The Lost Puzzler
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- ¥680
発行者による作品情報
‘A rich and vivid future Earth that’s inventive and attention-grabbing in equal measure’
SFX
‘Evokes classics of the genre…throwing in elements of Mad Max and Indiana Jones’
FINANCIAL TIMES
A SAVAGE FUTURE. A VANISHED PAST. A MISSING KEY.
Among the ruins of a civilization beyond their understanding, humanity clings to survival. Guilds vie for control of ancient cities, bandits ride glowing highways, and cyborg adventurers hunt for lost technology.
In the City of Towers, once the heart of the fallen Tarakan empire, a historian searches for clues to explain the disappearance of Rafik, a young boy with extraordinary abilities – a Puzzler.
Marked with strange tattoos and gifted with a miraculous connection to Tarakan technology, Rafik could open doors inside the ruins, uncovering treasures and secrets.
As Rafik’s story is retold, it becomes clear that one lost boy may be the key to reviving a broken world or unleashing a new wave of devastation.
Reviews
‘A coming-of-age story with a difference…intriguing and involving’
DAILY MAIL
‘Evokes classics of the genre such as Jack Vance’s Dying Earth series and Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun, throwing in elements of Mad Max and Indiana Jones…a virtuoso performance’
FINANCIAL TIMES
‘Readers looking for a crafty puzzle that descends into the twisty depths of loyalty and betrayal will enjoy this far-future adventure’
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
‘A rich and vivid future Earth that’s inventive and attention-grabbing in equal measure’
SFX
‘This rich dystopian world includes snippets of technology that perplex most of the characters, a steady mix of storytelling and action, and intense character development that makes the book hard to put down’
BOOKLIST
About the author
Eyal Kless is a classical violinist who enjoys an international career both as a performer and a teacher. Born in Israel, Eyal has travelled the world extensively, living several years in Dublin, London, Manchester, and Vienna, before returning to Tel Aviv. His first novel, Rocca’s Violin, was published in Hebrew in 2008 by Korim Publishers. Eyal currently teaches violin in the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University, and performs with the Israel Haydn String Quartet, which he founded. His hobbies (which he takes seriously) include martial arts, politics, computer and role playing games and tickling his daughter, Ella.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this twisty novel's high-tech dungeon crawls, teams of specialists called Salvationists assault the lost Tarkanian civilization's buried treasures. The most valuable member of the party is the Puzzler, who can open the cyber-locked nodes in which goodies lie. Rafik, a puzzler exiled from his religious community due to the naturally appearing tattoos that proclaim him cursed, is traded from hand to hand until the powerful Keenan guild buys him at auction. Then he goes missing, lost on a dangerous expedition into the deepest labyrinth of the heavily trapped City within the Mountain. The Guild of Historians suspects that Rafik is alive, part of the plan that a rogue Salvationist (or the City itself) is pursuing to bring Tarakan back to life. Kless (Rocca's Violin) makes a strong entry into speculative fiction, adroitly blending the scattered bits of advanced technology and hints of old Earth with the tension of creeping into monster-filled ghost towns, desperately searching for loot. A plethora of flashbacks slow but do not derail the narrative. Readers looking for a crafty puzzle that descends into the twisty depths of loyalty and betrayal will enjoy this far-future adventure.
