Rotherweird
- Author Andrew Caldecott, illustrated by Sasha Laika
- Narrator Kris Dyer
- Publisher Quercus
- Publish Date 22 June 2017
- Run Time 16 hours and 11 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Fantasy, Historical fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction.
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What to expect
'Intricate and crisp, witty and solemn: a book with special and dangerous properties,' Hilary Mantel
'Baroque, Byzantine and beautiful - not to mention bold' M.R. Carey
Rotherweird is twisted, arcane murder-mystery with shades of Deborah Harkness, Hope Mirrlees and Ben Aaronovitch, Mervyn Peake and Edward Gorey at their disturbing best.
The town of Rotherweird stands alone - there are no guidebooks, despite the fascinating and diverse architectural styles cramming the narrow streets, the avant garde science and offbeat customs. Cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I, Rotherweird's independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history.
For beneath the enchanting surface lurks a secret so dark that it must never be rediscovered, still less reused.
But secrets have a way of leaking out.
Two inquisitive outsiders have arrived: Jonah Oblong, to teach modern history at Rotherweird School (nothing local and nothing before 1800), and the sinister billionaire Sir Veronal Slickstone, who has somehow got permission to renovate the town's long-derelict Manor House.
Slickstone and Oblong, though driven by conflicting motives, both strive to connect past and present, until they and their allies are drawn into a race against time - and each other. The consequences will be lethal and apocalyptic.
Welcome to Rotherweird!
(P)2017 WF Howes Ltd
'Baroque, Byzantine and beautiful - not to mention bold' M.R. Carey
Rotherweird is twisted, arcane murder-mystery with shades of Deborah Harkness, Hope Mirrlees and Ben Aaronovitch, Mervyn Peake and Edward Gorey at their disturbing best.
The town of Rotherweird stands alone - there are no guidebooks, despite the fascinating and diverse architectural styles cramming the narrow streets, the avant garde science and offbeat customs. Cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I, Rotherweird's independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history.
For beneath the enchanting surface lurks a secret so dark that it must never be rediscovered, still less reused.
But secrets have a way of leaking out.
Two inquisitive outsiders have arrived: Jonah Oblong, to teach modern history at Rotherweird School (nothing local and nothing before 1800), and the sinister billionaire Sir Veronal Slickstone, who has somehow got permission to renovate the town's long-derelict Manor House.
Slickstone and Oblong, though driven by conflicting motives, both strive to connect past and present, until they and their allies are drawn into a race against time - and each other. The consequences will be lethal and apocalyptic.
Welcome to Rotherweird!
(P)2017 WF Howes Ltd
Critics Review
A history-tragic-comedy all rolled into one, Rotherweird is intricate and crisp, witty and solemn: a book not unlike other books, but with special and dangerous properties. Line by line, silent and adroit, it opens a series of trap-doors in the reader's imagination
An imaginative tour de force
Baroque, Byzantine and beautiful - not to mention bold. An enthralling puzzle picture of a book
Compelling . . . the love child of Gormenghast and Hogwarts
Sublime . . . Call me greedy, but I'm already itching to return to Caldecott's universe
One of this year's most anticipated debut novels
This novel is a remarkable achievement. It's also extremely funny, in a typically British sort of way . . . a delightful Harry Potter for grown ups
Truly, sinisterly magical. 10/10
A great introduction to its strange and mesmerising world, and a feat of imagination, packed with ideas and extraordinary people. It's well worth the visit
This is a twisty, hilarious, magical story crammed full of intricate characters and nefarious plots
I LOVED this book. It just did something to me. I was utterly immersed from page one . . . This is a novel of magnificence and detail, of science and nature
Assured and ambitious . . . deeply impressive debut
Hugely entertaining . . . this novel is a remarkable achievement. It's also extremely funny, in a typically British sort of way
Vivid and absorbing and grapples with big ideas without being dry, difficult or patronising
What an enjoyable read! So vividly written, I could visualise every winding street and twisting chimney of Rotherweird . . . If you like Ben Aaronovitch, Neil Gaiman or Susanna Clarke, this book is for you!
If J. K. Rowling had given Jasper Fforde permission to document a decade of derring-do in Diagon Alley, the result would read rather like Rotherweird
A quirky portal fantasy peppered with singular names . . . Top marks for inventiveness
This is an immensely enjoyable, Gothic(ish) / steampunk/ Gormanghast-esque romp with Dickensian overtones. Rotherweird itself is a great imaginative creation . . . A fun, often funny, exciting and highly readable story. Get it now
Highly recommended, I think this novel will eventually be viewed as a modern classic
One of the most appealing and fascinating books I've read in some time now. There is darkness and humour here together with invention and originality. For me there are echoes of the work of both Mervyn Peake and Neil Gaiman here
This is quite possibly the best fantasy novel I have read this year
The writing is a true pleasure . . . an airy, yet incisive quality; a purposeful dreaminess; images that stick with me, yet prose that does not labor to describe
A highly unusual book, a kind of portal fantasy/historical fantasy/contemporary urban fantasy blend. It reminds me most of Robert Holdstock or Charles de Lint, though less ominous in tone than either
Unusual, mannered, quirky
A fun blend of absurdist humour, creepy peril and fecund magic to be found here
History, fantasy, tragedy and comedy collide in new and unusual ways, to create a novel that is full of intrigue and mystery
Rotherweird definitely delivered. The flippant way to describe it would be as a Midsomer Murders episode as told by Jeff VanderMeer with a touch of Agatha Christie. That doesn't do it justice though because joking aside it's a very good book
I loved the blend of past, present and other worlds. I loved the characters, the intricate plotting and the playfulness with words, English and Latin
A mystical tale of suspense and adventure, mixed in with the macabre and Tudor England. Andrew Caldecott's ability to create and shape worlds and the characters in them, draws the reader into an intense narrative of plot and subtext that keeps you guessing. Enchanting and beautifully written
Intricate . . . while the focus might be on the oddball inhabitants, Rotherweird is the true heart and soul of the narrative, a character in its own right
A strange, twisting tale of dark magic and horrible experimentation . . . Caldecott uses parallel storylines and mysterious, absurd twists and turns to entertain, painting a tale of strange stones, a patch of starless sky, tiles that transport to other worlds, and plants with unexpected properties. The characters are vivid and complex and make up the larger character of a town that is coping with a growing menace
If you like strange, mysterious fantasy, this is the book for you
The Rotherweird trilogy is a sprawling absorbing saga that is breathtaking in conceit and accomplishment. Fans of deeply immersive fiction, such as that created by Neal Stephenson, will love losing themselves in this nightmarish vision of a parochial English town
Rotherweird is a great read when you want to break out of the mold and take a step out of time . . . Returning to the citizens of Rotherweird will surely be as wild a ride as the start
Merrily weird fun
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