The Islanders by Christopher Priest

The Islanders

Christopher Priest

Enigmatic, puzzling, compelling. A book that defies easy categorising. It is the story of a group of islands - The Dream Archipelago - and the stories held within them. The layers of the story unfold, though not always in sequence, with secrets gradually revealing themselves, allowing you, the reader to piece the puzzle together.

Extract
Deep in the southern hemisphere, LUICE is a small but strategically placed island offshore from the eastern outer curve of the Qataari peninsula. Although it is in the rain belt of the subtropical region, its position in the shadow of the mainland and its high and otherwise exposed profile has created a barren, windswept landscape, with large areas of desertified rock and gravel. A hot wind (the KIRUK AKHISAR, laden with grit and pollen) blows for about two thirds of every year. There are no mountains, but the western part of the island is an undulating plain.
All the habitation is on the western side, where a natural port has been formed by a deep lagoon and a rocky reef. Luice appears to have been uninhabitated before the outbreak of war, a fact repeatedly claimed by the Faiand Alliance who seized the island before the Covenant was drawn up, although archaeological research suggests otherwise.
Parallels
  • The Unlimited Dream Company by JG Ballard
  • Hav by Jan Morris
  • The Dream Archipelago by Christopher Priest
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Violence
Explicit sexual content