‘Lavie Tidhar’s SIX LIVES is a magnificent matryoshka of a novel. Presenting six stories about fascinating individuals who are bound by blood and a shared desire to be free from the ties of birth, Tidhar’s writing is alchemical, smouldering with his characters’ passions, ambitions and frustrations as it shifts genres, from murder mystery to spy thriller, and more… Spellbinding and smart, measured and fierily evocative, SIX LIVES is an immensely satisfying achievement.’ — LoveReading

‘I was blown away… Despite covering subjects as diverse as the Victorian guano trade, the KGB’s Cairo operations, post-mortem photography and an Agatha Christie-esque English country house murder, Tidhar manages to brilliantly realise each one.’ — Jewish Chronicle

‘ADAMA is an unstoppable masterpiece… Tidhar is a magician, a time-traveler, a historian, a comedian, a raconteur, a subversive, a truth teller and also one of the finest writers around. If history is a nightmare we’re all trying to wake up from, then ADAMA is a trumpet blast that rings out the past and into the future.’ — Junot Diaz

‘The prolific Tidhar has previously stuck to science fiction, but he is fast emerging as the leader of a new wave of Israeli literature, thanks to his risky, exhilarating experiments with tone and genre… ADAMA, which means ‘land’ in Hebrew (although ‘dam’ means blood) reaches further back, to pre-state Palestine and its displaced persons camps, through the story of Ruth, whose family escaped the Nazis in Budapest and who spends much of her life on a kibbutz… in Tidhar’s hands the kibbutz is no rose-tinted utopian community, but a harbinger of savage dislocation and violence. It’s not an easy read, but Tidhar’s imagination is both Old Testament through and through, and sick with a 21st-century disenchantment.’ — Daily Mail

‘ADAMA is the second in an ambitious trilogy about the tumultuous birth of Israel, but can be read as a standalone. It is a brilliantly unsentimental portrayal, full of moral murkiness and tarnished hopes, with small, half-glimpsed bursts of joy.’ — The Times (UK), Best Historical Fiction of the Month

‘A novel of immense power that resists easy answers to difficult questions.’ — The Times

‘Word by word I was drawn deeper and deeper into this incredible book – a story of inheritance, loss, longing and what could have been. Lavie Tidhar’s prose is beautiful, his characters lacerating and heartbreaking by turns. I loved it.’ — Catriona Ward

‘Comparisons to James Ellroy and Marlon James are valid… On every page we feel we’re among real, breathing people… [a] compelling, unflinching roman-fleuve.’ — Times Literary Supplement (joint review of ADAMA and MAROR)

‘As a study of biblical comeuppance, the land and the blood have the last say. I recommend Adama as an instructive primer for today’s generation of Israeli politicians. There are, indeed, lessons to be learned.’ — Jewish Chronicle

‘This violent, shadowy history of a kibbutz family makes for a propulsive, decades spanning noir saga. I couldn’t put it down.’ — Silvia Moreno-Garcia

‘A family of Israeli kibbuitzniks pay in blood and grief over several generations for the liberty of their newly founded state through wars, treachery and love. A brutal but compassionate and compelling view of the compromises required to sustain a nation, with smugglers, gangsters, idealists, soldiers and crooked cops caught in the web of history.’ — Maxim Jakubowski

‘A brutal but compassionate and compelling view of the compromises required to sustain a nation, with smugglers, gangsters, idealists, soldiers and crooked cops caught in the web of history. Again, the kaleidoscopic approach forms a picture in which history and individuals fight haphazardly against fate, at times reminiscent of the word torrents of a James Ellroy in full flow, but with a larger sense of profane passion. Tidhar however never forgets the human factor involved and his colourful cast of anti-heroes rage against the night and a past they cannot escape and the interlaced stories truly grip as connections appear in the shadows of history. Powerful stuff.’ — Crime Time

‘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 Diaz

‘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… 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)

‘This mind-bending metafictional tale from World Fantasy Award winner Tidhar imagines a lost pulp masterpiece that may or may not hold the secrets of the universe and sends an eclectic cast on a whirlwind quest to track the book down. It’s both a love letter to the genre and a wildly entertaining romp.’ — Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2023

‘Detective noir rubs shoulders with epistolary fiction, a prison story and expertly pastiched pulp SF. Inventive, thought-provoking, audacious and, as ever with Tidhar, superbly readable, this is where his genius lies.’ — Guardian (Five Best SFF of 2023!)

‘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, whether or not it deserves it (it does), as well as a love letter to its writers, whether or not they deserve it (they don’t. Well, mostly.).’ — Molly Tanzer, author of Vermilion and Creatures of Will and Temper

‘Maybe the universe’s energy really does get recycled, because this eclectic speculative novel manages to be simultaneously contemporary, nostalgic, and retro in a way that wouldn’t be unfamiliar to the SF icons to which it pays tribute…. 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

‘Tidhar’s (Neom) novel begins with obsession over an infamous, possibly mythical book that disappears upon reading and leaves death in its wake. The book, Lode Stars, if it even exists, either brings a truth too terrible to bear to an unsuspecting world or is a great hoax perpetrated by an inveterate con man… This novel is one wild ride, combining the purported text of the infamous book itself with a paean to the Golden Age of SF that produced it. 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… 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

‘Black holes, new religions, and powerful stories ensnare orbiting beings with their intrigue and potentiality in Lavie Tidhar’s science fiction marvel… Inquisitive, daring, and rich with possibilities, THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD is a speculative masterpiece.’ — Foreword (Starred Review)

‘THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD is an ambitious and ambiguous book showing Tidhar at top form, and all the more interesting for how it rejects easy resolutions.’ — Chicago Review of Books

‘Lavie Tidhar’s trippy, metafictional ode to the golden age of science fiction is a book within a book — Lode Stars, the novel that may or may not exist, as it disappears after being read.’ — Literary Hub

‘Tidhar’s melancholy, beautiful and yet improbably light-touch narrative, meanwhile, is structured like a nesting doll…‘ — New Scientist

‘Lavie Tidhar’s THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD (Tachyon) takes every big idea you ever had and arranges them like an onion. It starts with the noirish story of a missing mathematician and peels down through a hallucinatory episode involving the canonical sci-fi writers of the mid-20th century and on to encompass God and the reason for the existence of the universe.’ — New Scientist (Best SF Books of 2023)

‘Tidhar’s CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD (2023) is 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

‘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

‘If you love a novel of ideas, and are a fan of Mid-Century pulp science fiction, and are up for unconventional story telling, this inventive novel will knock your socks off… This wildly inventive novel is quite a trip!’ — The Literate Quilter

‘Mr. Tidhar’s love of SF is real, ya’ll, 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

‘I really enjoyed THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD. As a book, it is a thing of its own, not like anything I’d come across before, but a great read crammed with ideas and glorious writing: there is simply so much material here, I think some writers could and would make 3 or 4 books of it but we have all that concentrated in a short novel. Somehow that compression means that – like matter spiralling into a black hole – everything here simply lights up, bathing the reader with its intense radiation. An amazing read, strongly recommended.’ — Shiny New Books

‘World Fantasy Award winner Tidhar takes readers back to the fascinating far-future world of 2016’s CENTRAL STATION in this gentle narrative about self-fulfillment and one robot’s quest to reunite with a lost love… Tidhar offers a heartfelt exploration of artificially intelligent beings’ struggles to find existential meaning while being restrained by both coding and form. Fans of literary sci-fi are sure to be enchanted by the imaginative worldbuilding and tenderly wrought characters.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Tidhar’s narrative takes on a gentle, ruminative air, and while that helps establish the atmosphere of a convincing, lived-in city, veteran SF readers will also find plenty of playful and affectionate Easter eggs… Neom easily joins the list of SF cities we’d like to visit.’ — Locus

‘[A] delight­ful jour­ney through a fan­ta­sy of out­er space and a future Mid­dle East. Tidhar’s world con­tains lik­able char­ac­ters who work togeth­er (some­times acci­den­tal­ly, some­times begrudg­ing­ly) to tell a sto­ry full of adven­ture, mys­tery, hope, and love… Tid­har writes sci­ence fic­tion with real-world par­al­lels and comedic tim­ing, if also a bit of a ten­den­cy toward hope­ful romanticism… NEOM is a won­der­ful read for any lover of sci­ence fic­tion. For some­one who has not yet vis­it­ed the world of CENTRAL STATION — Tidhar’s nov­el from 2016 — it is easy to catch on to the col­lo­qui­alisms and cus­toms of the sto­ry uni­verse. But after read­ing NEOM, new Tid­har fans will sure­ly want to go back for more.’ — Jewish Book Council

‘Extraordinary and compassionate.’ – Foreword (starred review)

‘… hauntingly beautiful… Written in a straightforward but luminous style… NEOM is a treasure… a compelling chapter in this future history that reflects so much about who we are and the basic things we yearn for.’ — SciFi Mind

‘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

‘Yet again, Lavie Tidhar’s future world of NEOM is exciting and distinctive, his characters complex and fascinating, and his themes powerful and thought-provoking. He is the best sort of science fiction.’ — Kij Johnson, author of The River Bank

‘Always expect the unexpected with Lavie Tidhar, and this welcome return to the sprawling space-operatic world of CENTRAL STATION delivers oodles of poetry, action, memorable characters, wonderfully bizarre landscapes and wild imagination. No two books by Tidhar are ever the same, but each is a revelation.’ — Maxim Jakubowski, author of The Piper’s Dance

‘NEOM is a real place. A completely batshit crazy place. Nonetheless, Lavie Tidhar, standing on the shoulders of Vance, Smith, and Ballard and others, imagines stories set in that place, a city in a wasteland near the Gulf of Suez, in a future filled with robots and AI and terrorartists and young boys and talking jackals and a wonderful, terrible solar system packed with life.’ — Jonathan Strahan

‘Vivid and techno-mythological, NEOM infects you with something special that transcends all the incidents and terrors—a shimmering current of guarded optimism.’ — David Brin, author of Existence, Earth and The Postman

‘If you are not familiar with the work of the award-winning Lavie Tidhar, this is a great place to start. Before picking up NEOM, I had not read his Central Station, which makes use of the same extensive future history. Hence, I must warn you: immediately upon finishing Neom, you may find yourself smitten with the need to plunge into the idea-dense milieu of Central Station. Here’s hoping Tidhar will treat us to more visits to absolutely anywhere in his astounding future, whether that’s on or off our home planet.’ — Analog (July/August 2023)

‘Lavie Tidhar’s NEOM is a stunning return to his world of CENTRAL STATION, twinning the fates of humans and robots alike at a futuristic city on the edge of the Red Sea.’ — Green Man Review

‘This was superb and I’m in awe of Tidhar’s vision. He’s conjured up a futuristic city that feels simultaneously ultramodern and also run down. The rich histories of the region and its cultures are seamlessly interwoven into the fabric of this fully-realized world.’ — Speculative Shelf

‘This is a book of hearts and of the heart, be it human or robot, and that is something that is universal, be it ourselves or in “the other”. The “other”, in Tidhar’s work, is us, and we are the other. We are all us, and in NEOM, we feel for that other, in the personage of the robots, in the human characters, and we take them, and their stories, into us.’ — File 770

‘NEOM is a thoughtful, beautifully written story about what we have, what we want, how we achieve our desires, and what, and whom, we are willing to risk for our own benefit.’ — Los Angeles Public Library

‘A new novel set in the same universe as the multi-award winning CENTRAL STATION. Tidhar is a superb author, so it really doesn’t matter to me what he writes — I’ll still happily read it.’ — Civilian Reader

‘I have never seen worldbuilding that’s as evocative, imaginative, and extensive as that in NEOM. Anywhere, in any genre… NEOM is stuffed with gut-churning scenarios, compelling worldbuilding, and dark surprises. There’s so much packed into its relatively few pages that I found myself thinking about it over and over since finishing it… Tidhar’s ideas will stick with you for weeks after turning that final page.’ — Strange Horizons

‘Another downloading from Tidhar’s fertile imagination. Science Fictional ideas and references spin off this in giddy profusion… As a writer Tidhar is frequently playful, allusive and self-referential… Tidhar has of late become fairly prolific. Perhaps he’s made good use of lockdown. NEOM shows there has been no drop-off in quality.’ — ParSec

‘Wow! What a gut punch! This is set in the same zeitgeist as CENTRAL STATION, of which I absolutely adored for not just its unabashed hard-SF nature, its robots, its deserts, it’s Tel Aviv atmosphere and post-dystopian nightmare, and its DEEP, deep worldbuilding. I can’t overstate the last enough. It’s RICH. And NEOM is, too. Overflowing with imagination, references to fascinating events and people (mostly robots), and places all over the Solar System. What is most surprising is how easy it is to fall into. It never overwhelms us.’ — Bradley Horner’s Book Review

‘On the one hand this feels light, like a feather, only barely touching the surface. And on the other hand it deals with heavy questions of life, love, death, and those who make an art of the latter… as grand as it is short.’ — Thierstein

‘Tidhar’s fertile imagination is at it again. The same mind that gave us THE ESCAPEMENT (which may still have readers scratching their heads – in a good way) brings us THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD, a novel that starts out innocently enough with the story of a young girl in love with mathematics, but makes its way to intergalactic space and the weirdness of black holes – among other things… Tidhar is a master of misdirection, his novels tend to be a lot deeper that what appears at the surface, and THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD is no different. The novel is a great, enjoyable, winding ride, and anyone who likes Tidhar’s work should enjoy it.’ — Joe Karpierz

‘Some write in ink, others in song, Tidhar writes in fire… MAROR is a kaleidoscopic masterpiece, immense in its sympathies, alarming in its irreverences and altogether exhilarating.’ — Junot Díaz

‘One of the boldest, most visionary writers I’ve ever read creates both a vivid political exploration and a riveting crime epic. It’s like the Jewish Godfather!’ — Silvia Moreno-Garcia

‘MAROR blends the page-turning wit of a hard-boiled detective noir with the stirring intrigue of a multi-national political epic. An ambitious achievement that weaves a tapestry of both story and statement.’ — Kevin Jared Hosein

‘A masterpiece of the sacred and the profane … a literary triumph.’ — Guardian

‘Amos Oz’s A Tale of Love and Darkness… Fade[s] into oblivion compared with Lavie Tidhar’s magnificent novel MAROR, a panoramic look at four decades of the dark, despicable side of Israel, of death, corruption, violence and drugs… It’s a brilliant undertaking.’ — Jewish Chronicle

‘One of the sensational novels of 2022, a violent rollercoaster and drug-fuelled ride into Israel’s history’ — Jewish Chronicle (as part of ADAMA review)

‘A bloody beast of a book… MAROR is to Israeli history what Tarantino is to American movie culture’ — Daily Mail

‘Comparisons to James Ellroy and Marlon James are valid… On every page we feel we’re among real, breathing people… [a] compelling, unflinching roman-fleuve.’ — Times Literary Supplement (joint review of ADAMA and MAROR)

‘Radiant with all the brutally elegant atmosphere of crime noir, and the richly nuanced complexity and style of Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings, it’s a genre-busting novel that will catch your breath … At once illuminating, thrilling and thought-provoking, this tale of corruption, killings, sacrifice and the souls that make up a nation is a symphonic feat of fiction.’ — LoveReading

