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'It begins with Peter, a devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Bea. Peter becomes immersed in the mysteries of an astonishing new environment, overseen by an enigmatic corporation known only as USIC. His work introduces him to a seemingly friendly native population struggling with a dangerous illness and hungry for Peter’s teachings—his Bible is their “book of strange new things.” But Peter is rattled when Bea’s letters from home become increasingly desperate: typhoons and earthquakes are devastating whole countries, and governments are crumbling. Bea’s faith, once the guiding light of their lives, begins to falter.
'Suddenly, a separation measured by an otherworldly distance, and defined both by one newly discovered world and another in a state of collapse, is threatened by an ever-widening gulf that is much less quantifiable. While Peter is reconciling the needs of his congregation with the desires of his strange employer, Bea is struggling for survival. Their trials lay bare a profound meditation on faith, love tested beyond endurance, and our responsibility to those closest to us.
'Marked by the same bravura storytelling and precise language that made The Crimson Petal and the White such an international success, The Book of Strange New Things is extraordinary, mesmerizing, and replete with emotional complexity and genuine pathos.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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On the Ending of a Friendship
2019
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Conversation , 20 September 2019; -
Poet's Breakfast
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 3 September 2016; -
Favourite Novels Read for the First Time in 2015
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: S F Commentary , April no. 91 2016; (p. 42-46) -
Gerard Elson in Conversation with Michel Faber
2015
single work
interview
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings , April no. 21 2015; (p. 125-147) -
[Untitled]
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 24 January 2015; (p. 33)
— Review of The Book of Strange New Things 2014 single work novel
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Preaching to Aliens while the World Ends
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 13-14 December 2014; (p. 33) The Age , 13 December 2014; (p. 33)
— Review of The Book of Strange New Things 2014 single work novel -
Michael Faber : The Book of Strange New Things
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 22-28 December 2014; (p. 22)
— Review of The Book of Strange New Things 2014 single work novel -
[Untitled]
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 24 January 2015; (p. 33)
— Review of The Book of Strange New Things 2014 single work novel -
Strange and Wonderful
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Inside Story , January 2015;
— Review of The Book of Strange New Things 2014 single work novel'Australians are quick to claim as their own anyone with an Australian connection who achieves international fame, but the novelist Michel Faber so far appears to have slipped the net of our national pride. Born in the Netherlands in 1960, he came to Australia with his parents in 1967 and spent the formative years of his life in Melbourne, graduating in Arts from Melbourne University in 1980. By 1993 he had settled in Scotland, where his first collection of short fiction was published five years later, so he is officially known as a Dutch-born Scottish writer. Such is the transnational culture we live in.' (Introduction)
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Why Bother with Genre at All?
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: SF Commentary : The Independent Magazine About Science Fiction , May no. 89 2015; (p. 21-24)
— Review of The Book of Strange New Things 2014 single work novel ; Under the Skin 2000 single work novel -
Gerard Elson in Conversation with Michel Faber
2015
single work
interview
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings , April no. 21 2015; (p. 125-147) -
Poet's Breakfast
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 3 September 2016; -
On the Ending of a Friendship
2019
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Conversation , 20 September 2019; -
Favourite Novels Read for the First Time in 2015
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: S F Commentary , April no. 91 2016; (p. 42-46)
Awards
- 2016 longlisted International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
- 2015 shortlisted Arthur C. Clarke Award (US)
- 2015 finalist Locus Awards — SF Novel