Radio Life: 'Gripping, clever, frightening' Val McDermid

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Radio Life: a gripping adventure and a riveting political thriller: The Commonwealth, a post-apocalyptic civilisation on the rise, is locked in a clash of ideas with the Keepers . . . a fight which threatens to destroy the world . . . again.

When Lilly was first Chief Engineer at The Commonwealth, nearly fifty years ago, the Central Archive wasn't yet the greatest repository of knowledge in the known world, protected by scribes copying every piece of found material - books, maps, even scraps of paper - and disseminating them by Archive Runners to hidden off-site locations for safe keeping. Back then, there was no Order of Silence to create and maintain secret routes deep into the sand-covered towers of the Old World or into the northern forests beyond Sea Glass Lake. Back then, the world was still quiet, because Lilly hadn't yet found the Harrington Box.

But times change. Recently, the Keepers have started gathering to the east of Yellow Ridge - thousands upon thousands of them - and every one of them determined to burn the Central Archives to the ground, no matter the cost, possessed by an irrational fear that bringing back the ancient knowledge will destroy the world all over again. To prevent that, they will do anything.

Fourteen days ago the Keepers chased sixteen-year-old Archive Runner Elimisha into a forbidden Old World Tower and brought the entire thing down on her. Instead of being killed, though, she slipped into an ancient unmapped bomb shelter where she has discovered a cache of food and fresh water, a two-way radio like the one Lilly's been working on for years . . . and something else. Something that calls itself 'the internet' . . .

Reviews

One of the most captivating epics I've read in ages, evoking a convincing sense of fragile social structure reminiscent of China Miville at his best, in combination with a philosophical underpinning that lends real weight to the stakes. It reads like Mad Max as imagined by Neal Stephenson. It's luxuriantly immersive, truly transporting in a way that is invaluable during these trying times * CHRIS BROOKMYRE, bestselling author of FALLEN ANGEL, on RADIO LIFE *
If like me you loved Norwegian by Night, and American by Day, dive straight into Radio Life. It's a post-apocalyptic exploration of how we rebuild, but much more than that, it's a gripping, clever, frightening, funny adventure. Trust me, it's a good one * Val McDermid, Sunday Times Number One bestselling author of Still Life *
A smart and thought-provoking piece of work * FINANCIAL TIMES, Pick of the Best New Science Fiction *
His world-building is enthralling; hundreds of tiny details enchant as he renders our civilisation strange by showing it through retrospective eyes * SUNDAY TIMES *
An ambitious detour into pure science fiction * CRIME TIME *
A complex mosaic novel filtered through the viewpoints of a large cast that builds a convincing picture of a future world riven by opposing ideologies * THE GUARDIAN *
Strong central women drive the story, which is often witty and always pulls you onto the next page. Radio Life is a return to form with (pun intended) knobs on * THE BIG ISSUE *
Sure Derek Miller's novels are smart and full of heart and savvy . . . he's as dedicated as any writer I know to the proposition that readers should enjoy themselves, should delight in the experience of life and language. If our hearts get broken along the way, so much the better. * Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of EVERYBODY'S FOOL *
Disturbing and philosophical, the reliable Derek B. Miller's latest shares its theme with Robert Harris's brilliant The Second Sleep * WEEKEND SPORT *
A powerful, multi-layered political thriller set in a post-apocalyptic civilisation * CHOICE magazine *
Witty, intelligent, thought-provoking and immensely entertaining . . . I know it is only January, but this is surely a candidate for the best novel of 2021 * SHOTS MAGAZINE *
Philosophical, humorous, and heart-breaking in equal measure, Radio Life is a novel that grabs you from the very beginning and never lets up * If These Books Could Talk *
Miller is a talented storyteller and one you start reading you are hooked * Annarella *
The book is gloriously readable from its opening sentence . . . I loved it. I just loved it * Blue Book Balloon *

A highly engaging near future novel that is very enjoyable to read but will also have you
thinking

* Science Fiction Book Club *
An immersive and absorbing read * Bookphace *
As daring in execution as imagination, this adventure tale crackles with heart, charm and dark honesty * Shelf Awareness on THE GIRL IN GREEN *
A page-turner that is both funny and sad, intelligent and full of hope. This is a must read from a writer of extreme talent and compassion * Jon Page, Pages & Pages Booksellers (Australia) on NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT *
A lot of thought-provoking ideas but also this is wildly entertaining with lots of relationship drama and a good dose of edge-of-the-seat action * Liz Loves Books *
What astonishes and impresses me about Miller's books is how witty and entertaining they are in moments, and yet deeply resonant and meaningful as well. Whether tackling issues of war or race, Derek Miller goes to the heart of matters affecting how we as a civilisation live * Sheryl Cotleur, Copperfield's Books on AMERICAN BY DAY *
It's an adventure written in cinemascope! * Evening Standard *
Comparable with Hugh Howey's Wool, Radio Life is a deeply thought-provoking novel about redemption and history. A book I can't recommend highly enough. * GeekDad *
Miller creates a fascinating yet credible setting, fills it with realistic characters and sets them on an unpredictable path. There's action and excitement, politics, philosophy and wisdom, a bit of nostalgia and ample laugh-out-loud moments to occasionally relieve the tension. Interesting, thought-provoking and often funny, this one is likely to appeal to fans of the genre * MARIANNE VINCENT, GoodReads Librarian *
Offers an escape into an interesting and well-described world, and raises some interesting questions about the role of knowledge and mass communication for good and evil in our society, about whether censorship is ever a good idea, and how to choose what information needs to be preserved * STORGY *
Ultimately and refreshingly, this is an optimistic book... It is excellent, well-written SF read that will appeal to many * Birmingham Science Fiction Group *
A touching and gripping novel of a future full of possibilities * SFCROWSNEST *

Author Bio

Derek Miller was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in New England. He did his Master's in National Security at Washington DC's Georgetown University, then studied at The Hebrew University in Israel and St Catherine's, Oxford before completing his Ph.D. in International Relations at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. Before becoming a full-time novelist, he worked all over the world for a variety of organisations, including the United Nations. His first novel, Norwegian by Night, won the CWA John Creasey Dagger and was an Economist best novel of the year; subsequent crime novels The Girl in Green and American by Day were both shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. Twilight Crimes, an American mid-century epic, is due out in 2021. Radio Life, his first science fiction novel, inspired by his love for the classic A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller (no relation!), shares a grand if troubled vision about the role of knowledge and wisdom at the heart of any of our possible futures. He lives in Oslo, Norway, with his wife and children.