‘Who can forget the savage, musical James Ellroy prose circa the L.A. Quartet books? Now we have a successor … Lavie Tidhar, a marvelous multi-genre author who never fails to delight, has now penned his noir opus. MAROR is a heady, nonstop brew of terror, violence, and mayhem, while also exuding swathes of coursing humanity.’ — Read Listen Watch

‘An unforgettably powerful saga … a sweeping portrayal of violence, corruption and chaos threaded through by veins of humanity… It is difficult to do justice to such a monumental work. So many aspects of MAROR attract superlatives but they fail to convey the range and breathtaking insight of this epic crime novel. A book for all lovers of great literature.’ — Queensland Reviewers Collective

‘This is crime writing in the tradition of Balzac and Dickens and a major achievement, full of sound, fury, drugs and blood… An earthquake of a book.’ — Crime Time

‘MAROR is a profane, irreverent, scathing, sometimes blackly humorous and often compassionate fever-dream history of Israel… possibly his best yet.’ — NewTown Review of Books

‘A wild, inventive tapestry of myth and magic, with a wry sense of humor. Tidhar’s writing is wonderfully vibrant’ — Silvia Moreno-Garcia, bestselling author of Mexican Gothic

‘[THE HOOD] offers a wealth of colorful tales and memorable characters, along with the usual unexpected walk-ons and guest stars. If it sometimes feels like a bunch of legends and historical events stirred together in a big pot, isn’t that pretty much what the Matter of Britain was in the first place?’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘Brilliant, restless revisionist gaze’ — Daily Mail

‘Reaches impressive levels of delirium.’ — The Times

‘This is a book to experience rather than to read, as every chapter and revisionist character expands into sheer, wonderful madness. One for the ages.’ — Crime Time (Book of the Month)

‘I have never read anything quite like THE HOOD… very punk rock.’ — SFBook

‘So much fun… Delivers its myth and magic with a splatter of sweary violence and comedy in all the right places in what is one of the most unique and masterful reads of 2021.’ — FanFiAddict

‘I don’t think there is anybody operating quite like Lavie Tidhar right now. THE HOOD is a multi-layered novel. Brash and bombastic on the surface but thoughtful and reverential underneath. Tidhar has a knack for setting novels in the past that at the same time remain wholly contemporary. Some may find his style abrasive…but that’s sort of the point; the merry men were not that merry… Whilst examining our past and the stories we tell, Lavie Tidhar is encouraging us to look closely at the future we are creating right now.’ — Geek Dad

‘Tidhar remains resolutely irreverent throughout, having fun with juxtaposing modern language against historical events and characters, and cheerfully borrowing from anything and everything to make up this crazy but highly entertaining melange of ideas and influences. It’s not always easy to keep track of exactly what’s going on or keep up a sense of momentum with so many ideas all over the place, and some sentences, paragraphs or even whole chapters might require a second reading to fully comprehend. There’s just such lovely use of language here though, and such a fascinating blend of traditional cyclical storytelling with modern sensibilities, that somehow the whole thing hangs together despite all the oddities. If you’re at all interested in British history, in the myths and legends that surround Robin Hood, Nottingham and Sherwood Forest, in the blending of fantasy and fairytales with history and mythology, this deviously imaginative, foul-mouthed, violent, funny, downright strange but strangely captivating novel is well worth checking out.’ — Track of Words

‘To say THE ESCAPEMENT is unique sells it way short. It’s part weird western and part quest; half dream and half epic adventure tale set in a memorable Daliesque landscape. Tidhar lets his imagination run wild in this vivid book, all told in spare, beautiful prose. Also, there are clowns. Lots of clowns.’ — Richard Kadrey, bestselling author of the Sandman Slim series

‘Comic, tragic, and utterly magnificent — a masterpiece of fantasy. Lavie Tidhar has crafted a wonderfully strange and surreal world in THE ESCAPEMENT, setting a liminal stage for both a gripping adventure and a poignant meditation on grief. I can’t wait to read it again.’ — Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of The Orange Tree

‘THE ESCAPEMENT is absorbing, bizarre, haunting, and compelling. Lavie Tidhar continues to shatter the boundaries of literary and genre fiction with a novel that is equal parts horrifying dreamscape and an affecting meditation on parental love. There are a lot of books out there, but this is an experience.’ — David Liss, author of The Peculiarities

‘The Man With No Name travels through an impossibly alien world peopled by brutalized clowns, superhuman bounty hunters, and titanic monsters indifferent to human suffering—although being a Lavie Tidhar book, there’s a step beyond the main story that I’ll avoid revealing. A blurb from me being at worst harmless, I will comment for the record that ‘Tidhar’s brand of surreal pulp continues to be one of the few truly distinctive voices in genre fiction.’ — Daniel Polansky

‘Can we just all admit now that Lavie Tidhar’s a genius? He’s written another brilliant book-a beautiful fever dream that somehow manages to be laugh-out-loud funny, psychedelically weird, and deeply moving.’ — Daryl Gregory

‘With THE ESCAPEMENT, Lavie Tidhar fearlessly crests the wave of the New New Weird with a wild, decadent hybrid of The Dark Tower and Carnivale. A vivid beach read, if the beach was made of greasepaint and gunpowder.’ — Catherynne M. Valente

‘A delightfully cacophonous novel, teeming with character… Tidhar’s latest offering transports readers to a liminal otherworld of spaghetti Western pastiche… The author draws from an eclectic mix of sources to create a dazzling story that is more than the sum of its parts, and much of the fun of reading it comes from recognizing its homages.’ — Kirkus

‘[F]uriously inventive and wildly eclectic… Among the most visual and even cinematic of Tidhar’s novels… it’s also, in the end, a surprisingly touching reminder of how such quests can begin in heartache.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘Dazzling… Those who enter THE ESCAPEMENT should strap themselves in for horrors and wonders galore. Filled with contorted fairy tales, myths, and familiar stories, Lavie Tidhar’s latest novel is both a fantastical diversion and a moving articulation of deep parental love.’ — Foreword

‘… if THE ESCAPEMENT is any guide, Tidhar is a spellbinding stylist with a spell-casting imagination. Part fantasy, part sci-fi, part surreal mainstream, this novel plonks the reader into a vast, surreal landscape, the Escapement, in which clowns and stone monsters and cowboys and classic fictional characters coexist in a shifting tableau. The Stranger is our hero, a warrior searching for mythical flowers, even as in another universe he sits at his sick boy’s side in a hospital. None of this should work but all of it does, the author managing to evoke sadness, awe, and even humor. I could only compare my reading to old Philip K. Dick married to Samuel R. Delaney. THE ESCAPEMENT is a captivating triumph of imagination.’ — Read, Listen, Watch (9/10)

‘this highly intellectual bizarro western packs one hell of a wallop… truly gorgeous detailed oddities everywhere… wildly original…’ — Bradley Horner’s Book Reviews (5/5)

‘These shifts of consciousness between worlds and the drawing of themes and symbols from one reality into another remind me of Iain Banks’ The Bridge. But THE ESCAPEMENT is an original masterpiece that is all Tidhar, full of echoes of his earlier stories and novels.’ — SciFi Mind

‘Lavie Tidhar’s THE ESCAPEMENT (2021) is a fantastic and fantastical fever dream of a novel, a Weird Western via Lewis Carroll… Defying genre, defying categorization, even perhaps defying plot, Tidhar has crafted a baroque hallucinatory tale you have to let wash over you as much as you read it.’ — Fantasy Literature

‘If you’re a fan of bizarre fantasy world, absurdist stories or even magical realism, I think this book is perfect for you… The writing is very fluid, beautiful and fever dream-like… I thought it was incredible.’ — The Ink Slinger

‘THE ESCAPEMENT is like nothing else you’ve read. I’d recommend it entirely on that basis, but it’s also beautifully written, thoughtful and deep, and resonant for anyone who’s been a parent, or a child.’ — The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

‘This was the weirdest book I think have ever read, and I loved every minute of it… the journey that The Stranger is on is captivating… there was a moment that got me right in the feels and broke my heart, and while I was expecting those feels to hit at some point I can honestly say I wasn’t prepared for this particular moment.’ — Into The Heartwyld

‘Tidhar has long taken a kind of perverse glee in his own unpredictability, sometimes blurring the line between pointed literary allusiveness and simple attention deficit…. So while the question of what Tidhar might come up with next is a perfectly reasonable one, I have to admit that the last thing I’d have expected is a sweet-natured tale that, with almost no changes, would work just fine as a 1950s Audrey Hepburn comedy about a young poker-playing Irish nun trying to save her convent from foreclosure… touching… the story unfolds like a Hollywood playbook… a feel-good ending.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘A really enjoyable book, different from anything I’d read by Tidhar before (but then, I think that every time I open one of his books). Recommended.’ — Blue Book Balloon

‘Tidhar brings together another outstanding assortment of international sci-fi shorts, showcasing 29 thought-provoking stories… This sweeping survey rewards the time it demands of its readers with a bold and powerful argument for non-Anglophone SF’s potential to push the genre’s boundaries.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘“Fresh” is an overused word in book reviews, but Lavie Tidhar’s second trawl of recent science fiction from around the world earns the compliment… For my money, this volume is stronger than the last. It is certainly creepier… The few comic tales here sparkle against a dark ground… We need this anthology, and we need editors like Tidhar.’ — The Times (Book of the Month, November 2022)

‘This excellent anthology proves editor Tidhar’s assertion that science fiction should no longer be thought of as “white, male, and American” with 26 exemplary stories from 21 countries… Worthwhile both as a survey of international sci-fi and on a story-by-story level, this wonderful anthology should be a hit with any sci-fi fan.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘Vital and exciting, THE BEST OF WORLD SF blows the blast panels off the dusty, well-worn tropes of popular science fiction and lets in a dazzling burst of lunar light.’ — Foreword Review

‘There is not a poor story here… nice balance between light and harder stories… IMMERSION by Aliette de Bodard reads like hard Sci Fi but digs a little deeper… As a group, the stories on offer within THE BEST OF WORLD SF Volume 1 are so strong… This is a great introduction to what the rest of the world has to offer.’ — SF Book Reviews

‘Rare and wonderful’ — The Times (UK)

‘In addition to being an award-winning sci-fi writer, Israeli-born UK-based Lavie Tidhar is also a tireless champion of international sci-fi… an excellent, lovingly curated collection that is also uniformly well translated.’ — Financial Times

‘Tidhar has assembled a weighty and impressive collection of 26 stories by authors from around the world, several of them appearing in English for the first time. The variety and diversity of the material on offer is refreshing, the quality does not waver, and the translations are top-notch.’ — Financial Times (Summer Books of 2021: Science Fiction)

‘Stories like these are the ones you sometimes want to foist upon readers who claim not to like SF, and The Best of World SF: Volume 1 reminds us that such stories can come from anywhere these days, if only we get to see them. I look forward to future volumes.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘Now this book exists, it feels absurd it didn’t exist sooner… hefty, beautifully presented collection… an excellent samples and delight in itself… fizzes with great ideas and wonderful writing.’ — SFX (5*)

‘[Tidhar] is really a pioneer… He was looking at writers from Malaysia, from Africa, from China, from Japan when no one was really doing that. You might get some stories here and there from other parts of the world. But the way that he constructed this global structure of science fiction and looked at science fiction not as a monoculture but as a vibrant sphere for people to speak from all over the world, and the promotion he gave that over the long term and pushing it on and on in an independent space, is exciting to see and inspiring.’ — Silvia Moreno-Garcia

‘… offers robots, spaceships, time travel, and a few weird stories, showcasing authors from five continents and over twenty countries. On top of that is plenty of optimism, plenty of stories that start as one thing and then become something completely different, and plenty of envelope pushing… Once you read one story by some of these folks, you’ll be itching for more. A truly enjoyable anthology with something for everyone…’ — Apex Magazine

‘Drawing on everything from wushu movies to The Wire by way of Tarkovsky and Tarantino, BY FORCE ALONE is wild, surprising and entertaining, and a hugely immersive read.’ — M.R. Carey

‘A twisted Arthur retelling mixing the historical and the magical with a very modern eye. Brutal and vicious, funny, Peaky Blinders of the Round Table.’ — Adrian Tchaikovsky

‘Profane, hilarious, brutal… kills as both sheer entertainment and canny political statement. To my fellow writers: the Arthurian Revision category is now closed. Take your ball and go home.’ — Daryl Gregory

‘Tidhar turns King Arthur’s court into a gangster’s paradise, full of wheelings and dealings, and true grit. If the tale didn’t go down like this, it should have.’ — Silvia Moreno-Garcia

‘Storms the castle of Grimdark, sword dripping with blood, and makes a claim for its crown.’ — Angus Watson

‘Lavie Tidhar has created something wonderful, and extraordinary blend of history, legend, and sheer, lunatic inspiration. I loved it.’ — Christopher Farnsworth

‘Uther is a chancer and a shagger… [Arthur] is ruthless in pursuit of power… His Lancelot… is a ninja warrior, his Guinevere a killer — the writer is clearly having fun… Tidhar never lands direct political punches… but the very tone and shape of the book are a reminder that we need to treat national myths with caution… this is a novel that demands your attention and proves that sometimes when a writer has the audacity to revisit stories that others would avoid for fear of over-familiarity, they can steal the power of the oldest tales.’ — SFX (4.5*/5)

‘BY FORCE ALONE is a highly original take on Arthurian legend featuring aliens, a radioactive no-go area, a dragon sighting and the hunt for the Grail. Lancelot’s a ninja warrior, Merlin a fey creature, and Arthur a street kid… Sometimes when a writer has the audacity to revisit stories that others would avoid for fear of over-familiarity, they can steal the power of the oldest tales.’ — SFX (review for paperback release)

‘BY FORCE ALONE is a comet that blazes a brilliant new path through dusty old territory. Bold and inventive, it smashes Arthurian myth to bits, sweeps up the brightest, weirdest, most enchanting pieces, and reshapes them into a wildly original tale. Legend has it that King Arthur will return when he’s most needed, and this Arthur — this flawed, ambitious, irreverent boy-kingpin — is exactly the one we need now.’ — Lisa L. Hannett

‘The Romans have had the good sense to abandon Britain, leaving gangsters in charge picking over the carcass of civilization and generally behaving like bad bastards. Everyone is a bastard here, from Guenevere to Arthur to Merlin; I have never come across a more despicable bunch of characters, this is surely an indictment of Lavie Tidhar’s warped and degenerate brain. Without a doubt this is the best Arthurian tale ever written, it has ruined the entire mythology for me.’ — Saad Z. Hossain

‘A violent, funny, absurd epic – Tidhar remains an utterly original voice in contemporary fiction.’ — Daniel Polansky

