“One of the master illusionists of our time.” —Wired “A head-spinning blast of blurred reality . . . jaw-dropping.” —NPR “Completely fascinating.” —San Francisco Book Review Set against “a kaleidoscopic backdrop of Earth’s past, present, and future”, this time-hopping science fiction novel is a moving meditation on “the resonance of history, memory, and love” (AV Club)
In the near future, Tibor Tarent, a freelance photographer, is recalled from Anatolia to Britain when his wife, an aid worker, is killed—annihilated by a terrifying weapon that reduces its target to a triangular patch of scorched earth.
A century earlier, Tommy Trent, a stage magician, is sent to the Western Front on a secret mission to render British reconnaissance aircraft invisible to the enemy.
Present day. A theoretical physicist develops a new method of diverting matter, a discovery with devastating consequences that will resonate through time.
NOMINEE
| 2014 Arthur C. Clarke Award
“Taking place against a kaleidoscopic backdrop of Earth’s past, present, and future—not to mention dimensions somewhere in between—the novel is a wonderful, stand-alone statement about the resonance of history, memory, and love. But for attentive, longtime fans, there are Easter eggs that reference many of his past novels, including The Prestige, which only adds to the grand intricacy of Priest’s multifaceted vision.” —AV Club, Best Books of 2014
“When The Adjacent finally explodes into a head-spinning blast of blurred reality, Priest contains the fallout—then he orchestrates it all a stunning denouement, one that readers accustomed to his unforeseen-yet-inevitable twists might not even be prepared for...Priest hides the answers to his metaphysical mysteries just up his sleeve, waiting for the most jaw-dropping time to spring them.” —NPR
“Unraveling it all is completely fascinating.” —San Francisco Book Review
“Featuring the twists, turns, and puzzles we’ve come to expect from Priest.” —Barnes & Noble Book Blog
“A chiller . . . meant to disturb.” —Wall Street Journal
“Stunning.” —Locus Magazine
“Priest knows exactly what he’s doing—and is doing it brilliantly” —Chicago Tribune
“A wonderful piece of fiction, an intricate puzzle that asks the reader to pay close attention and to read not just the text, but the subtext and its implications.” —Booklist
“An absorbing and complex yarn of altered realities and twisted timelines, where nothing is quite as it seems ...” —The Guardian
“One of the best novels of the year.” —SFX Magazine
Christopher Priest is a leading figure in modern SF and fantasy. His novel The Islanders won both the BSFA Award and the John W. Campbell Award. The Separation won both the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the BSFA Award.
“One of the master illusionists of our time.” —Wired “A head-spinning blast of blurred reality . . . jaw-dropping.” —NPR “Completely fascinating.” —San Francisco Book Review Set against “a kaleidoscopic backdrop of Earth’s past, present, and future”, this time-hopping science fiction novel is a moving meditation on “the resonance of history, memory, and love” (AV Club)
In the near future, Tibor Tarent, a freelance photographer, is recalled from Anatolia to Britain when his wife, an aid worker, is killed—annihilated by a terrifying weapon that reduces its target to a triangular patch of scorched earth.
A century earlier, Tommy Trent, a stage magician, is sent to the Western Front on a secret mission to render British reconnaissance aircraft invisible to the enemy.
Present day. A theoretical physicist develops a new method of diverting matter, a discovery with devastating consequences that will resonate through time.
Awards
NOMINEE
| 2014 Arthur C. Clarke Award
Reviews
“Taking place against a kaleidoscopic backdrop of Earth’s past, present, and future—not to mention dimensions somewhere in between—the novel is a wonderful, stand-alone statement about the resonance of history, memory, and love. But for attentive, longtime fans, there are Easter eggs that reference many of his past novels, including The Prestige, which only adds to the grand intricacy of Priest’s multifaceted vision.” —AV Club, Best Books of 2014
“When The Adjacent finally explodes into a head-spinning blast of blurred reality, Priest contains the fallout—then he orchestrates it all a stunning denouement, one that readers accustomed to his unforeseen-yet-inevitable twists might not even be prepared for...Priest hides the answers to his metaphysical mysteries just up his sleeve, waiting for the most jaw-dropping time to spring them.” —NPR
“Unraveling it all is completely fascinating.” —San Francisco Book Review
“Featuring the twists, turns, and puzzles we’ve come to expect from Priest.” —Barnes & Noble Book Blog
“A chiller . . . meant to disturb.” —Wall Street Journal
“Stunning.” —Locus Magazine
“Priest knows exactly what he’s doing—and is doing it brilliantly” —Chicago Tribune
“A wonderful piece of fiction, an intricate puzzle that asks the reader to pay close attention and to read not just the text, but the subtext and its implications.” —Booklist
“An absorbing and complex yarn of altered realities and twisted timelines, where nothing is quite as it seems ...” —The Guardian
“One of the best novels of the year.” —SFX Magazine
Author
Christopher Priest is a leading figure in modern SF and fantasy. His novel The Islanders won both the BSFA Award and the John W. Campbell Award. The Separation won both the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the BSFA Award.
