Notes from the Burning Age

Ven was once a holy man, a keeper of ancient archives. It was his duty to interpret archaic texts, sorting useful knowledge from the heretical ideas of the Burning Age - a time of excess and climate disaster. For in Ven's world, such material must be closely guarded, so that the ills that led to that cataclysmic era can never be repeated.

But when the revolutionary Brotherhood approaches Ven, pressuring him to translate stolen writings that threaten everything he once held dear, his life will be turned upside down. Torn between friendship and faith, Ven must decide how far he's willing to go to save this new world, and how much he is willing to lose.

“Notes from the Burning Age is the remarkable and captivating new novel from the award-winning Claire North that puts dystopian fiction in a whole new light.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ IN RECENT YEARS. THOUGHT PROVOKING, IMAGINATIVE AND PACKS A HELL OF AN EMOTIONAL PUNCH' Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time”

One of the best books I've read in recent years. Thought provoking, imaginative and packs a hell of an emotional punch Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of CHILDREN OF TIME
A gripping, utterly involving, dystopian eco-thriller that balances the intimacies of betrayal against global climate collapse DAILY MAIL
A riveting tale . . . North's convincing view of post-apocalyptic society captivates, and the political intrigues will keep readers hooked right up until the explosive close PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An impassioned, urgent and compelling new work that burns as bright as the fires of our own burning age. This is not to be missed -- Lavie Tidhar, World Fantasy Award-winning author
Claire North depicts a startling, richly developed postapocalyptic world in this beautiful and riveting novel BUZZFEED
Notes is compelling because it is beautiful . . . It felt seamless . . . When North was done and Notes reached its explosive conclusion, I just wasn't ready to leave. Her world was such a fragile, beautiful, doomed place, I felt like I should stick around just to make sure it would all be okay NPR
A passionate and committed vision of what we do to nature, and what it can do to us LOCUS
Mesmeric, terrifying and wonderful. North is practically her own genre at this point. -- M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS
An irresistible, haunting thrill Joe Hill, author of HORNS and LOCKE AND KEY
A clever and thought-provoking conceit GUARDIAN
North's latest once again displays her mastery of lyrical prose . . . The author presents a fascinating testament to humanity's fallibility and tendency towards denial, merged with the potency of truth and the power of love BOOKLIST
Claire North's most ambitious novel to date LOCUS
Remarkable . . . one of the most moving, horrifying and gut-wrenching novels of the year NPR
A suspenseful tale of the truths that lie hidden in the human heart . . . This is a world-spanning cat-and-mouse chase that tackles big questions about the nature of truth and whether we can ever really know one another or ourselves. True love, life, and death, what's worth dying - or killing - for: It's all here in this gripping, bloody, and haunting novel KIRKUS
In rich, compelling prose, North weaves together the threads of imperial control, ideological conviction, love and the thrill of power . . . A lyrical and sometimes surreal approach to espionage and its thrills SHELF AWARENESS
North's talent shines out -- SUNDAY TIMES
Claire North is a true original, a master of ingenious plotting and feats of imagination -- Alex Marwood, author of THE WICKED GIRLS
Claire North's writing is terrific, smart and entertaining -- Patrick Ness
North demonstrates skill in creating a terrifying setting that feels rooted to the present day . . . Every aspect of life in Theo's Britain is imbued with a menace that feels both recognizable and urgent, and the decisions the characters make as a result feel uncomfortably real. RT BOOK REVIEWS on 84K
The truly scary thing about 84K is how convincing this dark, brutal class-divided Britain is SFX (4 1/2 stars)
North is an original and even dazzling writer, and fans of her work will enjoy this grim tale of capitalism taken to a terrifying extreme KIRKUS on 84K
Another captivating novel from one of the most intriguing and genre-bending novelists BOOKLIST on 84K
An extraordinary novel that stands with the best of dystopian fiction, with echoes of The Handmaid's Tale -- Cory Doctorow on 84K

Claire North is a pseudonym for Catherine Webb, a Carnegie Medal-nominated author whose debut novel was written when she was just fourteen years old. She has fast established herself as one of the most powerful and imaginative voices in modern fiction. Her first book published under the Claire North pen name was The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August , which became a word-of-mouth bestseller and won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Her follow-up, Touch , was described by the Independent as 'little short of a masterpiece'. Her next novel, The Sudden Appearance of Hope, won the 2017 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and The End of the Day was shortlisted for the 2017 Sunday Times /PFD Young Writer of the Year Award. Her 2018 novel 84K received a special citation at the Philip K. Dick Awards, and her latest novel, The Pursuit of William Abbey , has been shortlisted for a Locus award. Claire lives in London.

'ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ IN RECENT YEARS . . . PACKS A HELL OF AN EMOTIONAL PUNCH' Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time From one of the most imaginative writers of her generation comes an extraordinary vision of the future. Ven was once a holy man, a keeper of ancient archives. It was his duty to interpret archaic texts, sorting useful knowledge from the heretical ideas of the Burning Age - a time of excess and climate disaster. For in Ven's world, such material must be closely guarded, so that the ills that led to that cataclysmic era can never be repeated.But when the revolutionary Brotherhood approaches Ven, pressuring him to translate stolen writings that threaten everything he once held dear, his life will be turned upside down. Torn between friendship and faith, Ven must decide how far he's willing to go to save this new world, and how much he is willing to lose. Notes from the Burning Age is the remarkable and captivating new novel from the award-winning Claire North that puts dystopian fiction in a whole new light. 'Beautiful and riveting' Buzzfeed 'Will keep readers hooked right up until the explosive close ' Publishers Weekly 'A gripping, utterly involving, dystopian eco-thriller that balances the intimacies of betrayal against global climate collapse' Daily Mail 'An impassioned, urgent and compelling new work that burns as bright as the fires of our own burning age. This is not to be missed' Lavie Tidhar, World Fantasy Award-winning author' North's talent shines out' Sunday Times 'An original and even dazzling writer' Kirkus 'North goes from strength to strength' Guardian 'Claire North's writing is terrific, smart and entertaining' Patrick Ness

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