‘Tidhar saturates this epic adventure with profanity, dark humor, sword-sharp twists, and unexpected moments of pathos. Readers who hold King Arthur dear to their hearts will be gratified by Tidhar’s attention to detail amidst the innovation. This dark, imaginative take on a classic is sure to impress.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Lavie Tidhar has built a career out of not playing it safe. Over the last decade he has written bold, provocative novels… with a flair for metafiction and inspired by the pulps (both hard-boiled and genre)… given the political nature of his work, it’s not entirely surprising that he would shift his focus to the question of nationalism and Brexit… with his latest novel, BY FORCE ALONE, Tidhar takes a mythology the English hold dear, the legend of King Arthur, and goes to town with it… For all its foul language and radical deconstruction, of which I’ve provided only a taste (you should see what Tidhar does with the Holy Grail), BY FORCE ALONE isn’t a desecration of the Arthurian romances. Instead, he pays homage to the writers and poets – Robert Wace, Chretien de Troyes, Wolfram von Eschenbach, and Thomas Mallory (just to name a few) – who took their turn in adapting and refining Monmouth’s text… BY FORCE ALONE is a jolt of pure entertainment, a brilliant, revisionist blend of magic, crime syndicates and Kung-fu knights.’ — Locus (Ian Mond)

‘Sometimes while reading a Lavie Tidhar novel, there comes a point when you feel like he’s grabbed the wheel, grinning as he drives you aggressively into oncoming traffic and somehow pulls off moves that by all rights ought to be fatal… BY FORCE ALONE – a phrase that recurs like a mantra throughout the narrative, reminding us that power is never really a matter of heritage or destiny – serves as a reminder that Arthur is a moveable feast, infinitely adaptable even to the era of Brexit and Trump. If Tidhar’s version seems pretty bleak, even as its endless inventiveness makes it undeniably exhilarating, that may simply be a reflection of where we all find ourselves these days.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘One of the most purely enjoyable novels of the year, Lavie Tidhar’s BY FORCE ALONE, which reads very much like an Arthurian fantasy by someone who’s lost patience with Arthurian fantasies. With its punk, post-Brexit sensibility, its cavalier anachronisms, and genre-hopping that takes us everywhere from kung fu movies to Beowulf to the Strugatskys’ Roadside Picnic, it might well upset Arthurian purists, but is marvelous example of the anarchic possibilities of post-postmodern fantasy.’ — Locus

‘The novel is a bloody, bravura performance, which Tidhar pulls off with graphic imagery and modern vernacular… a salutary antidote to the more romantic glossings of recent modern fantasy.’ — Guardian

‘Tidhar’s previous work is filled to the brim with new and interesting takes on history and myth, and the results are always mesmerising. And of course, he’s taken something that’s been done way too many times and found a way to make it look new and interesting while still keeping its classic appeal… some truly staggering writing… if you’re looking for a new take on King Arthur and chums, then check this out.’ — Starburst

‘There are no parfit gentil knights in Lavie Tidhar’s Arthurian epic fantasy… It is a vicious, beautiful, profane and wickedly funny reimagining of the rise and fall of King Arthur without the chivalry, divine right or holy quests… This kind of retelling offers a wealth of opportunity to examine aspects of the familiar story in a completely new light, and is both exciting and enormously satisfying to read… The prose style is half of what makes the book so powerful. Tidhar is both clean and poetic, elegantly sparse but deeply evocative. Every phrase is load-bearing. The profanity serves its purpose. He switches between point-of-view characters and authorial voice seamlessly, using short almost-choppy sentences to give a sense of inevitable forward movement, events lensing into one another. The frequent references to Greek philosophy in the narration both serve to underline the post-Roman intellectual landscape of the time and to create a kind of distance between the reader and the text, which increases that slightly dreamy sense of inexorable direction. This story is going to happen; the terrible ending is going to occur, and we — and the characters — are swept along with it.’ — Washington Post

‘… Tidhar’s prose is anything but brutish. The word choice is what makes the train wreck so fascinating and fast-paced. Heavy but never slow, short sentences and snappy wit keep the book moving. A power fantasy that pushes both words to their limits, BY FORCE ALONE adds a sharp, obscene new take to the Arthurian genre.’ — Den of Geek

‘Lavie Tidhar’s BY FORCE ALONE gives us an Arthur for the Brexit era: A tyrant in lieu of a king, brute violence in lieu of gallant feats, undisguised venality in lieu of chivalric ideals. This is the Matter of Britain become the Matter with Britain… For all the bleakness and cynicism of his story, Tidhar’s profligate invention makes BY FORCE ALONE a joy… Lavie Tidhar’s joke on the Matter of Britain is a great one. And if the laughter catches in your throat, that just means you’ve been paying attention to the book, and to the world.’ — Tor.com

‘BY FORCE ALONE is a joyous rush of a novel, sweeping up everything from grimdark to gangster films to kung fu to Russian science fiction in its wake, and somehow pulling them together into a coherent whole that critiques Britain’s toxic self-image and the lineage of the Fantasy genre itself… the book’s serious intent does not make BY FORCE ALONE a difficult read. It is a book that is both funny and fun. Tidhar has a wonderful time stretching the stories into unfamiliar genres and shapes, whilst maintaining the core of the tale which has seen its appeal last for so long… BY FORCE ALONE shows the power and playfulness of Tidhar’s imagination, as he uses pop culture to make us confront grim political reality, all whilst having a whale of a time. It is this that makes him one of today’s most essential and unpredictable writers.’ — Fantasy Hive

‘[An] extraordinary and vivid retelling of our national myth. Gritty revisionism is supercharged by the supernatural… rich and breakneck narrative… As eclectic as the Sword In The Stone and as ruthless as A Game Of Thrones, this retelling of the whole Arthurian Legend stands alongside the very best.’ — Daily Mail

‘Tidhar’s latest fantasy is a ferocious and often very funny reinvention of the King Arthur myth, taking in references from Tolkien to Brexit.’ — I News

‘BY FORCE ALONE does … bold things with genre, rewriting the King Arthur legend through a mash up of horror, fantasy, history and black comedy. The narrative voice is deadly serious but there’s a strong undercurrent of gleefulness to the profanity, violence and otherworldly magic that makes BY FORCE ALONE a whole lot of fun to dive into.’ — Spectator (Five Unmissable Summer Reads)

‘Wildly referential and inventive, crazily fun, topical, bleakly grim but with a hopeful rebuttal, BY FORCE ALONE continues the strong run that has made Tidhar one of my don’t-miss-a-book authors.’ — Fantasy Literature

‘Tidhar… proves the Matter of Britain still matters with this stylishly gritty, gripping reimagining of Arthurian legend… Tarantino meets Monty Python in this wry, blood-soaked tour of legends that thumbs its nose at purism… A mythology for a new generation, Tidhar’s irreverent revisioning replaces dramatic heroism with acerbity and absurdity.’ — Shelf Awareness (Starred Review)

‘This impressive and compelling re-structuring of the Arthurian legend is sword and sorcery – with the accent very much on the sword – at its absolute best… this lunatic blend of history, myth and inspiration gives Lavie Tidhar the chance to parade all his genre interests in one violent, funny, and at times almost absurd, epic… Tidhar remains an utterly original voice. This twisted, brutal, gory deconstruction of history and myth brings new raucous blood into the moribund tales of Camelot, dragging Arthur’s golden capital into the 21st century ambit of The Wire or Peaky Blinders of the Round Table! … The multi-talented Tidhar works across genres, combining detective novels and thrillers with poetry, science fiction, historicals, children’s stories and autobiographical works. This, in all its disgusting detail and literary glory, may be his best to date. There certainly will not be a better fantasy story published this year!’ — Crime Review

‘Every new book by the fiendishly ingenious and canny Tidhar is so radically different from his previous ones that I always await the next with bated breath… Tidhar retools and retells both history and legend in a complex, profane and fascinating tale of blood, mud, magic, kung fu and mafia hierarchies… Uproarious, provocative and utterly gripping this is another totally left of field kick in the gonads from the author who, remember, once turned Adolf Hitler into a drippy private eye. Fun to the nth degree.’ — Crime Time

‘BY FORCE ALONE critiques the Arthurian legend – and rightly so – but it is also imbued with wonder and mystery, weirdness and a surreal atmosphere at one with many of those other loves…’ — Dancing on Glass

‘ The Shites of the Round Table… Lavie Tidhar is one of the most interesting storytellers writing today… a grim, grubby version of Camelot and post-Roman Britain. It is also very funny, engaging, and gritty. I really enjoyed this… Definitely recommended.’ — Civilian Reader

‘brutal, funny and moving’ — Confessions of a Bookworm

‘In true Lavie Tidhar style, we get something much more entertaining, bizarre and fantastical… Lavie Tidhar has subverted history and legend alike to brew up something potent, gritty, vulgar and brutal… highly original… If you’re looking for something riotously, uncompromisingly graphic and frenzied, then this book will certainly stand out from the crowd.’ — SF Crowsnest

‘Tidhar (By Force Alone) propels an ensemble of historical figures and literary characters through a knotty and thrilling plot packed with intrigue and visceral action, illustrated with a keen eye for historical detail by McCaffrey’ — Library Journal

‘Set in an age in which an ailing Queen Victoria’s kept alive with a steampunk apparatus by Dr. Jekyll, this thrilling comic bursts with reimagined period characters and features Sherlock Holmes’s adversary Irene Adler, who must thwart Ayesha—the warrior queen of H. Rider Haggard’s novel She—from declaring war on Great Britain… keeps a constant breathless pace of chases that are swashbuckling… The art by McCaffrey (Anno Dracula) complements the script with vigorous fight sequences and sharp character design… the mash-up offers solid light entertainment with strong crossover appeal, as well as twists and derring-do aplenty.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Combines dynamic, manga-esque linework with an ornate, Bryan Talbot-style eye for detail, meticulously designing everything from an Art Nouveau concert poster to some authentic periodicals of the day…’ — SFX

‘At its core, Tidhar’s approach to ADLER reminds me of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but doing away with the boys’ club attitude and aiming to showcase what the girls of history & classic literature can do on their own… [artist Paul McCaffrey] does a great job in setting the mood of any given scene. Villains lurk in the shadows, street lights glow through the London fog, and there’s hardly a panel I can find on a second look-through that doesn’t have something going on in the background to keep the eye moving… If the goal of a creative team is to wrap up the first issue leaving readers hungry for more, I think we can call ADLER a win.’ — thePullBox.com

‘At its finest, ADLER #1 is a delightful penny-dreadful.’ — Comic Watch

‘[Will appeal] to anyone who enjoys stories centered around smart women who don’t let society get in their way. With complex artwork and a story that puts a unique spin on some of the 19th century’s greatest literary heroines, this is one adventure you’ll want to sign-on for.’ — Kabooooom!

‘[The art is] engaging, entertaining and breathtaking, thanks to the stylings of McCaffrey, who’s artwork always sings the most when he’s coloring his own… [the story is] a delight to read and one that fans of Victoriana, steam punk, gothic literature and good comics will want to pick up.’ — Comicon.com

‘An exciting adventure story… Set at the turn of the last century with an almost all female cast, creators Lavie Tidhar and Paul McCaffrey invite readers into a spectacular but dangerous world with a touch of the steampunk aesthetic… the dialogue sparks with life and brings the characters to life in a fun, exciting way… Tidhar brings together an exciting mix of fictional characters, with a few hints at others let to come. He also creates a wonderful comradery between the women, filling the script with as much humour as there is action… The artwork is enchanting with beautiful design work… ADLER is a fun and playful historical-ish adventure story.’ — Monkeys Fighting Robots

‘Some brilliant artwork… The writing in this comic is wonderful.’ — SciFi Pulse

‘I love everything about the concept… I really loved Tidhar’s take on these classic female characters… The art in this book can only be described as beautiful. Artist McCaffrey’s character designs are gorgeous… ADLER checks all of my boxes of what makes for a great story. Strong female lead characters? Check. Alternate history take on classic characters/events? Check. A fearsome villain? Check. An intriguing mystery? Check. Stunning and unique art style? Check. With all these exciting aspects combined together, I cannot wait to see where the mini-series goes from here.’ — Outright Geekery

‘My only complaint about the comic is that it ended too quickly in issue one. Yes, it was a full length comic,  but I wanted more of the story. This is a comic that will definitely stay in my reading rotation. World Fantasy Award Winner, Lavie Tidhar, is the writer. He definitely knows his literature references and I’m here for it. Artist Paul McCaffrey does impeccable work and his coloring is divine.’ — FanGirlNation

‘A highly entertaining read.’ — Quirky Cats Comics

‘A nerdfest for anyone who enjoys Victorian literature… ADLER #1 is wonderful first course into Lavie Tidhar and Paul McCaffrey’s female-fronted world of Victorian character crossovers.’ — Graphic Policy

‘Acts as a love letter to the famous women of late Victorian era literature… While the many hues of the daylight hours may almost trick readers into falling for the beauty of ADLER #1, the seedy underbelly of late Victorian London is on full display… Adler #1 is both educational and entertaining.’ — Multiversity Comics

‘We loved ADLER #1!’ — Pop Culture Squad

‘I truly loved ADLER #1… this comic has found a brilliant apex of something new and something familiar to reel in and keep readers interested.’ — ComicBookMovie.com

‘The high-quality artwork from Paul McCaffrey continues to impress with some fantastic drawings of London in 1902 that look so good that you actually feel you are there… Writer Lavie Tidhar continues the story in such a way that you are totally sucked in.’ — Sci Fi Pulse on #2

‘Another magnificent issue in this under-rated and over-looked series.’ — Comicon.com on #3

‘The story is starting to pay off in really thrilling ways, especially if you’re a fan of big, pulpy adventure story high concepts. From the beginning of the series, writer Lavie Tidhar and artist Paul McCaffrey clearly sought to replicate that pulp adventure feel, and the book reads a bit like a Saturday matinee serial in that way, leaving every issue on the edge of something thrilling that’s waiting for you just behind the cover of the next installment. What makes Adler work, though, beyond that sense of recreating something we feel like we know, is the ambition of the piece, something that issue #3 showcases to great effect. There’s something massive at work behind the mash-up hook of this story, and the more you read the deeper into that sense of scale you get. It’s an addictive feeling, and it makes me want to know what happens next.’ — Syfy.com

‘Quickly shaping up to be a classic.’ — Graphic Policy on #3

‘Turn of the century London is brilliantly brought to life… continues to hit all the right notes.’ — SciFi Pulse on #3

‘The story is clever and fast-paced, and its emphasis on women is refreshing and inspired … Adler is pure entertainment, establishing a strong, intelligent heroine and a foundation that leaves the door open for future (past) adventures.’ — Foreward Reviews

‘a fun and exciting standalone graphic novel… The artwork is fantastic. I loved the Victorian steampunk look down to the elaborate and unique outfits. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, thrilling adventure. I’d love to see more Adler graphic novels in the future, as there are endless possibilities with this fresh take on familiar literary characters.’ — SciFi Chick

‘… will leave readers’ heads spinning with this disorienting and gripping alternate history… Readers of all kinds, and particularly fans of detective stories and puzzles, will enjoy grappling with the numerous questions raised by this stellar work.’ — Publishers Weekly (PW Picks: Books of the Week, October 15, 2018)

‘Lavie Tidhar is a genius at conjuring realities that are just two steps to the left of our own — places that look and smell and feel real, if just a bit hauntingly alien. UNHOLY LAND develops slowly. It begins with banal strangeness (this Palestinia, so like and unlike modern-day Israel) and leans gently into it… This is a story that gets weirder the deeper you get into it; that cultivates strangeness like something precious. It has three narrators: Investigator Bloom, Tirosh and a woman, Nur, who works as a field agent for the Border Agency. There are echoes of Chabon’s The Yiddish Policeman’s Union in it, wild strains of P.K. Dick and Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber. But UNHOLY LAND is its own thing. Something that no one but Tidhar could’ve written. Gorgeous in its alienness, comfortingly gray in its banality, and disquieting throughout.’ — NPR

