy to Wolf… To top it all of course is Tidhar’s voice itself — at times humorous, at times grim but never frivolous and always taught and controlled… As with his previous novels, Tidhar knows how to say a great deal in very little. There is eloquence and gravitas in the sparseness and brevity of noir fiction when it is good, and Tidhar’s is quite incredible.’ — Tor.com

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and in­vented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

Lavie’s latest novels are UNHOLY LAND and CENTRAL STATION (published by Tachyon Publications) and his first book for younger readers, CANDY (published by Scholastic).

Next Week, A MAN LIES DREAMING in Japan…

Posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019

Next week, 竹書房 (Takeshobo) are due to publish a Japanese edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s award-winning, critically-acclaimed novel A MAN LIES DREAMING! Published as 黒き微睡みの囚人, here’s the synopsis…

私立探偵ウルフ。ドイツで総統になるはずだった男。
作家ショーマー。アウシュヴィッツで総統の夢を見る男。

かつてウルフはドイツで有力な政治家だった。
しかし、“大転落”と呼ばれる政変が起こり、
権力を失った彼は、ロンドンに逃れ私立探偵をしていた。
ユダヤ人嫌いのウルフだが、金のためにユダヤ人女性の行方を探すことになり、
さらに娼婦連続殺人事件にも巻き込まれてしまう。
そして調査を進めるうちにウルフは
元同志たちが暗躍するイギリスの暗部へと足を踏み入れる。

時間と場所を隔てた別の世界。
アウシュヴィッツで、作家が夢を見ていた。
自分から、ユダヤ人から、すべてを奪ったあの男の夢を。
夢の中では男は私立探偵をしていた――。

ひとから想像力を奪うことはできない。
だが、すべてを奪われ想像力だけが残されたとき、それはひとに何をもたらすのか。
ホロコーストを新たな視点で描いた、歴史改変奇想ノワール。

A MAN LIES DREAMING, which won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award, is published in the UK by Hodder (where it is currently on sale in eBook), and in the US by Melville House. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world – a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

Here, too, is just a small selection of the critical acclaim the novel has received since it was first published in 2014…

‘This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one… Tidhar’s novel treats its grim theme not as a comedy, although there is plenty of caustic humour, but instead as a pulp-noir tale of seamy city streets, gumshoes and lowlifes… Tidhar gets the outre tone just right… Tidhar, who cut his teeth in the world of genre SF, understands how eloquent pulp can be… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and in­vented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘Everything in this genre-bender works; intriguing historical characters are worked into expertly managed plots, and the visceral noir atmosphere is juxtaposed nicely against the drawing-room world of London’s political scene.’ — Booklist (Starred Review)

‘A Chandler-esque mystery… a jarring tale of a grim, gray alternative world… Seldom will readers come across fantasy as well conceived and well written as this exceptional novel.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)

Lavie’s latest novels are UNHOLY LAND and CENTRAL STATION (published by Tachyon Publications) and his first book for younger readers, CANDY (published by Scholastic).

A MAN LIES DREAMING in Hebrew…

Posted on Monday, April 30th, 2018

A MAN LIES DREAMING, the critically-acclaimed, Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award-winning novel by Lavie Tidhar is available now in Hebrew! Published by Keter Books as איש שוכב וחולם, here’s the synopsis…

