The Last of Earth
From the author of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
-
- Pedido anticipado
-
- Se espera: 8 ene 2026
-
- $249.00
-
- Pedido anticipado
-
- $249.00
Descripción editorial
From the Women's Prize-longlisted author of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line comes a stunning historical novel about two outsiders who venture into the Forbidden Kingdom of Tibet, both driven by a motive they are desperate to keep secret
In 1869, the mountainous territory of Tibet is closed to foreigners, an infuriating obstacle to European explorers racing to expand their empires. In response, Britain begins training Indian citizens – permitted to cross borders that white men may not – to undertake illicit, perilous expeditions within Tibet.
Balram is one such surveyor-spy, recruited to guide an English captain on a foolhardy mission. His path will soon cross with that of another unlikely explorer, Katherine. Fleeing a life of frustrated ambition, belittled by her male peers, Katherine has a plan to secure her legacy as the first European woman to reach Lhasa and the legendary Potala Palace.
As they battle to survive, Balram and Katherine face storms and bandits, snow leopards and soldiers, fevers and frostbite. But nothing is more dangerous than the secrets that snap at their heels, in this unforgettable story about the obsessions of the colonial enterprise, and the ways we endeavour to leave a mark on the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Edgar winner Anappara (Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line) offers a vivid narrative of two 1869 expeditions into Tibet at a time when it was still closed off to outsiders and its rivers and mountains were mostly uncharted. The first is guided by Balram, a surveyor for an English captain attempting to trace the origins of the Tsangpo River. The other is mounted by Katherine, the illegitimate daughter of an English colonial officer and an Indian sex worker. Balram is determined to rescue his best friend Gyan, who was accused of spying for the British and held prisoner by monks in Shigatse, while Katherine is driven by the death of her sister, Ethel, and is attempting to be the first Western woman to reach Lhasa. Balram and Katherine are each met along the way by the mysterious Chetak, who tells ghost stories, such as one about an English officer haunted by a village girl who turned to stone after he raped her. While the pace is bogged down by dense descriptions of the landscape and its history, Anappara pulls off a fresh mix of spooky folklore and intense naturalism, as in scenes where Balram's ever-dwindling crew of bearers succumb to the elements, leading to a power struggle between Balram and the captain. It's an accomplished tale.