‘Shifting perspectives will keep readers trying to catch up with this fast-paced plot involving incredible twists on multiple realities and homecoming. This latest from Campbell and World Fantasy Award winner Tidhar (Central Station) is fascinating and powerful.’ — Library Journal

‘[O]ne of those lovely books that starts out presenting itself as one thing, and mutates into another almost without you seeing it… a game-player of a writer who uses the spectrum of science fiction canon for his pieces… a grand game of alternate worlds cast like jewels on the sand. The long second act is all dust and blood and madness and glory, and the fast third act comes down on you like a sharpened spade… Lavie Tidhar is a clever bastard, and this book is a box of little miracles.’ — Warren Ellis

‘UNHOLY LAND starts out hard-boiled and comes at you sideways with the speculative elements. Tidhar has blended alternative history with murder in hotel rooms, missing women, an honest-to-god Fedora and mysterious borders in a tale that evokes Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Casablanca and Mieville’s The City & the City. Political and pulpy, with distinct metafictional elements, Tidhar adroitly pulls off this fantastical tale of an occupied territory.’ — Tade Thompson

‘… adventurous readers will appreciate this well-written and ambitious book. It should find a place at any library that offers high-quality literary fiction.’ — Booklist

‘Tidhar has turned a suspenseful adventure tale into a complex meditation on the possible paths of modern Jewish history.’ — Chicago Tribune

‘It’s territory Tidhar has explored before – I’m pretty sure there’s an early short story buried in part of this novel – but UNHOLY LAND is a much more effective treatment. His best yet.’ — Ian Sales (Best of 2020)

‘UNHOLY LAND is a stunning achievement. It is packed to the brim with engaging ideas and features a captivating story… I was blown away by his command of language… beautiful and thought-provoking speculative fiction.’  — Speculative Shelf

‘Extraordinary, confronting, intriguing. UNHOLY LAND is a dream of a home that’s never existed, but is no less real for that: a dream that smells like blood and gunpowder. It’s precisely what we’ve come to expect of Tidhar, a writer who just keeps getting better.’ — Angela Slatter

‘There are SFF writers. There are good SFF writers. And there is Lavie Tidhar. In a genre entirely of his own, and quite possibly a warped genius, he rummages in the ruins of our centuries and our genres and makes out of them something strange, dark and utterly unique. There is no one like him writing in genre today. This is a twisted piece of alt-history/geography that refuses to go where lesser writers would drive it. Bold and witty and smoky, it plays games and coquetries, makes dark dalliances and will leave you dazzled and delighted.’ — Ian McDonald

‘Lavie Tidhar’s daring UNHOLY LAND  brilliantly showcases one of the foremost science fiction authors of our generation.’ — Silvia Moreno-Garcia (author of Certain Dark Things)

‘Like Tidhar’s other work, UNHOLY LAND is a complex and metatextual narrative, moving between first-, second-, and third-person narrators, that theorizes the work speculative fiction does — the possibilities and alternatives it imagines — and questions the worth of the “fantasy” writer in a world where nation-states maintain and legitimize their existence through the oppression of whole groups of people. It is, unsurprisingly, a powerful meditation on the ethics of history and the power of borders, an analogy, no doubt, to the border walls both on the West Bank and in Trump’s presidential promises as much as to the ideologized divides that drive military and state conflict. UNHOLY LAND is a call to imagine and fight for alternatives.’ — World Literature Today

‘Lavie Tidhar takes us through a haunting, mesmerizing Judea, across multiple timelines into the promised night shelter in British East Africa. Here is an expedition at once proposed and taken, an alternate reality in which the holocaust is averted but the mechanics of displacement remain the same, where people are oppressed and oppressor at the same time. A genius, dreamlike fantasy for those who slip across might-have-been worlds.’ — Saad Z. Hossain

‘By combining spatiotemporal mind games reminiscent of Steven Hall’s The Raw Shark Texts with a cosmopolitan wit evocative of Graham Greene’s screenplay for The Third Man, Lavie Tidhar has given us a mystically charged, morally complex vision of Theodor Herzl’s famous Jewish state that might have been.’ — James Morrow (author of The Last Witchfinder)

‘This book wears several hats and unlike a normal hat-trick, this one does it gently enough that we barely even realize we’ve gone from a noir mystery in an alternate history to jump headlong into an existential crisis across multiple Earths where neither memory, history, or selfhood is set in stone… wonderful little twist… a much deeper reading experience than anyone might assume from a first glance… even tho the actual tale is fun to follow and only gets more and more interesting even as it amps up the bloodshed and deeper mystery, it deserves another read-through for the subtext… Unholy Land is probably BETTER than Michael Chabon’s Yiddish Policeman’s Union…’ — Bradley Horner (author of the Darkside Earther series)

‘… an alternative history concerning a Jewish Homeland in Africa which turns out to be much more more… great and all too short book, delivering much more than it originally promises…’ — Thierstein

‘Tidhar’s magic touch is the result of a very concise and evocative prose, an ingenious imagination, and the ability to poke the reader’s social conscience. The story nicely flows, like the smoke of a water pipe, and in the descriptions the reader can almost sense the scent of cinnamon, cumin and roasted pine nuts in the streets of Ararat city.’ — Sense of Wonder

‘Andrew Fallaize’s confident narration takes listeners into uncharted territory. His tenor voice draws us into an imagined world called Palestina, a Jewish nation located in East Africa. Listeners are grounded in the story through his steady performance, which describes what life is like in this alternate reality where Judean is the language and a wall is being built against African, not Arab, refugees. Fallaize makes this an easy listen as we journey with Lior Tirosh, a famous writer, back from exile to his beloved Palestina. As danger mounts for Lior, Fallaize adds a tone of menace to his delivery. For those looking for an unusual story, this is a must-listen.’ — AudioFile Magazine

‘Lavie Tidhar creates wonderfully vivid worlds in his books. Worlds where the strange and bizarre intertwine with the mundane, where history is slightly different and where Jewish culture and language permeate the tale… a thoroughly engrossing, entertaining and thought-provoking novel which, like Lavie Tidhar’s previous book CENTRAL STATION, provides a cross-section of a marvellous world, though in this case a less fractured picture than that previous book. Part physics, part mysticism, it conveys a truly compelling multicultural tale of discovery and mystery.’ — SF Crowsnest

‘Tidhar keeps things grounded by offering up alongside the more esoteric aspects of the book an old-fashioned, solid mystery… the language, which is vivid and precise and always adapted to the moment… For such a short book — under 300 pages — Tidhar crams in a world (worlds) of thoughtfulness, suspense, imagery, and beautiful prose. Highly recommended.’ 5* — Fantasy Literature

‘UNHOLY LAND is a gem of modern science fiction… I find myself digesting its implications and pondering its many layers weeks after I finished reading it. Lavie Tidhar takes those building blocks and weaves a spellbinding story that’s both gripping and quite unlike anything else being published today. I’ve long been convinced of Tidhar’s genius, and UNHOLY LAND just further cements that in my brain. What Tidhar writes today is where science fiction will go tomorrow. UNHOLY LAND is a stunning achievement, a masterful and thought-provoking novel, and I look forward to seeing where Tidhar goes from here.’ — Battered, Tattered, Yellowed, & Creased

‘As usual with Tidhar’s writing, this relatively short read feels as rich as an 800 page epic.’ — Strange Alliances

‘We are in that kind of novel, the kind that doubles back and dodges sideways. Keeping up provides its own kind of pleasure… the various points of view meet up, and the result is an altogether dizzying and masterful use of narrative voice. The clashing narrative perspectives produce something like parallax—looking out of one eye, and then the other, and then both focused together on a third point. Which is the operative metaphor of UNHOLY LAND: one of partition and perspective, the same thing seen over and over and over again through different eyes… UNHOLY LAND plays in the strange, uncomfortable DMZ between the national founding myth and the uninterrogated childhood, between the person who leaves the homeland and the one who returns.’ — Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

‘By extending Tidhar’s exploration of multiple and metafictional realities in even more sophis­ticated and assured ways than his earlier novels, UNHOLY LAND is quite an irritated oyster.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘… provocative and brash… UNHOLY LAND is a wildly inventive and entertaining novel that moves at a breathless gallop… [Tidhar has] staked a claim as the genre’s most interesting, most bold, and most accomplished writer.’ — Locus (Ian Mond)

‘Lavie Tidhar’s stunning science fiction adventure, UNHOLY LAND, moves between incarnations of Jewish being with alacrity, hunger, and humility… UNHOLY LAND is a wonder and a revelation—a work of science fiction capable of enthralling audiences across the multiverse.’ — Foreword Reviews

‘… a bewildering and brilliant alternate history… deeply thought provoking read… this book has left my head buzzing. I’d strongly recommend you read it, and set yours buzzing too.’ — Blue Book Balloon

‘Tidhar’s novel is a powerful, labyrinthine story reminiscent of China Miéville The City and The City (2009) and, in a much more subtle and controlled way, some of the best of Philip K. Dick.’ — SFRA Review

‘Superb reading between thriller, SF and metaphysical reflections on the nature of man and the notion of identity. Brilliant and damn well written.’ — Livraddict User

‘AUCUNE TERRE N’EST PROMISE embarque dans une hallucination politique, territoriale et identitaire réussie (…) L’alternatif fait regarder la réalité d’une autre manière, l’enrichit en profondeur.’ — Libération (Frédérique Roussel)

‘Un livre magistral sur une nation et ses frontières.’ — Librairie la Virevolte (Lyon)

‘In his first book for younger readers, he creates perhaps his most chilling vision yet: a city where sweets are forbidden under a prohibition act… The tone is as hard-boiled as a cough drop. The jokes sizzle like Space Dust. CANDY is a treat, the kind of confection Roald Dahl and Raymond Chandler might have come up with after an all-night bonbon bender.’ — Financial Times

‘A perfectly pitched noir take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… delightful premise… as with Tidhar’s earlier work, his playful approach to genre is in service to the story’s hidden depths. He uses the trappings of noir detective tales to tell a subversive children’s story about corruption, the exploitation of vulnerable communities, and the limits of justice. The end result is a novel that for all its joyous sense of fun still packs a surprising emotional and philosophical punch… The whole thing is tied together by Tidhar’s wonderful character work and his excellent prose… engages in some beautiful, chocolate and candy themed descriptions which perfectly capture the playground noir aesthetic. Tidhar’s characters are drawn with surprising depth and sympathy, with only a few key scenes and interactions he is able to penetrate to the core of loneliness and desperation for belonging that inspires so many of his candy thugs and bullies, giving them believable humanising moments. Most importantly, we never lose sight of the characters as children, which is necessary for the novel to carry off its conceit.’ — Fantasy Faction

‘Delicious pastiche of “noir” fiction from SF author Lavie Tidhar, set in a city where everything sweet and sugary is banned. Private eye Nelle searches for a lost teddy bear and uncovers a Chinatown-style conspiracy. You could think of it as The Malteser Falcon, or perhaps Double Inde-mint-y.’ — Financial Times (Summer Books of 2018)

‘Noir tropes loom large in Tidhar’s fast-paced story, with a gutsy gumshoe, a hardboiled narrative voice (“I needed a job even worse than I needed a caramel fudge”), and enough action to keep young readers on their toes.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Tidhar folds in plenty of noir tropes and contretemps (not to mention a stolen teddy bear for a McGuffin), while in his sparse but atmospheric line and fill drawings, Duncan depicts the young gumshoe properly clad in fedora and trenchcoat. It won’t take a detective to spot Willie Wonka, as well as Sam Spade, hidden in the tongue-in-cheek caper’s literary DNA.’ — Booklist (Starred Review)

‘… original, highly-enjoyable and tempting twist on what happens when the town suffers from the symptoms of sugar withdrawal… Mark Beech’s joyful illustrations add tastes of humour, quirk and life to complement Lavie’s brilliant and charismatic characters; infused with an infectious influence of the collaboration between Dahl and Blake. Like a mini Miss Marple meets Maynards… this mouthful of mystery will leave every reader feeling like a child in a sweetshop; just craving to read more from Lavie!’ — The Reader Teacher

‘Written in the style of the hard-boiled American detective fiction of the 1940s, this is a juggernaut of a tale with plenty of twists and turns. A challenging read for ages 10+ who enjoy suspense coupled with a dry sense of humour.’ — West Sussex Schools Library Service

‘I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek tone of the narrative and the many sweet-related puns. The illustrations by Mark Beech also hit the perfect note to bring the story to life, bringing out the ridiculousness of the caricatures with an almost Quentin Blake like feel. This original and humorous book will hold a popular appeal in classrooms across KS2.’ — Books for Topics

‘CANDY starts with introducing the reader to a world where candy is banned – imagine a world like that! Although the book is aimed at tweens who are chapter reading the book does still offer some illustrations. Carefully positioned throughout the book to add that extra interest and help the reader relate to the character and the situation they are currently facing.’ — Boo, Roo, and Tigger Too

‘Got a sweet tooth? You’re going to love this next one then — or will you because it starts off in a city where sweets and cakes and treats are BANNED! If you’re not craving a huge bag of pick and mix by the end of this one there’s no hope for you.’ — Read it Daddy

‘Witty and original, this is more than just a mystery as the teddy plays a significant part in the events in the town, past and present. Characters are believable and likeable (except the baddies who are appropriately penned!) and Tidhar’s prose is flowing and satisfying to read. Beech’s popular pen and ink style illustrations pop up every few pages and add humour and keep the storytelling light.’ — Reading Zone

‘… a breath of sweet fresh air…superb! Lavie Tidhar has written a detective story in film noir style based around the prohibition of candy. And it’s superb… what makes the book zing is Tidhar’s talent in sustaining his Chandler-esque child-friendly film noir style throughout. But in the end, despite all this fun, this is a children’s book with heart. The book explores doing the right thing, and overcoming bullies, and is engaging, warm and topical.’ — Minerva Reads

‘Witty, amusing and a loving variation on grown-up private eye tropes, this would make the perfect introduction to crime writing for kids and is very much tongue in cheek, and as such even more appealing to adult fans. Delightful.’ — Crime Time

‘I absolutely love this book! The cast are brilliantly written and jump off the page. Candy is a humorous, exciting adventure. It may be aimed at the middle grade audience, but it is bound to thrill its reader, whatever their age.’ — Adventures in Book Land

‘Candy is one of those books that do not take children and teenagers for fools. The story is able to change shifts, thanks to lot of humour, to more serious subjects. Of course, we can enjoy it at any age. If possible, the book should be served in place of dessert.’ — Geektest (France)

‘Due to the wonderfully fluent writing style, the pleasantly short chapters and the rousing plot, I devoured the book in record time. For girls and boys from the age of 10, who like to read exciting, funny, imaginative detective stories, “Secret Agent Candy” is just perfect. I really hope that this is a start of a series and we will soon be able to solve their second, tricky case together with Nelle… Exciting, funny, bizarre and just awesome!’ — Die Bücherwelt von CorniHolmes (Germany)

‘CANDY is the case when a children’s book can actually be interesting at any age. Children will appreciate the plot and humour, adults – a lot of references scattered throughout the text and how unexpectedly and funny elements of the classic “cool” and noir detective story are refracted, if you put them in the context of a children’s literature. Fun, playful and exciting.’ — Fantalab (Russia)