ווֹלף‭, ‬בלש‭ ‬פרטי‭ ‬כושל‭, ‬פועל‭ ‬בלונדון‭ ‬האפלה‭ ‬והרטובה‭. ‬הוא‭ ‬רדוף‭ ‬זיכרונות‭ ‬של‭ ‬עתיד‭ ‬שאולי‭ ‬התרחש‭ ‬ואולי‭
לא‭ ‬התרחש‭, ‬ונרדף‭ ‬על‭ ‬ידי‭ ‬הווה‭ ‬מסוכן‭, ‬מלא‭ ‬בפשיסטים‭ ‬ובנאצים‭ ‬שנמלטו‭ ‬מגרמניה‭. ‬כשמגיעה‭ ‬אליו‭
איזבלה‭ ‬רובינשטיין‭, ‬יהודייה‭ ‬עשירה‭ ‬שמחפשת‭ ‬את‭ ‬אחותה‭ ‬שהוברחה‭ ‬מגרמניה‭ ‬ונעלמה‭, ‬הוא‭ ‬לא‭ ‬יודע
לאיזו‭ ‬צרה‭ ‬הוא‭ ‬נקלע‭. ‬ באותה‭ ‬העת‭, ‬או‭ ‬שאולי‭ ‬בעת‭ ‬אחרת‭ ‬לגמרי‭, ‬שוֹמֶר‭, ‬כותב‭ ‬שוּנְד‭ – ‬רומנים‭ ‬קטנים‭
וסנסציוניים‭ ‬ביידיש‭ – ‬שוכב‭ ‬על‭ ‬דרגש‭ ‬במחנה‭ ‬ההשמדה‭ ‬אושוויץ‭ ‬וחולם‭ ‬על‭ ‬עולם‭ ‬אחר‭ ‬שבו‭ ‬הוא‭ ‬שוכב‭ ‬על‭
חוף‭ ‬ים‭ ‬טרופי‭, ‬כשבטנו‭ ‬מלאה‭, ‬והוא‭ ‬מחייך‭ ‬וכל‭ ‬שיניו‭ ‬בפיו‭, ‬ומשפחתו‭ ‬מאוחדת‭. ‬דמיונו‭ ‬מאפשר‭ ‬לו‭ ‬לחרוג‭ ‬מן
המקום‭ ‬המצמית‭ ‬ולדמיין‭ ‬עלילות‭ ‬על‭ ‬עיר‭ ‬אפלה‭ ‬ומעשים‭ ‬אפלים‭. ‬באורח‭ ‬פלא‭, ‬העלילות‭ ‬בדמיונו‭ ‬של‭ ‬שוֹמֶר
מסתבכות‭ ‬ונושקות‭ ‬לקורותיו‭ ‬של‭ ‬וולף‭.‬  בקצב‭ ‬מסחרר‭ ‬ומבריק‭ ‬ותוך‭ ‬שהוא‭ ‬משתעשע‭ ‬באלגנטיות‭ ‬בממדים‭
של‭ ‬זמן‭, ‬מקום‭ ‬ומסַפרים‭ ‬שונים‭, ‬לוקח‭ ‬לביא‭ ‬תדהר‭ ‬את‭ ‬הקורא‭ ‬למסע‭ ‬בהיסטוריה‭ ‬חלופית‭, ‬בפילם‭ ‬נואר‭
‬ובמחנה‭ ‬אושוויץ‭ ‬עצמו‭, ‬בלי‭ ‬לאבד‭ ‬אף‭ ‬לא‭ ‬לרגע‭ ‬את‭ ‬השליטה‭ ‬המושלמת‭ ‬בסיפור‭ ‬המבריק‭ ‬שהִנדס‭. ‬ לביא‭
תדהר‭ ‬גר‭ ‬בלונדון‭ ‬וכותב‭ ‬בעברית‭ ‬ובאנגלית‭.‬   “מהמם‭, ‬מצחיק‭ ‬וחריף‭… ‬לביא‭ ‬תדהר‭ ‬מזכיר‭ ‬לנו‭ ‬שבסופו‭ ‬של
דבר‭, ‬גם‭ ‬בנסיבות‭ ‬הקשות‭ ‬ביותר‭, ‬כל‭ ‬מה‭ ‬שיש‭ ‬לנו‭ ‬הוא‭ ‬סיפורים‭, ‬ובידיים‭ ‬הנכונות‭ ‬הם‭ ‬נשק‭ ‬מטיל‭ ‬אימה‭
הוושינגטון‭ ‬פוסט

The novel is published in the UK by Hodder and in the US by Melville House. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world — a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

