Note: This article may contain spoilers about Jeff Vandermeer’s previous work as Finch is the third novel set in his imaginary city of Ambergris.
Finch, the new novel by American fantasy author Jeff Vandermeer, went on sale this week to positive reviews. The book – the third set in Vandermeer’s imaginary city of Ambergris – deals with the situation where mysterious underground inhabitants – the familiar gray caps – have conquered Ambergris and put it under martial law.
The book’s further description:
“They have disbanded House Hoegbotton and are controlling the human inhabitants with strange addictive drugs, internment in camps, and random acts of terror. The rebel resistance is scattered, and the gray caps are using human labor to build two strange towers.
Against this backdrop, John Finch, who lives alone with a cat and a lizard, must solve an impossible double murder for his gray cap masters while trying to make contact with the rebels. Nothing is as it seems as Finch and his disintegrating partner Wyte negotiate their way through a landscape of spies, rebels, and deception. Trapped by his job and the city, Finch is about to come face to face with a series of mysteries that will change him and Ambergris forever.”
Announcing the launch on his blog, Vandermeer revealed a new web site for the book, where readers can download posters from the Finch Insurgency Campaign, as well as a slew of additional multimedia resources.
Vandermeer will be touring extensively for the release, although only in the US so far; further details are available from his blog.
The book has received overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon.com, although several reviewers recommended readers read the earlier Ambergris novels first. B. Capossere wrote:
“I’d be remiss in implying that all Vandermeer does is mix noir and fantasy. He’s got sci-fi and semi-steampunk, he’s got spies and rebel armies/leaders, he’s got teleportation and timeshifts, swords and tanks, treachery and a history of treachery, some beautifully descriptive passages, and he’s got, I’d argue, some sharp political commentary on what’s been going on in our world the past decade or so and where it may be heading.
A compelling story, strong main character, and bracingly original sense of “difference”–what’s not to like? Highly recommended (though again, best to have read the previous books, though not a must).”
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