‘Magnificently blends literary and speculative elements in this streetwise mosaic novel set under the towering titular spaceport… Tidhar gleefully mixes classic SF concepts with prose styles and concepts that recall the best of world literature. The byways of Central Station ring with dusty life, like the bruising, bustling Cairo streets depicted by Naguib Mahfouz. Characters wrestle with problems of identity forged under systems of oppression, much as displaced Easterners and Westerners do in the novels of Orhan Pamuk. And yet this is unmistakably SF. Readers of all persuasions will be entranced.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘It is just this side of a masterpiece — short, restrained, lush — and the truest joy of it is in the way Tidhar scatters brilliant ideas like pennies on the sidewalk.’ — NPR

‘The stories include some of Tidhar’s most beautiful prose, and his future Tel Aviv is among the most evocative settings in recent SF… Somehow, CENTRAL STATION combines a cultural sensibility too long invisible in SF with a sensibility which is nothing but classic SF, and the result is a rather elegant suite of tales.’ — Locus

‘CENTRAL STATION, by the talented Lavie Tidhar, is a mindbending mosaic novel.’ — Locus (2016 Year in Review)

‘It might seem like Lavie Tidhar is such a major figure by now that discussing him under international SF is hardly necessary, but his somewhat novelized storysuite CENTRAL STATION is so engaged with Israeli culture that it seems appropriate, even though it’s also a wonderful tribute to classic SF both in form (the fix-up) and content…’ — Gary K. Wolfe, Locus (2016 Year in Review)

‘If you want to know what SF is going to look like in the next decade, this is it.’ — Gardener Dozois

‘Beautiful, original, a shimmering tapestry of connections and images – I can’t think of another SF novel quite like it. Lavie Tidhar is one of the most distinctive voices to enter the field in many years.’ — Alastair Reynolds

‘A fascinating future glimpsed through the lens of a tight-knit community. Tidhar changes genres with every outing, but his astounding talents guarantee something new and compelling no matter the story he tells.’ — Library Journal (starred review)

‘A dazzling tale of complicated politics and even more complicated souls. Beautiful.’ — Ken Liu

‘If Nalo Hopkinson and William Gibson held a séance to channel the spirit of Ray Bradbury, they might be inspired to produce a work as grimy, as gorgeous, and as downright sensual as CENTRAL STATION.’ — Peter Watts

‘Tidhar presents a richly constructed future in this beautifully crafted world.’ — David Brin

‘Tidhar weaves strands of faith and science fiction into a breathtaking and lush family history of the far future.’ — Max Gladstone

‘The book is bigger than it seems, and I’m still thinking about it, unpacking the layers of it. I recommend it highly. It’ll stay with you for days, because every idea in it has more ideas under it. It’s all of science fiction distilled into a single book.’ — Warren Ellis

‘A mosaic of mind-blowing ideas and a dazzling look at a richly-imagined, textured future.’ — Aliette de Bodard

‘Tidhar’s prose draws the reader in, bringing this world to life with ease… characters are never sacrificed in favour of the technology; in fact, the two of them combine seamlessly to create a unique vision, one that will leave the reader thinking long after the final page. Not only intelligent, it’s emotional too, telling of loves lost and those only just begun, of those wishing to escape their past and those hoping to bring it back… Tidhar is reminiscent of an early William Gibson, not just in sharing that short and punchy style, but in his ability to create a world where the speculation is believable enough to fit seamlessly into the narrative; somehow, despite being set centuries into the future, it feels just around the corner… cement[s] Lavie Tidhar as one of science fiction’s great voices, an author who creates scenarios and characters that feel destined to become classics, ones that readers will be happy to revisit time and time again. It’s a compelling collection that mixes the epic and the intimate, one that succeeds at being profound, incredibly moving and, quite simply, stunning.’ (10/10) — Starburst 

‘CENTRAL STATION is without question the best assemblage of short stories I’ve read in recent memory. Sublimely sensual, emotionally moreish, and composed with crystalline clarity irrespective of its incredible complexity.’ — Tor.com

‘[Tidhar] has created a textured and original future that echoes real historical and economic tensions while satisfying veteran readers with deliberate echoes of classic science fiction… Deeply humane.’ — Chicago Tribune

‘Powerfully imagined and beautifully rendered… capture[s] profound emotional truths…’ — Interzone

‘A standout, absorbing, well realised sci-fi world, with characters who feel like they’re about to stroll off the page and take you for a cup of arak.’ — Sci-Fi & Fantasy Reviews

‘If you’re looking for something a little more philosophical and thoughtful than the usual fare in the genre, look no further than this book… a fantastic read.’ — Strange Currencies

‘Lavie Tidhar gives enormous depth to the world he creates… CENTRAL STATION is a fascinating glimpse into a very possible future.’ — Metapunk

‘One of the most breathtakingly, bewilderingly, mindbendingly imaginative stories I’ve read.’ — Bookaneer

‘A story—or many stories—about family. Not only blood, but love: romantic and otherwise. It’s about all the strange kinds of bonds that tie people together, in the present and across the years. It’s a story about muddling along together, all the disparate stories interlinking, all the opposites mingling, making a greater whole. A greater future.’ — Strangely Charmless

‘I love Lavie Tidhar’s writing and, as always, here it is beautiful. I loved the setting and the characters… the world building, the sense of significance, the huge ideas, are wonderful and I can see much potential in this setting for future novels. I particularly enjoyed the Church of Robot. Central Station is a place I would love to explore further.’ — For Winter Nights

‘Full of fresh and well-thought concepts… never dull and never boring.’ — Sense of Wonder

‘Beautiful prose. It’s unlike any Science Fiction I’ve ever read, equally parts poetic, abstract, and authentic in its ability to show us a strange future we can believe that, yes, is certainly possible. What will life be like for us in 50 years? In 100? Is this the trajectory we’re headed toward with our dependence on data and manipulating our bodies? Will we discard robots as they become obsolete, to leave them in endless poverty, begging for parts? It is these questions and more that CENTRAL STATION attempts to answer, and by the end it left me wondering–but in a good way.’ — Elitist Book Reviews

‘Some of Tidhar’s finest writing. Verdict: Come to CENTRAL STATION and allow yourself to be enveloped in its embrace… Set in a place that will feel so real to you by the end that you will swear you can taste and hear it…’ — Sci-Fi Bulletin

‘The breadth of Tidhar’s imagination in this book just left me gasping… this is an absorbing tapestry — the more so for Tidhar’s slightly warped view of future religions… his wry turn of phrase… beautiful language… or a myriad other things, the book fizzes with invention and in its portrayal of future humanity, has real heart. I hope that there will be more from this world. The book brings together separate stories, a feat that, again, echoes Golden Age SF and it does so very well, creating a wonderful text but I would simply kill for a full length novel drawing on all this background and carrying the story forward as hinted at in the Preface.’ — Blue Book Balloon

‘What makes this book special is the strong literary quality to the writing… CENTRAL STATION is not like anything else you’ve read. This book shows clearly that Lavie Tidhar is an author to watch.’ — SF Revu

‘CENTRAL STATION is a wondrous thought-provoking book, as you would expect from someone as highly credentialed as Lavie Tidhar.’ — Fantasy Book Review

‘[T]he escape from more traditional (and commercial) story structure allows the CENTRAL STATION to be a place where the extraordinary and alien are commonplace, its world imbued with life beyond the service of a single narrative arc.’ — Ars Technica

‘A fantastic mosaic novel.’ — New York Review of Science Fiction

‘… lyrical… entertaining… elegant… [W]hat Central Station does beautifully, and does so because it is such a well-written piece of well-conceived science fiction, is to depict precisely how identities form, why they are important – and the ways in which we might imagine them as both inviolable and non-exclusive.’ — The Story and the Truth

‘A wealth of ideas, a breathtaking vision… a thoughtful, poignant, human take on a possible future… If you’re looking for a deeply complex comment on humanity in a future where many lines are blurred, this is the right pick for you.’ — Fantasy Literature

‘CENTRAL STATION is full of the worries and aspirations of a new generation of science fiction people. This is not a simple science fiction novel, but a projection of a multi-ethnic coexistence world, a true fable for the present and the future.’ — Wu Yan

‘Roles and characters are evidenced, stories are linked to stories, and through a community perspective that connects to each other, we are like a shuttle in the central station of Tel Aviv to get a glimpse of a glorious, chaotic future. It is the perfect combination of literature and imagination.’ — Hao Jingfang (Hugo Award-winning author)

‘Lavie Tidhar used CENTRAL STATION to reshape a wild, dreamy and homesick future of Tel Aviv, and also reshaped our understanding and expectation of science fiction.’ — Chen Qiufan

‘[C]aptures in great human depth a future world of interwoven nationalities, identities, destinies and lives… CENTRAL STATION is one of the classics of this century.’ — SciFi Mind

‘So unlike too many science fiction and fantasy novels, this one is a slice of future life with plenty of danger and mysteries. Some but hardly all are thwarted or solved–and then we go on. It’s a kind of high realism, if you like.’ — Books for Readers

‘Chill, relaxing, optimistic, with an incredibly diverse setting and some of the oddest worldbuilding I’ve seen (robo-priests, data vampires…).’ — Reddit r/Fantasy

‘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

‘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

‘Books that imagine a different version of the World War II era are as old as Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle and as new as Philip Roth’s 2005 novel The Plot Against America. But few of these alternate histories are as bold and unnerving as Lavie Tidhar’s A Man Lies Dreaming. First published in the UK in 2014, the novel is now out in the U.S., and it couldn’t appear at a more unnerving time: As if mirroring our current election cycle, it depicts a right-wing politician successfully stoking the fires of xenophobia and bigotry… Like any good alt-history, Dreaming is exhaustively researched. A multitude of historical figures pop up in its pages, including many literary ones — among them A. A. Milne, J. R. R. Tolkien, Ian Fleming, and Evelyn Waugh. Some feel gratuitous and even distracting; others, like G. K. Chesterton and his notions of law and anarchy from The Man Who Was Thursday, feed into the thematic fabric that Tidhar weaves. Dreaming is a book of big ideas, from the pathological origins of racist ideology to the way humanizing and dehumanizing those we love or loathe are flip sides of the same coin… Tidhar tightropes between fantasy, farce, and historical fiction, all while grounding things in brisk, gritty noir. Parallels to our current state of affairs abound, but if anything, they’re simply symptoms of how the past can recycle itself in frightening new ways — a process that Dreaming compellingly picks apart and rewires. History isn’t written by the winners or the losers, Tidhar illustrates, but by those who know how to shroud it and spin it the most entertainingly. Which only makes Dreaming all the more chilling.’ — NPR

‘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

‘Theodor Adorno said that to write poetry after Auschwitz was barbaric. To which I would say, yes, but you can still write an excellent novel. A MAN LIES DREAMING is that novel.’ — Philip Kerr

‘Lavie Tidhar’s latest novel is one of the most powerful books I’ve read this year thanks to its combination of alternate history noir and the harsh reality of life in the concentration camps. Tidhar doesn’t just describe situations, both real and fictional; he makes you feel them, with writing that stimulates all your senses… A MAN LIES DREAMING once again combines Tidhar’s love of alternate realities with insights into what it means to be human. It will haunt your dreams and is his best novel yet. Highly recommended. 9/10′ — SciFi Bulletin

‘There have been many alternate histories with a crime setting  before but this new novel by a young Israeli author writing in English is one of the most challenging and rewarding. It’s 1939 in London and the Nazis never came to power, having been brushed aside by the Communists and Hitler is now an exile in London scraping a living as a low grade private eye. He still hates the Jews and remains a most despicable character, when he is engaged to find a missing girl (and sister…). The following story obeys all the rules of pulp writing in a noir and atmospheric tradition, full of violence, wit and irony. But what you are actually reading is the dream of a poor pulp writer imprisoned in Auschwitz. A fascinating walk along a literary tightrope that never rings a wrong note, this is outstanding and moving stuff, whether you are seeking crime, SF or just a great novel!’ — Love Reading (1)

‘A fascinating book of which you cannot predict where it is going… There are no real heroes, except maybe Shomer. There are villains and victims and no winners. Brilliant.’ — Love Reading (2)

‘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

‘Lavie Tidhar wrote a novel in which the world has taken a different path, and Hitler, the ruthless executioner, found himself a loser. Just like in a Tarantino movie, the effect is powerful and liberating… Rewriting history, even as a product of imagination, requires a lot of freedom and courage. Those who attempt to do it are often rewarded. In WOLF, Tidhar is not afraid to tell an alternate reality.’ — Rolling Stone (Italy)

‘[A]n extraordinary vision of a shifted, dark and rotted world… dark and powerful… fascinating and extremely difficult to put down… It’s hugely clever, aimed at (and hitting) both the reader’s heart and mind, witty and completely absorbing. Lavie Tidhar is a writer with extraordinary flair and wit…’ — For Winter Nights

‘Beautifully constructed, this story within a story, mystery within mystery, is a fresh and unique take on Holocaust fiction, which is no less powerful or disturbing for its strange direction. Flawless, engaging and with an eye for detail that is second-to-none, A MAN LIES DREAMING is the perfect follow-up to last year’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY, even going so far as to examine one of the earlier novel’s key questions, albeit from a different angle: what makes a man? One of the best novels I’ve read in a year of excellent novels, A MAN LIES DREAMING stands beside some of the classics of Holocaust literature while providing a more accessible route than some, and is nothing less than a masterpiece.’ — Reader Dad

‘Wolf’s story is interesting, well-plotted… The relationship A MAN LIES DREAMING has with OSAMA is clear, but in many ways this is a better novel—it is more tightly structured, with a close focus on Tidhar’s own religion, as opposed to the wide-ranging remit of international terrorism. Wolf is a fantastic character, reprehensible, but somehow piteous, hilarious, oddly likeable for all his terrible traits, and the ability to make the reader sympathise with Adolf Hitler, for god’s sake, cannot be underestimated. Tidhar is a masterful writer. More so even than James Smythe and Adam Roberts, he is perhaps the UK’s most literary speculative fiction writer, and we should celebrate A MAN LIES DREAMING as more a masterful work of literary fiction than of speculative fiction. But it is exactly that: masterful.’ — Strange Horizons

‘When did he become one of our best and most adventurous writers?’ — Jonathan Strahan in Locus (Feb.2015)

‘An immensely readable book about the unreadable. He mixes hardboiled noir; dystopia and magical realism to create a dark and thought provoking novel, sure to compel the reader whilst making them face the darker sides of humanity. It is a book about war, power, politics, sex and religion whilst being a page turning thriller which gives a new and usual twist on tales of World War II and The Holocaust… One of the most visceral novels I have read in some time and one which weeks and months later I am still thinking about with a thrill and a shudder, it is quite brilliant. I urge you to read it.’ — Savidge Reads

‘My favourite book of the year, so dark, funny, wild and important. It’s a brilliant realisation of a down-at-heel Hitler, one of the best re-imaginings I’ve read, darkly serious with a great undertow of rage.’ — Stav Sherez

‘A work that is original, and funny,and angry, and moving, and significant.’ — Nina Allan

‘Intelligent, troubling, funny, at times harrowing, an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.’ — E.J. Swift

