{"product_id":"the-vorrh-9781473606630","title":"The Vorrh","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e''A\u003cb\u003e benchmark \u003c\/b\u003enot just for imaginative writing but\u003cb\u003e for the human imagination \u003c\/b\u003ein itself...\u003cb\u003eRead this book, and marvel\u003c\/b\u003e.'' Alan Moore\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''\u003cb\u003eA work of genius\u003c\/b\u003e.'' Iain Sinclair\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Brian Catling is \u003cb\u003esimply a genius\u003c\/b\u003e. His writing is \u003cb\u003eso extraordinary it hurts.'' \u003c\/b\u003eTerry Gilliam\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the tradition of China Miéville, Michael Moorcock and Alasdair Gray, B. Catling''s The Vorrh is literary dark fantasy which \u003cb\u003ewilfully ignores boundaries\u003c\/b\u003e, crossing over into \u003cb\u003esurrealism\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003emagic-realism\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003ehorror \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003esteampunk\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn B. Catling''s twisting, poetic narrative, Bakelite robots lie broken - their hard shells cracked by human desire - and an inquisitive Cyclops waits for his keeper and guardian, growing in all directions. Beyond the colonial city of Essenwald lies the Vorrh, the forest which sucks souls and wipes minds. There, a writer heads out on a giddy mission to experience otherness, fallen angels observe humanity \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Brian Catling's \u003cb\u003ephosphorescent masterpiece\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Vorrh\u003c\/i\u003e we have one of the \u003cb\u003emost original and stunning\u003c\/b\u003e works of fantasy that has ever been my privilege to read, \u003cb\u003ea brilliant and sustained\u003c\/b\u003e piece of invention which establishes \u003cb\u003ea benchmark not just for imaginative writing but for the human imagination in itself\u003c\/b\u003e. After investigating other worlds of fantasy, \u003ci\u003eThe Vorrh \u003c\/i\u003eis like a first experience of the ocean. \u003cb\u003eRead this book, and marvel\u003c\/b\u003e. * Alan Moore *\u003cbr\u003eBrian Catling is\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003esimply a genius\u003c\/b\u003e. His writing is \u003cb\u003eso extraordinary it hurts\u003c\/b\u003e, it makes me realize how little imagination I have. * Terry Gilliam *\u003cbr\u003eThere are not many books that \u003cb\u003erearrange the molecules of your being\u003c\/b\u003e, turning your eyes inside out. \u003ci\u003eThe Vorrh,\u003c\/i\u003e this saturnine post-traumatic testament, is one of them. \u003cb\u003eA work of genius\u003c\/b\u003e. * Iain Sinclair *\u003cbr\u003eI am glad to have the book as a\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ecompanion on my own dark quest\u003c\/b\u003e. * Tom Waits *\u003cbr\u003eI really loved Brian Catling's \u003ci\u003eThe Vorrh\u003c\/i\u003e. It's \u003cb\u003ea hot storm of a novel\u003c\/b\u003e bursting with \u003cb\u003eart and history, sex and nature\u003c\/b\u003e. A visionary fantasy epic that is \u003cb\u003eincredibly fun to read\u003c\/b\u003e. Wildly different, but no less remarkable * Max Porter *\u003cbr\u003eThe English language has given birth to some great works of unbounded vision and imagination, and here is another one... It's a very \u003cb\u003esophisticated\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003esubtle\u003c\/b\u003e exploration of the decadent, primitive and the mythical. Many books are said to be \u003cb\u003elike nothing else\u003c\/b\u003e, and aren't, but Brian Catling's really is. * Phillip Pullman *\u003cbr\u003eCatling's novel reads like a \u003cb\u003elong-lost classic\u003c\/b\u003e of Decadent or Symbolist literature, with that same sense of timelessness. It's peculiar, \u003cb\u003ewildly imaginative\u003c\/b\u003e, unafraid to transgress and get lost, and is \u003cb\u003eunlike anything I've ever read\u003c\/b\u003e. * Jeff VanderMeer, author of the Southern Reach Trilogy *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDarkly imaginative\u003c\/b\u003e. . . . Packed with striking images . . . real beauty and power. * Kirkus *\u003cbr\u003eOne of the most\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eoriginal works of visionary fiction\u003c\/b\u003e since Mervyn Peake. * The Guardian, Michael Moorcock *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is fine stuff\u003c\/b\u003e. Like the best fantasy writers Catling succeeds in creating a compelling and believable parallel dimension. * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eAlthough comparisons to Michael Moorcock and Mervyn Peake will inevitably be drawn, \u003ci\u003eThe Vorrh\u003c\/i\u003e offers something more...It reminded me of Odilon Redon: a \u003cb\u003ecombination of the luminous, the luxurious, monstrous flora and dark wit\u003c\/b\u003e. * Stuart Kelly TLS *\u003cbr\u003eWhen even the warts of a novel are winning, \u003cb\u003eit's hard to misunderstand that you have something special on your hands\u003c\/b\u003e, and The Vorrh is absolutely that. \u003cb\u003eEqual parts dark fantasy and surrealist dream\u003c\/b\u003e, it is inescapably dense, and unrelentingly intense. Shelve it shoulder to shoulder with 2012s other most notable novels, be they of the genre or not, then consider carefully which stands lacking in comparison. * Tor.com *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hodder \u0026 Stoughton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739501965655,"sku":"9781473606630","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473606630.jpg?v=1720052417","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-vorrh-9781473606630","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}