A River Called Time
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD 2022
LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE
A monumental speculative fiction story of love, loyalty, politics and conscience set in parallel Londons
The Ark was built to save the lives of the many, but rapidly became a refuge for the elite, the entrance closed without warning. Years later, Markriss Denny is one of the select few granted entry. He carries with him a closely guarded secret: the ability of his spirit to leave his body and transcend the known world.
But once in, he learns of another who carries the same power, and their existence could spell catastrophe for humanity. Denny is forced into a desperate race to understand his abilities, and in doing so uncovers the truth about the Ark, himself and the people he thought he once knew.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Set in a parallel London, and a world in which slavery and colonialism never happened, this work of speculative fiction follows the life of Markriss Denny. Markriss grew up in a poor area of ‘Dinium’, before becoming one of the lucky few given a place in The Ark, an indoor mini-city for the elite, cut off from the rest of Dinium (and apparently the world—you may find yourself often going back to the map provided at the beginning.) The Ark’s social unrest, inequality and media corruption are threads that will resonate with all, but Newland’s writing also makes A River Called Time’s more head-spinning themes gloriously accessible. Which is no mean feat when those themes include astral projection: our hero Markriss is also grappling with a secret, unexplained ability to summon his spirit from his body.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in a dystopian London separated into haves and have nots, this mystical coming-of-age tale from Newland (The Gospel According to Cane) offers its protagonist a view into myriad alternate worlds. Markriss Denny, a young resident of a poor district in the Outer City of Londinium with the unusual ability to astral project, aspires to earn his Excellence certification and gain entry to the monolithic Ark, home to the elite Inner City. But once he's in, he learns that the working poor within the Ark suffer inhumane conditions, and, in his new job as a reporter, Markriss must choose whether to lie for the corporate rulers or to tell the truth of the disenfranchised. Fighting against the pods that give the Ark's inhabitants artificial dreams, Markriss uses his power to embark on a dream quest that brings him into different versions of Londinium (one of which is present-day London), allowing him to meet the repentant inventor of the pods, to find (and lose) his soulmates, and to uncover the truth of his unusual power and stratified world. Newland smoothly incorporates elements of Egyptian mythology into his layered, multicultural world, and though the climax feels somewhat unearned, the fragmented timelines and multiple versions of Markriss are skillfully handled. This is sure to please fans of thought-provoking speculative fiction.