‘Amazing book.’ — James Smythe

‘This is an entertaining and poignant story; both a caper and a Holocaust tale in one (and if that sounds like a peculiar marriage, then you’re getting warmer). Writing historical fantasy based on a genocide is a risky objective, even when using a sympathetic narrative frame, but a wry look at detective fiction and a surprisingly generous recognition of the fragility of all men, and their convictions, makes for an unpredictable and thought-provoking experience.’ — We Love This Book

‘Poetic and terrible, riveting and disturbing… a book of history, yet also of humanity. An utterly enthralling read, but by no means a jolly one. It is in turns brutal, harrowing, heartbreaking and intriguing. Not for the faint-hearted … but having read it, I feel compelled to recommend this unforgettable novel. Definitely an extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A MAN LIES DREAMING is a testament to the power of imagination and a novel which will stay in every reader’s thoughts long after the book has been closed.’ — Gulf Weekly

‘Overall, the novel is not an easy read, even though at times it is an entertaining one. The alternate-history concept, however is superbly well handled and is well worth reading for. Hitler is a difficult character to portray in an original way, being as he is the cause of so many secondary school history syllabi and History Channel documentaries. Despite this, A MAN LIES DREAMING succeeds in providing an original and intriguing portrayal of the dictator.’ — Paper Man Reviews

‘Deliciously clever… one of the funniest novels I’ve read in a long time… brilliant, suggestive and structurally precise… I loved it – it’s fearless and audacious, raucously enjoyable and yet deadly serious.’ — Dancing on Glass

‘Absolutely engrossing…a fascinating narrative… a must-read for anyone that likes books that make them think; it is complex, with plenty of meaty themes to mull over…’ — A Fantastical Librarian

‘Tidhar pulls this off with skilful aplomb. The author treats the source material with a delicate, reverential touch. He has used a horrific chapter in history and crafted a story that explores the best and worst aspects of humanity. This novel truly is exceptional… Highly recommended.’ — Eloquent Page

‘A strange beast… His prose is musical, brilliant to read… I had heard of the novel almost constantly since it was published, people were raving about it – weird and fantastic. A must read, they all said. So I finally got round to picking it up, and I’m glad I did. It is all of the things the other reviewers are saying… A brilliant novel. A MAN LIES DREAMING will make you feel uncomfortable and dirty while transporting you to Shomer’s detailed and brilliantly imagined world of ‘What ifs’.’ — Pop-Verse

‘It’s good. It’s damn good… a tight, masterful creation, an unexpectedly moving work.’ — Jewish Book Council

‘Fast-paced, fascinating, in all its horror an excellent read…’ — Metapunk

‘This novel is playful, it is fun, it is dark, it is horrific, it’s shocking, it oozes sex and violence, and yes it is also unmissable. There have been many books about the Nazis and Hitler winning the Second World War, and many books about the holocaust: recently, we have had two from Martin Amis and Howard Jacobson, and good though they no doubt are, I’ll bet they aren’t as darkly entertaining as this one, which is surely one of the books of the year.’ — Concatenation

‘To call this a delightful book, would do it a disservice. None of Shomer’s imagined characters are likeable. He has all kinds of misfortunes befall them, especially Wolf. At the start, a reader might wonder why these men who tried to exterminate Jews, have been given a relatively easy exile compared to the life which Shomer and his fellows are experiencing. Shomer, though, has a very devious fate awaiting Wolf… This is a book that fully deserves to be on an awards shortlist.’ — British Fantasy Society

‘Masterful… took my breath away…’ — Cleaver Magazine

‘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

‘Tidhar synthesises the geeky and the political in a vision of world events that breaks new superhero ground… Lavie Tidhar’s new novel breaks new ground in terms of the “superhero novel”… THE VIOLENT CENTURY extends [an] eerie synthesis of the geeky and the political, conjuring a version of the 20th and 21st century where everything we know still happened, only with added superheroes… The novel turns out to be a melancholy sort of love story, but the world-building is so profoundly smart that one can easily forgive and even thrill to the slightly predictable tale of amours, betrayals, repressed adoration and stifled expediency… Comics, of course, have been doing “what if they were real?” for ages, from Alan Moore’s Watchmen to Pat Mills’s Marshal Law. But the politics in Tidhar’s novel are very much about real-world subterfuge… the truly clever thing here is that while the reader has to suspend disbelief in the existence of superheroes, the superheroes themselves struggle to believe in the war, and especially the Holocaust: repeatedly they refer to it as being like a fiction rather than reality. The war becomes, again, something unthinkable. Using fantasy to reassert the awful reality of the 20th century is a smart piece of defamiliarisation.’ — The Guardian

‘THE VIOLENT CENTURY… may be his best yet: a blistering alt-historical retelling of a 20th century lousy with superheroes.’ — The Guardian, Best SFF of 2013

‘While perhaps not as politically loaded as OSAMA, Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY… is no less powerful. He imagines a world where superheroes are real. But while the Americans go for the brash costumes and public displays of power, Tidhar’s British heroes – primarily Oblivion and Fog – operate in the shadows, and bear witness to the major events of the 20th century in what is quite simply a stunning masterpiece.’ — The Independent

‘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 VIOLENT CENTURY is a brilliant story of superheroes and spies and secret histories. It stands with Alan Moore’s Watchmen as an examination of the myths that we made in the 20th Century and the ways they still haunt us now. it’s as dramatic and vital as the best comic books and as beautifully written and evocative as any literary novel today. Read it. You’ll see.’ — Christopher Farnsworth

‘Where do heroes come from? How are friendships made? What makes us human? These are the questions that Lavie Tidhar grapples with, in this story of friendship writ large upon a canvas that stretches from the 1930s to the present day, in a slightly alternate world where superheroes exists, but heroics mean different things to different people. Choices made in the second world war resonate down through a series of brilliantly detailed cold war scenes, ultimately wrestling with the idea of the self. This is a big, ambitious book that manages to deliver.’ — Glenn Mehn

‘Good fantasy creates new worlds for us to dream in. Great fantasy, such as THE VIOLENT CENTURY, holds a dark mirror up to these dreams and tests them to the limit… Espionage inhabits a sort of parallel universe. Lavie Tidhar has taken this idea and run with it, creating a sophisticated, moving and gripping take on 20th century conflicts and our capacity for love and hate, honour and betrayal.‘ — Daily Mail

‘Part pulp fiction, part spy novel… Startling, moving and cleverly turned (spot the walk-on parts for real comic book artists) the novel delivers epic scale, sharply observed detail and a real emotional wallop.’ — Daily Mail 12 Books for Christmas 2013

‘An alternative history tour-de-force. Epic, intense and authentic. Lavie Tidhar reboots the 20th century with spies and superheroes battling for mastery – and the results are electric.’ — Tom Harper, author of The Orpheus Descent

‘[a] high stakes tale of friendship and what it ultimately means to truly be a hero… Tidhar has created a book that oozes excellence in both characterisation and storytelling.’ — Huffington Post

‘THE VIOLENT CENTURY, Tidhar’s latest book, is even darker than OSAMA. Think John le Carré dark… something like John le Carré, not as a matter of slavish imitation so much, but rather as an evocation of darkness, idealism turning to exhaustion, and moral ambiguity. The Old Man, Oblivion, Fogg, these are men who have been fighting in the shadows for far too long and whatever sense of right and wrong they started out with is now dangerously suspect… But this is also a novel of alternate history and the world these characters live in is not exactly ours. In fact it may have almost as much in common with the seedy world of Alan Moore’s Watchmen  for all of the characters mentioned so far are actually superhuman… It’s hard, but not impossible as Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey and others have shown, to create a morally complex, artistically ambitious story based on characters whose origins are not that far removed from the simplicity of Superman, Spiderman, and their ilk. Tidhar has succeeded brilliantly in this task. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a masterful example of alternate universe science fiction and can only add to its author’s rapidly growing reputation.’ — Los Angeles Review of Books

‘The level of detail with which Tidhar fills his novel ensures that the events he is using as his setting feel convincing. Like Le Carre’s best novels, the world of espionage isn’t glamorous or exciting; it’s a grim, cold and lonely place. The author does a lot with a relatively minimalist style, and he envelops us in Transylvanian forests with Count Dracula’s transformed descendant and the frozen battleground of Minsk without ever slowing down… it’s impressive how much ground Tidhar covers. At the centre of this is the question, ‘What makes a hero?’ The supermen of Tidhar’s novel are forced to commit terrible acts in the name of the greater good, and stand by and watch as terrible acts are committed for the same reason. As well as being a wonderfully drawn and detailed historical espionage tale, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is ultimately a very human story. It’s gripping, imaginative and, finally, moving.’ — SciFi Now

‘… like Watchmen on crack… the great strength of the book: Tidhar’s examination not of what makes a hero, but how we perceive our heroes. The American heroes are an almost parody of the comic heroes that you know and love: Tigerman, Whirlwind, The Electric Twins, The Green Gunman, Girl Surfer and Frogman, the League of Defenders. There’s their German and Russian counterparts as well: Wolkenstein (Wolf Man), and Schneesturm (Snow Storm), and the Red Sickle. They’re propaganda icons, pumped up, brightly dressed and there for the show, in a pointed look at their real world counterparts… The book runs out of order, with the plot teased out of each section, growing as a larger and more complicated puzzle throughout. It’s a strange reveal, one that slowly draws you in; first with action and then with some excellent character drama… While Tidhar looks at the violent narrative of the twentieth century, he has his eyes firmly planted on how we’ve interpreted the violence in our own real world… THE VIOLENT CENTURY is filled with small Easter eggs… which ultimately support Tidhar’s main idea here: the superheroes we create are an extension of ourselves… There [have] been a number of fantastic novels that have drawn on the mythos of the comic book world, ranging from Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay to Austin Grossman’s Soon I Will Be Invincible, but Tidhar’s is probably one of the best prose examinations to really examine the superhero and what they mean… Ultimately, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is about legacy and how heroics play into it, a deeper message than defining what heroics mean: The actions of Fogg and Oblivion have lasting consequences, while at the same time, we can see the weight of the world they’ve helped to build grow on their shoulders. By the end of the book, it’s clear that their own journeys are defined by the actions which they’ve undertaken because it’s what they felt was right, rather than what their orders were.’ — io9.com

‘Fitting many boxes and at the same time none at all, Tidhar’s novel (indeed, his entire literary career) demonstrates the imaginative power of fluidity to give us insights into the complex nature of our historical reality.’ — SFRA Review

‘THE VIOLENT CENTURY is what you’d get if Cormac McCarthy wrote a mash-up of Watchmen and Casablanca. It’s a classic World War II film, cold-war spy thriller and superhero story all rolled into one tightly written package… The major western world powers each have their cadres of superheroes, and their battles are beautifully written, with tight prose of sometimes brutal simplicity, but all the more effective for it… THE VIOLENT CENTURY is an amazing book and as my first introduction to Lavie Tidhar’s writing I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Although I was first hesitant about the stylistic literary affectation he’s chosen to write with, once it became familiar, it felt right and each element of the writing, world and characters complemented each other wonderfully. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone.’ — J For Jetpack

‘Tidhar brings us a tale of individuals wrestling with questions of their nature, told on a grand scale, on the stage of the historical shifts that exist in living memory, and he does an outstanding job of it, weaving together historical fact with stunningly deceptive world building into a cloth that reflects in a very real way how these people, how these lives are different for the presence of these Übermenschen, and, in fact, what little difference it makes in the grand scheme of things… Tidhar shows a deft hand with research, digging up records of war crimes tribunals, of World War II battles, of the CIA front company Air America, funding the war by selling Laotian opium, bringing together British, Soviet, and American Übermenschen, showing how different, and how similar, the arcs of their lives can be over this violent century… This is a dark, brooding book, one that you want to gnaw on, savour, slowly, and enjoy, but it has its light moments, too… He’s dealing with the grandest schemes on the largest of backdrops in time and place, and this level of awe-inspiring craft places him firmly within the highest tier of writers working today, no longer an emerging writer, but a master.’ — British Fantasy Society

‘… we might call it enhanced history – a narrative which grafts pulp-comic fantasies onto the existing record, with just enough quantum gobbledygook to make it sound vaguely science fictional. It’s the sort of thing Quentin Tarantino did as bloody wish-fulfillment in Inglourious Basterds, multiplied by several orders of magnitude… What really gives the novel its emotional center, and eventually its tragic weight, is the depiction of the decades-long friendships among the ‘‘changed’’ themselves, and especially between Fogg and Oblivion, as the world increasingly passes them by and as Fogg pursues what seems to be a doomed romance with Vomacht’s own daughter, who is associated with a literal dimension of brightness largely lost to the violent century itself. All this is presented in the present-tense, stage-directed style of a movie treatment which values efficiency over grace, but it manages some genuinely powerful moments, some memorable figures, and a thoroughly unhinged view of the 20th century that almost convinces you of its own demented logic.’ — LOCUS

‘The most interestingly adventurous writer of the year was Lavie Tidhar, who came into 2013 with a fresh World Fantasy Award for OSAMA and extended his gonzo explorations of history, textuality, and pop culture with the relatively little-seen MARTIAN SANDS and the more widely hyped super-hero fantasia THE VIOLENT CENTURY, each of which took decided risks with the question of how freely SF methods can appropriate sensitive historical material… Tidhar plots like a mad paintballer, sometimes missing the mark but always making a splash, but since his Bookman novels he’s perhaps done more than any recent author to liberate the interdisciplinary steampunk aesthetic form…’ — LOCUS Recommended Reading List 2013

‘THE VIOLENT CENTURY’s fractured narrative does, however, have a heart, and when the author sets his sights on this, beauty both meets and beats the beast… The effect of the narrative’s darkness and density, then, is the elevation of simple scenes like this, which are rendered with incredible resonance by dint of Tidhar’s stylistic decisions… At the last, Lavie Tidhar’s latest is at once a love story, a tragedy, a spy novel, a memoir of a friendship, an exposé of the horrors of war, and a very serious study of the superhero: the origins of the concept as well as its relative relevance. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a difficult text, yes, but one that gives as good as it gets.’ — Tor.com

‘It’s the X-Men as written by John le Carré, a shadowy alternate history in which cynical Cold War compromises are all too real. Agents Fogg and Oblivion investigate a conspiracy dating back 75 years to post-war Berlin. The British duo haven’t aged since 1932, when hundreds of mutants were created from the sub-atomic wave unleashed by a German scientist. Several years later, warring nations rally the troops with front-line superheroes but some end up as grisly Übermenschen experiments in Auschwitz. Tidhar’s Jewish heritage enriches his self-aware, tersely styled narrative. A love story and meditation on heroism, this is an elegiac espionage adventure that demands a second reading.’ — Metro

‘The cover asks “what makes a hero”? That may be underestimating what Tidhar achieves with this novel – through the mix of characters and situations, he provides an insight into what it takes to be human, and what can happen when we lay that humanity aside. It’s a powerful novel, which will no doubt reward rereading.’ — SciFi Bulletin

‘THE VIOLENT CENTURY is an excellent novel that demonstrates, once again, the impressive versatility of its author.’ — Interzone

