Mathematician and author Hannu Rajaniemi, known for his Jean le Flambeur series, will publish a new novel later this year.
Called Summerland, the novel is a standalone and sounds like a mix of ghost and spy stories:
“Loss is a thing of the past. Murder is obsolete. Death is just the beginning.
“In 1938, death is no longer feared but exploited. Since the discovery of the afterlife, the British Empire has extended its reach into Summerland, a metropolis for the recently deceased.
Yet Britain isn’t the only contender for power in this life and the next. The Soviets have spies in Summerland, and the technology to build their own god.
“When SIS agent Rachel White gets a lead on one of the Soviet moles, blowing the whistle puts her hard-earned career at risk. The spy has friends in high places, and she will have to go rogue to bring him in.
“But how do you catch a man who’s already dead?”
Summerland will be published at the end of August.
Having read the Jean le Flambeur trilogy, though, “ghost and spy story” is a woefully flat and utterly inadequate description. I’ve no doubt Rajaniemi will again produce something extraordinary. I’m looking forward to reading this particular fellow Finn again.
Image: Summerland cover by Jeffrey Alan Love via Gollancz
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