Here’s some of the aforementioned critical acclaim…

‘Comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand. This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one, and it treats the topic of genocide with a kind of energetic unseriousness… Tidhar’s novel treats its grim theme not as a comedy, although there is plenty of caustic humour, but instead as a pulp-noir tale of seamy city streets, gumshoes and lowlifes… Tidhar gets the outre tone just right: outrageous sex and violence related in a briskly workmanlike style. And Tidhar’s Hitler is a striking reimagination of that endlessly reimagined individual: twisted with hatred, doing good almost by accident… Tidhar, who cut his teeth in the world of genre SF, understands how eloquent pulp can be… [OSAMA] won the World Fantasy award. I wouldn’t be surprised to see A MAN LIES DREAMING repeat that achievement… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and in­vented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘Everything in this genre-bender works; intriguing historical characters are worked into expertly managed plots, and the visceral noir atmosphere is juxtaposed nicely against the drawing-room world of London’s political scene.’ — Booklist(Starred Review)

‘A Chandler-esque mystery… a jarring tale of a grim, gray alternative world… Seldom will readers come across fantasy as well conceived and well written as this exceptional novel.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)

A MAN LIES DREAMING paperback out now in the US!

Posted on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017

Lavie Tidhar‘s award-winning, critically-acclaimed A MAN LIES DREAMING is out now in paperback in the US! Published by Melville House, here’s the synopsis…

The novel that stunned — and scandalized — Europe comes to America

Wolf, a low-rent private detective, roams London’s gloomy, grimy streets, haunted by dark visions of a future that could have been—and a dangerous present populated by British Fascists and Nazis escaping Germany. Shomer, a pulp fiction writer, lies in a concentration camp, imagining another world. And when Wolf and Shomer’s stories converge, we find ourselves drawn into a novel both shocking and profoundly haunting.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is published in the UK by Hodder, and has been published in Italy, Czech, Spain and France.

A MAN LIES DREAMING in France…

Posted on Wednesday, April 5th, 2017

Lavie Tidhar‘s award-winning, critically-acclaimed A MAN LIES DREAMING is out now in France! Published by Editions Terra Nova as QUAND UN HOMME RÊVE, here’s the synopsis…

À Auschwitz, pendant la guerre, un homme rêve éveillé. La nuit venue, pour échapper à la réalité terrifiante du camp, Shomer imagine un autre monde. Un monde crépusculaire dans lequel Wolf, un chef nazi, a été obligé de fuir à Londres. Pour survivre dans les rues crasseuses de la capitale, Wolf est devenu détective privé. Un jour, dans son bureau misérable, il reçoit une femme juive qui lui demande de retrouver sa sœur. Wolf hait les Juifs : ils sont responsables de son exil, ils hantent son présent et ses souvenirs. Mais l’ex-chantre du nazisme a désespérément besoin d’argent. Il accepte donc cette mission, qui le conduit d’humiliations en humiliations. Entre le rêveur et son personnage d’étranges liens se tissent. Et dans sa déchéance, Wolf finit aussi par devenir plus humain…

Quand Histoire et imaginaire s’entrecroisent. Un roman magistral.

A MAN LIES DREAMING, which won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award, is published in the UK by Hodder and in the US by Melville House. It has also been published widely in translation (see below for some of the covers). Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world — a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

Here are a few of the great reviews the novel has received so far…

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… Tidhar reveals – as he did earlier in OSAMA and to some extent in THE VIOLENT CENTURY – that he’s really less interested in the mechanistic ‘‘what-ifs’’ of conventional alternate history than he is in the interpenetration of real and in­vented histories, or perhaps more grandiosely in the interpenetration of art and life – even the often-demeaned art of sensational fiction or (as in the case of THE VIOLENT CENTURY) comic books. This is what makes him such an interesting writer, and what makes A MAN LIES DREAMING quite a bit more complex than it at first appears… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘Everything in this genre-bender works; intriguing historical characters are worked into expertly managed plots, and the visceral noir atmosphere is juxtaposed nicely against the drawing-room world of London’s political scene.’ — Booklist (Starred Review)

‘A Chandler-esque mystery… a jarring tale of a grim, gray alternative world… Seldom will readers come across fantasy as well conceived and well written as this exceptional novel.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)