‘Fans of Alan Moore’s Watchmen (1987) should thoroughly enjoy this imaginative story about the hidden side of modern history… Here, in Tidhar’s gifted hands, WWII was an epic battle of superheroes, with a villain (the German scientist Dr. Vomacht) so evil that he makes Hitler seem mild by comparison. A terrifically told tale of heroism and enduring friendship that captures our imaginations from the very first page.’ — Booklist

‘Lavie Tidhar has one of the most nimble imaginations in SF and he likes to play in provocative territory… His new novel, THE VIOLENT CENTURY, is his most successful effort yet: a huge and ambitious noir superhero novel that really isn’t about superheroes at all… This is serious stuff, grim even—but the sheer skill of Tidhar’s storytelling compels us… this is a novel that can break your heart and then, ever so subtly, include a cameo by Stan Lee. Tidhar clearly knows as much about supermen of all kinds as he does about the circumstances that produce them. The effortless way he reveals this knowledge makes you wonder if he too has special powers. True to title, the novel covers nearly one hundred years of history, blends several genres, and dozens of characters both fictional and real. It should collapse under the weight of its own ambition. It doesn’t. It merely inspires awe. Tidhar may not be an Übermenschen himself, but, like the intrepid Fogg, he’s one of the best we’ve got.’ — Strange Horizons

‘The minimalist, stark style suits a plot where espionage (British heroes are mostly limited to watching, not acting – though we are often told that watching is a form of action) is grim and gritty, not the sexed up life that is seen on TV. Perhaps something not suited to all, to me it had a beauty and power, showing that Tidhar on form is one of genre’s most flexible prose stylists. There is no sign of the pulp stylings of Osama, or his more ethereal sentences in Gorel and the Pot Bellied God. Instead we have dialogue and description stripped back almost entirely, locations drawn a la film script, with broad brushstrokes that give us all the detail we need… Tidhar does with relative ease what many writer’s would struggle for decades to do – to simultaneously do something new with the superhero genre, and create a thoroughly human story at the same time. It’s delivers on expectations, and goes beyond.’ — One Chapter More

‘My God… THE VIOLENT CENTURY is bloody brilliant. Actually refused a lift home from work last night so I could read on the bus…’ — David Barnett (Guardian)

‘Just finished… VIOLENT CENTURY. It’s Night Circus meets Bitter Seeds. Wow.’ — Justin Landon (Staffer’s Book Review)

”Tidhar, like Alan Moore, is interrogating real events with the speculative fiction toolkit, looking not at how it happened historically, but at what about the human condition allowed it. The result, in THE VIOLENT CENTURY’s case isn’t just a great piece of superhero fiction, but a beautiful novel of cultural and literary merit… In the end, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a love story. Not a tale of heroism or social commentary, although it is those things too, Tidhar’s novel is the kind of stilted romance built on repressed feelings and unspoken connections… Tidhar’s tone throughout is conversational, stark, and gloomy. The prose is less about artful construction than rugged purpose, communicating what’s happening like snippets of memory… There’s haunting beauty in its simplicity. Like voices in an empty warehouse Tidhar’s prose echoes about to fill the space. Each reflection conjures new sounds. The end result puts mood ahead of imagery. It’s [something] I often associate with noir, which Tidhar clearly references through puffs of cigarette smoke and fogged alleys. From plot to structure to theme, the novel is simply special. It’s as if Ian Tregillis’s Bitter Seeds had been written by Night Circus author Erin Morgenstern, a superhero war novel with a sense for historical detail and conscious of its ability to impact with structure and style. Tidhar has the chance to become this generation’s Ursula LeGuin, an author who is equally capable of engaging readers on a surfeit of levels, as socially conscious as he is literary, and as reckless as he is in control. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is unquestionably one of the finest novels of 2013. Lavie Tidhar is no longer a rising star in the genre, but one burning bright.’ — Staffer’s Book Review

‘Finished Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY over lunch. War, history, heroism, memory: best thing he’s done to date, very impressive.’ — Niall Harrison (Editor-In-Chief, Strange Horizons)

‘Sat down to for a minute to read the start of THE VIOLENT CENTURY. Half an hour later, and it’s really, really good.’ – James Smythe, author of The Explorer

‘THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a well-researched and lovingly constructed piece of fiction that, despite its science fiction elements, still manages to remain well within the bounds of realism. Lavie Tidhar is rapidly becoming one of the most important writers of speculative fiction today. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is the work of a writer with talent and confidence to burn. Unlike anything else you’ve ever read, its combination of spy thriller and superhero adventure make for an unusual, but inspired, combination. It’s a wonderful, engaging and thought-provoking novel, written with a style as original as the story itself… Quite simply: perfect!’ — Reader Dad

‘… an original, engrossing fusion of noir-ish super-heroes and gritty espionage thriller… [The novel] has a wonderful, noir-ish feel… Tidhar has written a fantastic novel… Definitely recommended.’ — Civilian Reader

‘An excellent standalone novel, Lavie Tidhar propels himself into the spotlight with one of the best novels of the year. After excelling with several novels in the past, The Violent Century is what raises the benchmark for his fiction and should be the novel that puts him on everybody’s must-read list. This book is just that good… deliver[s] an awesome read right from the start, providing us with one of the more unusual novels of the year, as well as quite possibly one of the best… a delightful read, and aside from the comparisons to John Le Carre and Watchmen, fans of Ian Tregellis’ Milkweed novels will find something to love here… It’s dark, creative and wonderfully written – and comes highly recommended.‘ — Founding Fields

‘The ending of the book is heart-breaking and made me think that no matter how long and well we know another, we’ll never know their entire self… Stylistically THE VIOLENT CENTURY is very strong and quite interesting… It weaves an intricate tapestry of motives, memories, history, and world building… THE VIOLENT CENTURY was my first long-form encounter with Lavie Tidhar and hopefully it won’t be my last. I was very impressed by this war torn superhero narrative, which touches upon sensitive topics such as the Holocaust, the Eichmann trial, World War II atrocities, but also on less well-known wars such as the Laotian Civil War and US involvement therein and ever holds up a mirror asking us: “What makes a man?” A story that sings around for a bit and got stuck in my head, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a strong contender for my top ten this year.’ — A Fantastical Librarian

‘Tidhar’s premise is elegant and compelling… Placing superheroes in World War Two is not a new concept, but this is the first I’ve read something that analyses exactly what it might mean… Stylistically some might consider the novel a challenge. You have to have some chutzpah to open a chapter with ‘The wheels on the bus go round and round.’ But Tidhar pulls off this type of literary quirk time and again… Tidhar teases us with what Fogg and Oblivion are trying to find, why Fogg dropped off the radar, and why, decades later, the Old Man has called him in and reopened old wounds. The answer is surprising and surprisingly tender. Like a shape in the fog, suddenly revealed, the story that you thought was about one thing, turns out to be about something else altogether. Literary sleight of hand this accomplished can only be applauded.’ — Robin’s Books/Quicksilver Reads

‘THE VIOLENT CENTURY is one of the most extraordinary reads I’ve had this year. It’s unlike anything other novel I’ve read. While it hovers around fantasy and jumps through history, above all else it tells the story of a couple of men, Fogg and Oblivion, who have been given a task they never wanted… This is a novel that tells the story of the century by expressing its outrages through emotions run wild, given bodily form, and endowed with rage… this book might be brief but it is most certainly not light. Neither is it forgettable… despite this being a tale of war and superheroes and the most evil of villains, THE VIOLENT CENTURY felt to me primarily like an account of the best and worst of humanity trying to cope with the most difficult of events. What is a hero? Sometimes it can be impossible to tell but even during the very worst of times they can be found.’ — For Winter Nights

‘… after finishing the final pages, I believed THE VIOLENT CENTURY was one of the best books I’ve ever read… ultimately rewarding, and makes the reader become deeply involved in the writing… Despite its premise, there’s something startlingly real about it all; in fact, it’s often the true stories about real-life people and situations that are the most bizarre and disturbing. Tidhar blends imagination and reality with startling results… while adding in philosophy and politics. Despite the latter, the author never preaches; this is a book about humanity, about what actions (or inactions) can decide a man’s fate, and the nature of heroism. At its heart, there’s a love story, but it may not be what you’d expect, and the book keeps the reader in suspense until the very end. The finale left me in tears, making me want to start the book again as soon as I’d finished it… THE VIOLENT CENTURY has everything to look for in a novel – a wonderfully crafted plot, strong realistic characters, an atmosphere that is unnervingly real – all written in a style that insists on the reader’s full attention… one of the best books I’ve ever read.’ — Fantasy Faction

‘Lavie Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY questions what it means to be a hero, and whether heroes can really save the world, or even each other. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is like a perfect blend of Le Carre’s spy novels and Grant Morrison’s X-Men, but bigger, deeper and more resonant… Within the sparseness of Tidhar’s language there are poignant, poetic phrases that resonate with great elegance, there is romance and melancholy and beauty within this fascinating fractured, controlled prose. It is easy to be sucked into the story, easy to speed along the short, precise sentences, until you realise you may have missed something crucial, something important and elaborate hidden safely within that sparsity, something calling for repeated readings and exploration.’ — Dawn.com

‘Lavie Tidhar proves with THE VIOLENT CENTURY that he is definitely an author to add to your favorites list. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is much, much more than you standard superhero face-off book. Even though the story is written as a novel, it reads away like a comic and Lavie Tidhar has a interesting and lively narration… that places you directly into the story with a nice bird eye perspective, this gives you as a reader the full experience of this amazing book. But THE VIOLENT CENTURY isn’t only about action and as you get deeper and deeper into the story and read about what happened in the beginning of Fogg’s life and all throughout his missions you see a strong emotional undercurrent that steadily drives the story further. The ending for me, the reasoning of the Old Man only added to the emotional side of the story. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is one of those books that lives up to you expectations and goes way beyond it, make sure you get reading it ASAP, it won’t let you down.’ — The Book Plank

‘It’s definitely a quirky book, something pretty unique and when it delves into the second world war as told from a superhero point of view really takes the reader into an uncomfortable world that will dig itself in deeper into the psyche. Add to this solid prose, some cracking characters and of course an overall arc that really gets to the heart of the matter makes this a book that will stay with the reader for quite some time.’ — Falcata Times

‘Whilst thoroughly exciting and engaging as a thriller, Tidhar also uses the book to explore deeper concepts such as heroism, loyalty and power. Despite their abilities, the characters who are ‘the changed’ remain very human; and many struggle with their new powers, both in terms of what they can do with them, but also how they change their relationship with those around them. The horror of war – and the moral compromises it brings – are starkly drawn, but Tidhar does not moralise. At its heart, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a novel that revolves around one of the oldest of human preoccupations – that of love, and what actions it might drive an individual to take… THE VIOLENT CENTURY is also a somewhat sly book, and features a number of stellar cameos familiar to anyone even broadly acquainted with superhero comics… In [one] passage, Tidhar writes about the attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001. He takes that tired, over-used phrase used about Superman – ‘Is it a bird? Is it a plane?’ – and flips it on its head, turning it into an audacious, heart-breaking commentary on the death of heroes. If you enjoyed Alan Moore’s Watchmen – a book I’ve read and re-read obsessively since my teens – then you’re going to love THE VIOLENT CENTURY, which for me is very, very high praise indeed.’ — What Are You Reading For..?

‘… a sprawling, whirlwind ride though the history of the 20th century… The action sequences felt faithful to the superhero comic book milieu that it draws from. While it can be as bloody and grisly as the tumultuous events which serve as the backdrop, it still recalls the fun and sense of adventure of the Chris Claremont years of The X-Men… the beating heart of this book is its attempt to not just capture and harness the energy of the genre but its attempt to approach it with a kind of literary sensibility… the main concern of the book—not just deconstructing our desire for supermen, whether they be psychological or cultural, but undermining their very agency and potency. The Ubermensch cancel each other out, they change nothing. The sheer weight of the social, political, strategic, and economic forces at work in an industrialized world of advanced nation-states (in all their best and worst manifestations) ultimately subsume the Ubermensch—they are, in many ways, as adrift in the sea of conflict and historical reversals as we are… Ultimately, in THE VIOLENT CENTURY, we are given a fast-paced, engrossing, beautifully attenuated portrait of the absurdity of the “Superman” in the 20th century in both its ideological, mythological, and popular contexts. Superbeings and Ubermensch, imaginary or otherwise, are not the driving agents of history, but participate only alongside it as a sort of Sisyphean sideshow-shadow-puppetry amidst the carnage.’ — Navigator

‘… yet another tale with which Lavie Tidhar demonstrates his superb skills as a storyteller… Lavie has created a gripping and stark tale of what life for a superhero is like when your powers are nothing special in the grand theme of things and your very existence becomes a burden. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a dark, uncompromising and cynically philosophical novel, it keeps you enthralled right to the end and this end is bittersweet with yet another twist. 10/10′ — Traveler’s Steampunk Blog

‘[A] new masterpiece… a tremendous, unforgettable read… This study in heroism, love, revenge and violence will be in demand by lovers of complex, intelligent sf and alternative history. Anyone who enjoys stories of people with supernatural abilities will thrive reading Tidhar’s world.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)

‘… a wonderfully constructed, crafted work that bears a great emotional weight even as it raises more intellectual questions. It’s the kind of work that lingers in the mind long after the reading and leaves the reader unsettled as they roll ideas over and over in their head. Just as good fiction should do.’ (5/5*) — Fantasy Literature

‘The world right now is full of superhero stories. In movies and on TV, in comics and graphic novels. But Lavie Tidhar, with his sharp eye for absurdity (and stellar world-building powers), gives his heroes a literary moment, bringing them to the page in a world where American, British, Russian and Nazi supermen fought in World War II and shaped everything we know of 20th and 21st century history. It begins like a classic John le Carré story, with an old, retired hero called Fogg being brought in to discuss an old case file. But where it ends up is like nothing that anyone but Tidhar could imagine.’ — NPR Book Concierge, Favorite Books of 2019

‘… a brisk and engrossing read. Mr. Tidhar creates a grim and atmospheric world… an underlying sense of doom and tragedy laces the narrative. Over the course of the story, one realizes that there are no purely good or evil characters, only shades of grey, all anti-heroes…’ — Chronophlogiston

‘He is a political writer, an iconoclast and sometimes a provocateur … OSAMA is a remarkable and ambitious work.’ — China Mieville

‘… deserves to be widely read.’ — Adam Roberts

‘A provocative and fast moving tale that raises good questions not only about the heritage of Al Qaeda, but about the slippage between reality and sensational fiction that sometimes seems to define our own confused and contorted experience of the last couple of decades.’ — Gary K. Wolfe, Locus

‘A roller-coaster ride… [a] fabulous opium-soaked political thriller… pulls out all the stops.’ — Rolling Stone (Germany)

‘Moving seamlessly between intense realism and equally intense surrealism, OSAMA is a powerful and disturbing political fantasy by a talent who deserves the attention of all serious readers.’ — Strange Horizons

‘OSAMA is an unsettling, oddly poignant look at what might have been, a world that is not necessarily better –because human nature precludes that- but simply different; it shows Tidhar’s originality and growing accomplishment in one of the best novels of the year so far.’ — Colin Harvey

‘Mind bending . . . This book will shake you. It left our reviewer in a hazy nightmare state, left in a waking dream that rattled him for hours. Literally, the complex construction of Osama and rekindled intense collective PTSD of 9/11 woke our reviewer from his sleep.’ — Boston Book Bums

