Radiant State - (Wolfhound Century) by Peter Higgins (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Peter Higgins's superb and original creation, a perfect melding of fantasy, myth, SF and political thriller, reaches its extraordinary conclusion.

The Vlast stands two hundred feet tall, four thousand tons of steel ready to be flung upwards on the fire of atom bombs. Ready to take the dream of President-Commander of the New Vlast General, Osip Rizhin, beyond the bounds of this world.

But not everyone shares this vision. Vissarion Lom and Maroussia Shaumian have not reached the end of their story, and in Mirgorod a woman in a shabby dress carefully unwraps a sniper rifle. And all the while the Pollandore dreams its own dreams.

Review Quotes

"[Wolfhound Century] captures its world with absolute conviction."--SciFi Magazine on Wolfhound Century

"A brilliant exploitation of the power of fantasy: the tender green soul of Russian history set free for uncanny battle with its grey, gunmetal carapace."--Francis Spufford on Wolfhound Century

"A dark new Soviet alternate history with angels...an alternate history that will grab you by the lapels and snap you to attention."--i09.com on Wolfhound Century

"An amazing, fast-paced story in a fantasy world poised dangerously on the edge of quantum probability, a world where angels war with reality."--Peter F. Hamilton on Wolfhound Century

"I absolutely loved Wolfhound Century. Higgins's world is a truly original creation, Russian cosmos and Slavic mythology filtered through steampunk and le Carre. What really captured me was his beautiful style and language: his metaphors and associations flow smoothly like the waters of the Mir, like Lom without his angel stone, make you see the world in a new way."--Hannu Rajaniemi on Wolfhound Century

"Like vintage Mieville or Vandermeer, but with all the violent narrative thriller drive of Fleming at his edgiest. I fell into Wolfhound Century and devoured it in three days flat. Peter Higgins is a great discovery, a gifted writer with a route map to some fascinating new dark corners of the imagination, and a fine addition to the contemporary fantasy canon."--Richard Morgan on Wolfhound Century

"Sentient water, censored artists, mechanical constructs, old-fashioned detective work, and the secret police are all woven together in this rich and fascinating tapestry."--Publishers Weekly on Wolfhound Century

About the Author

Peter Higgins read English at Oxford and was Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College before joining the Civil Service. He began writing fantasy and SF stories in 2006 and his work has appeared in Fantasy: Best of the Year 2007 and Best New Fantasy 2. He has been published by Asimov's Science Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, and Zahir. His short story "Listening for Submarines" was translated and published by the St. Petersburg-based literary magazine Esli. He is married with three children and lives in South Wales.