‘I loved, loved this book! A wonderfully entertaining and thought-provoking book.’ — T.J. McIntyre

‘I would make this required reading.’ — SF Signal

‘It is a novel that unfolds, that becomes bigger the further we go into it … it will haunt the memory.’ — Paul Kincaid, Bull Spec

‘Not a writer to mess around with half measures … brings to mind Philip K Dick’s seminal science fiction novel The Man in the High Castle.’ — The Guardian

‘OSAMA is written with both an obvious affection for genre fiction and a sense of wild-eyed disbelief at the insanity of a world where people fly planes into skyscrapers. 4.5/5 stars.’ — SFX

‘Offers perhaps the weirdest fictional take yet on Osama Bin Laden in this offbeat and enigmatic thriller.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘OSAMA is exceptional. Compelling, confrontational, and surprisingly moving, it is one of the best novels yet on terror in our times.’ — World Literature Today

‘OSAMA glides: its prose is crystal clear … a wonderfully crafted alternate noir-ish tale … I highly recommend this.’ — The Weekly Take

‘A phenomenal achievement.’ –– Cheryl Morgan

‘The work as a whole reminded me of Auster’s ‘New York Trilogy’ and Mieville’s ‘The City and the City’, but I enjoyed OSAMA much more.  It’s more readable than either of them. Tidhar never forgets to be entertaining, even whilst deep in his metaphysical constructs… Highly recommended.’ — Robin’s Books

‘OSAMA is a meta-fictional masterpiece that is quite unlike anything you will have ever read.’ — This Is Horror

‘A modern classic, a defining moment in science fiction.’ — SFBook.com

‘Intriguing is an understatement for this book. It envelopes you like smoke, turns you around and you stumble out the other side slightly bewildered. A fascinating concept to a story that has dominated our world for over a decade and like the true events leaves a swirl of questions that might not ever be able to be answered.’ — Bite the Book

‘A wonderfully entertaining and thought-provoking book.’ — Skull Salad Reviews

‘A strange and fascinating novel.’ — Pagina12 (Argentina)

‘Lavie Tidhar’s THE BOOKMAN is simply the best book I’ve read in a long time, and I read a lot of books. If you’re worried that Steampunk has turned into a mere fashion aesthetic, then you’d better read this one. It’s a stunningly imaginative remix of history, technology, literature, and Victorian adventure that’s impossible to put down. The book is immensely smart and readable at the same time. I very much hope that it’s the first of many such books. Buy it.’ — James P. Blaylock

‘Literary figures emerge from the swirling fog, automatons patrol the streets, space probes head for Mars and giant lizards rule over Victorian England. A potent and atmospheric steampunk adventure.’ — Chris Wooding

‘THE BOOKMAN is without a doubt the most enjoyable, fascinating and captivating book I have read in a long time. It has managed to claim the throne as my favorite steampunk novel from Moorcock’s A Nomad of the Time Streams… Not only because of the plot and the world with its automatons, simulacra and the giant space cannon, it is also in itself an intricate work of art, very much like clockwork. The story’s depth is revealed piece by piece, gear by gear, during the entire length of the novel up until the end, which makes for a very exciting and captivating read. It took me very much until the last chapter to piece all the details together, combine all the different gears and cogwheels to one beautiful apparatus, to grasp the full expanse of what was actually going on right from the start of the novel. Finally in the end I understood and was left with the images of a truly fascinating story and world in my mind. But it is not only the depth of the plot, its many twists and mysteries which kept me glued to its pages, it is also the cast of characters and the many striking details of the world, which make this book so enjoyable.’ — Dailysteampunk.com

‘I enjoyed the book and found myself drawn into the world quite substantially. Its our world, but not quite–with a much larger emphasis on reading and authors, as well as a society where the power of words really can be more powerful then any other weapon known.’ — Poisoned Rationality

‘Self-contained and with a great ending, THE BOOKMAN seems to be part of a planned series and I really am happy about that since I want more of this wonderful milieu… Just big time fun, THE BOOKMAN is highly, highly recommended.’ — Fantasy Book Critic

‘The punkgenre has a new term, BookPunk. THE BOOKMAN pokes at the fat and waddled body of steampunk with its walking cane and leaves it on the roadside with its fresh take on Victorian London without loosing any steam on its way.’ –– Loudmouth Man

‘This is a steampunk gem. The settings are marvellously detailed, giving you the feeling that there is a London in which Lizards reign and whales swim up the Thames to sing lullabies to the city dwellers… Bring on a sequel, Tidhar! I’m craving to know what happens after the ending!’ — SFF World

‘THE BOOKMAN is a delight, crammed with gorgeous period detail, seat-of-the-pants adventure and fabulous set-pieces.’ — The Guardian

‘A sequel is in the offing and I can hardly wait. I could write much more but I want you to discover this novel’s delights for yourself. Do I need to add that this is highly recommended? 5*’ — Free Thinking

‘His writing is easy on the mind, and deceptively smooth. His vision is surprising, and intricate within a simplistic frame. There’s a lot of nods to popular steampunk inspirations, and plenty of opportunities for you to chuckle at his references and the marvellous way he weaves his references into his novel. And it even has pirates, too. I mean, it has it all. Except ninjas. For now.’ — Lateral Books

‘The world building is immense as Tidhar has warped history into something altogether wonderful and exciting, which also shows the authors great love for the written word and the power it can convey.’ — The Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf and Book Review

‘The juicy backstory is unfolded by Tidhar, making it a key part of what makes the narrative so compelling… skilful, clever and highly enjoyable. 4*’ –– SFX Magazine

‘Not only an interesting read but also one that leads the reader to ask more questions than is answered within the text supplied… A promising start and I hope that the follow-ups are just as interesting.’ — Falcata Times

‘In THE BOOKMAN, Tidhar has created a wonderfully clever world, relying either on a house full of Victorian-era books or a heavily stamped library card and late fees. Either way, many of Tidhar’s creations are fantastic, a standout being the simulacra of Lord Byron, a robot designed to recall the great Romantic poet. With a sigh he will admit that he doesn’t have the original Byron’s love of poetry.’ –– FantasyLiterature.com

‘The writing is beautiful and flows so well you’ll be farther along the journey than you realize when you finally come up for air. Tidhar had me engaged throughout the book; from the set up during the first part, where he introduces us to his alternate Britain and its inhabitants, to the rollicking excitement of Orphan as he seeks out the Bookman and finally, to the climax where answers to mysteries are revealed and the whole grand design is wrapped up in a big, bodacious bow.’ — Benito Corral Reviews

‘Lavie Tidhar’s mind must be fascinating place in which to live. It certainly is an exceeding pleasure to visit… I honestly love THE BOOKMAN and would happily reread it. It is a delight, from start to finish.’ — Rob Will Review

‘… an intelligent, clever book, that creates a wonderfully complex secondary world … as well-constructed as a Swiss cuckoo clock and as readable as any genre fiction being written today.’ — Red Rook Review

‘Achieves moments of surprising depth and beauty, with real insights into human history and psychology as well as the immense and varied wealth of writing in the last half of the 19th century. It’s a virtuoso performance.’ — Locus Magazine

‘An outstanding novel that appreciates full how to entertain and intrigue, and yet not shirk the big issues the story raises. The storytelling here will keep you on the edge of your seat. I emerged from the final page of CAMERA OBSCURA exhausted by the experience, but with a definite smile on my face. It was an incredibly fun read, expertly written and immersive on an almost dangerous level. It’s a widely held belief in the circles of genre fiction that Lavie is well on his way to being one of the new monsters of science fiction. This novel is as good an example of why as you’re likely to find.’ — Ramblings of a Borderline Misanthrope

‘The reader certainly suffers along with the character. At the same time, the characters never cease to be fascinating and I found myself intrigued by the settings, which become characters in themselves. From the underwater squid-like dwellings of Scab to the Little China of Paris, each location is richly detailed, dripping with nuances and characters which bring it to life. It’s easy to feel “there” along with Milady throughout her journey.’ — SF Signal

‘CAMERA OBSCURA is dark, violent, and a fine steampunk thriller that’ll stick to your ribs in a way other thrillers don’t. It’s stuffed to the gills with action and plot…the world-building is deftly done. And Tidhar’s Milady de Winter is fantastic. If you like steampunk or just action in general, it’s well worth a read.’ — The Literary Omnivore

‘I enjoyed CAMERA OBSCURA very much. It was an incredibly fun read, expertly written and immersive on an almost dangerous level. It’s a widely held belief in the circles of genre fiction that Lavie is well on his way to being one of the new monsters of science fiction. This novel is as good an example of why as you’re likely to find.’ — A Mad Man With A Blog

‘Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book… It was very well done and very well thought out.  I will definitely be picking up more books by Tidhar in the future.’ — Karissa’s Reading Review

‘… a very fine addition to the series, and can be enjoyed without having read the others, though you owe it to yourself to read the entire series if well detailed alternate history science fiction is your sort of thing.’ –– Starburst Magazine

‘I heartily recommend THE GREAT GAME; not only a satisfying read, but an enjoyable, fun, and interesting one too.’ — Libris Leonis

‘… steampunk epitomised in the form of a whistle-stop tour …’ –– Drying Ink

‘… occasionally, a novel throws caution to the winds and goes for the absolutely insane. The Bookman Histories falls into that last category, and the most recent installment, THE GREAT GAME, lives up to that reputation.’ — OwlCat Mountain

‘The marvelous and oddly disturbing mind of Lavie Tidhar has once again cranked out an awesome steampunk novel.’ — Barry Huddleston, Gnostalgia

‘… alien technologies, lizard monarchs, giant robots, breathless action, and all manner of weird stuff going down … It’s great, over-the-top period fun.’ –– Ros Jackson, Warpcore SF

‘Spies, monsters, machines, and mad scientists fill every page, and the action never stops … Twists and turns await around every corner, constantly leaving readers wonder what will happen next.’ — Jessica Nelson, Allways Unmended

‘Tidhar’s world is energetic and a tad confusing as he switches from points of view and narrative styles, but nevertheless it is a thoroughly fun book and a lively adventure.’ –– Terror Tree

‘This is a wild and imaginative adventure through London and Paris as Tidhar loots both history and literature for a diverse cast of characters to weave together in a very satisfyingly wild universe.’ –– Disorganised, As Usual

‘An unconventional, intense, and political dialogue…’ — Locus (2016 Year in Review, Best of Non-Fiction)

‘Feels more like early Kurt Vonnegut… both writers seem to channel the same prankster glee that covers deep despair. MARTIAN SANDS crackles with energy and life while poking at some big questions about the nature of reality.’ — Locus

‘A totally mad and very enjoyable book. The closest comparison I can think of is Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5 – Tidhar does the same thing of taking a overwhelmingly serious subject (in this case the Holocaust; in Slaughterhouse 5, the bombing of Dresden) and applying to it a surreal and farcical lens – using humour to highlight tragedy, which is of course what the best theatre does.’ — E.J. Swift, author of OSIRIS

‘… the work of a serious writer who writes entertainingly, who can be funny, political, speculative, provocative and charming, all at the same time. I’m not going to pretend I understood everything that was going on in MARTIAN SANDS, especially towards the end… but I would love to read a sequel that was even weirder. Tidhar writes equally well in several genres; CLOUD PERMUTATIONS and GOREL & THE POT-BELLIED GOD were, I thought, both excellent, but so dissimilar that one would be hard-pressed without title pages to identify them as the product of a single author. It seemed to me when reading MARTIAN SANDS that for Tidhar “classic science fiction” in the style of Silverberg, Brunner and Dick’s novels of the sixties is just another genre to which he can turn his hand as ably as he does all the others. In some ways that’s almost galling (“Here’s a Hugo winner I made earlier!”), but I hope he does it again.’ — Theaker’s Quarterly

‘Tidhar has created something uniquely his own – a delightfully Weird pulp tale that could easily sit on a shelf alongside Leiber, Vance and Moorcock… Tidhar’s world-building is a joy to read… This is an excellent planned and exuberantly executed fantasy about a gunslinging god-slayer in a land where fairy tales transcend anthropology to become biology. At no point does the story veer towards the ponderous or worthy, instead it stays true to its pulp literature antecedents and keeps the pace up throughout. The dialogue is sparse, the description errs on the side of tantalizing and the action is undeniably heroic. This is a story about sex, drugs and frog people – what more could you ask for?’ — Pornokitsch

‘Lavie Tidhar is one of the most interesting new writers to enter the genre in some time, and his chapbook novella JESUS & THE EIGHTFOLD PATH is another major work by him, although even harder to pin down by genre than is his usual work. A vivid and gonzo reimagining of the life of Jesus, it’s less sacrilegious and more respectful than you would think a story whose working title was “Kung Fu Jesus” would be, although Jesus does indeed get to use his martial arts skills, learned under the tutelage of the Eastern Masters who taught him to follow the Eightfold Path, to beat up the moneylenders as he casts them from the Temple, defeat some attacking mummies, and so forth. Although all this would probably have been enough to get Tidhar burnt at the stake during the Middle Ages, he actually treats Jesus with a fair degree of reverence, as a man who really has been touched by the Divine (although what Divine remains open to question) and possesses immense preternatural abilities. Much of the gonzo humor, and much of the entertainment value, is carried by the Three Wise Men, here reimagined as former kings, wizards, and minor gods impressed into service by a superior supernatural force, and called Sandy, Monkey, and Pigsy; they get many of the best lines. There’s also a supporting role for the slippery Jewish historian, Josephus Flavius. Perhaps what this reminds me the most of is the movie Big Trouble in Little China, if the filmmakers had decided to tackle the Gospels as well as Chinese mythology. Although some of the more pious may be offended, most readers will probably find this hugely entertaining.’ — Gardner Dozios (LOCUS)

‘[B]egan life as an irreverent brain-nugget: the story of kung-fu Jesus. The final result is less cheeky than you might imagine, fusing classical Chinese novel Journey to the West with the life of Christ as recounted in the New Testament… The story spans the life of Christ from before birth to shortly after his death, touching upon many of the most memorable Biblical fables – overturning the tables of the moneylenders, now with added kung fu; his love affair with Cleopatra, which was definitely in there somewhere; and ruining the livelihood of local farmers by filling their pigs with demons… The book is a characteristic example of Tidhar’s writing and storytelling; it repurposes the mythic with a deft touch that retains some degree of familiarity yet introduces enough difference to produce a stark sense of contrast. It also has his characteristic lightness of tone juxtaposed with gravitas and respect for his subject matter. It’s rarely wildly funny but produces plenty of wry smiles. Readers who enjoy laughter lines will find this book does actually crease them up.’ — Nostalgia for Infinity

‘As well as being a fun book – and it is a playful read – it does contain a true sense of spirituality.’ — Geek Syndicate

‘One of the most flamboyantly entertaining collections of the year… what [the stories] are is almost the pure essence of pulp – violent, action-packed, paced like a runaway freight train, politically incorrect and socially unredeemable… they’re also a lot of fun.’ — Gardner Dozois in Locus (Feb.2015)

‘If you’re looking for a small story that packs a big scare, check out this imaginative riff of a fixture of the modern age: The cell phone. A girl buys a smartphone that happens to have pictures which foretell her own doom.’ — The Oprah Magazine (20 Best Scary Short Stories to Tell in the Dark)