“Tidhar scatters brilliant ideas like pennies on the sidewalk.” —NPR Books
Caught between realities, a mathematician, a book dealer, and a mobster desperately seek a notorious book that disappears upon being read. Only the author, a rakish sci-fi writer, knows whether his popular novel, which has spawned an obsessive following, is truthful or a hoax. In a story that is cosmic, inventive, and sly, multi-award-winning author Lavie Tidhar (Central Station) travels from the emergence of life to the very ends of the universe.
Caught between realities, a mathematician, a book dealer, and a mobster desperately seek a notorious book that disappears upon being read. Only the author, a rakish sci-fi writer, knows whether his popular novel is truthful or a hoax. In a story that is cosmic, inventive, and sly, multi-award-winning author Lavie Tidhar (Central Station) travels from the emergence of life to the very ends of the universe.
Delia Welegtabit discovered two things during her childhood on a South Pacific island: her love for mathematics and a novel that isn’t supposed to exist. But the elusive book proves unexpectedly dangerous. Oskar Lens, a science fiction-obsessed mobster in the midst of an existential crisis, will stop at nothing to find the novel. After Delia’s husband Levi goes missing, she seeks help from Daniel Chase, a young, face-blind book dealer.
The infamous novel Lode Stars was written by the infamous Eugene Charles Hartley: legendary pulp science-fiction writer and founder of the Church of the All-Seeing Eyes. In Hartley’s novel, a doppelganger of Delia searches for her missing father in a strange star system. But is any of Lode Stars real? Was Hartley a cynical conman on a quest for wealth and immortality, creating a religion he did not believe in? Or was he a visionary who truly discovered the secrets of the universe?
Advance Praise for The Circumference of the World
“Tidhar wins it all with this magnificently original mind-bender of a novel about a missing husband and a mysterious book that disappears as soon as you read it. The Circumference of the World is two parts Philip K. Dick, two parts Brothers Strugatsky, and six parts blow your f**king mind.”
—Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
“Brilliant and bizarre, Lavie Tidhar’s The Circumference of the World is many things—but fundamentally it is a love letter to the Golden Age of science fiction, whether or not it deserves it (it does), as well as a love letter to its writers, whether or not they deserve it (they don’t. Well, mostly.).”
—Molly Tanzer, author of Vermilion and Creatures of Will and Temper
“Reading a new Lavie Tidhar novel is always a treat. You can count on engaging prose paired with an inventive story and The Circumference of the World certainly fits that bill.”
—The Speculative Shelf
Praise for the works of Lavie Tidhar
On Central Station
[STARRED REVIEW] “A fascinating future glimpsed through the lens of a tight-knit community. Verdict: Tidhar (A Man Lies Dreaming; The Violent Century) changes genres with every outing, but his astounding talents guarantee something new and compelling no matter the story he tells.”
—Library Journal
“It is just this side of a masterpiece — short, restrained, lush — and the truest joy of it is in the way Tidhar scatters brilliant ideas like pennies on the sidewalk.”
—NPR Books
On The Violent Century
“A tour de force”
—James Ellroy, bestselling author of L.A. Confidential
“A stunning masterpiece”
—The Independent
“A new masterpiece”
—Library Journal
“Unforgettable”
—Jewish Standard
On Osama
“Bears comparison with the best of Philip K. Dick”
—The Financial Times
“Exceptional”
—World Literature Today
On A Man Lies Dreaming
“A twisted masterpiece”
—Guardian
“Unmissable”
—The Telegraph
“Incredible”
—Tor.com
British Science Fiction, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Award–winning author Lavie Tidhar (A Man Lies Dreaming, The Escapement, Neom) is an acclaimed author of literature, science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, and middle-grade fiction. Tidhar received the Campbell, Xingyun, and Neukom Awards for the novel Central Station. His speaking appearances include Cambridge University, PEN, and the Singapore Writers Festival. He has been a Guest of Honor at book conventions in Japan, Poland, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, China, and elsewhere. Tidhar currently resides with his family in London.
The Circumference of the World
Lavie Tidhar
“Tidhar scatters brilliant ideas like pennies on the sidewalk.”
—NPR Books
Caught between realities, a mathematician, a book dealer, and a mobster desperately seek a notorious book that disappears upon being read. Only the author, a rakish sci-fi writer, knows whether his popular novel, which has spawned an obsessive following, is truthful or a hoax. In a story that is cosmic, inventive, and sly, multi-award-winning author Lavie Tidhar (Central Station) travels from the emergence of life to the very ends of the universe.
The Circumference of the World
by Lavie Tidhar
ISBN: 978-1-61696-362-0 (print); 978-1-61696-363-7 (digital)
Published: September 2023
Available Format(s): Trade paperback; digital
Caught between realities, a mathematician, a book dealer, and a mobster desperately seek a notorious book that disappears upon being read. Only the author, a rakish sci-fi writer, knows whether his popular novel is truthful or a hoax. In a story that is cosmic, inventive, and sly, multi-award-winning author Lavie Tidhar (Central Station) travels from the emergence of life to the very ends of the universe.
Delia Welegtabit discovered two things during her childhood on a South Pacific island: her love for mathematics and a novel that isn’t supposed to exist. But the elusive book proves unexpectedly dangerous. Oskar Lens, a science fiction-obsessed mobster in the midst of an existential crisis, will stop at nothing to find the novel. After Delia’s husband Levi goes missing, she seeks help from Daniel Chase, a young, face-blind book dealer.
The infamous novel Lode Stars was written by the infamous Eugene Charles Hartley: legendary pulp science-fiction writer and founder of the Church of the All-Seeing Eyes. In Hartley’s novel, a doppelganger of Delia searches for her missing father in a strange star system. But is any of Lode Stars real? Was Hartley a cynical conman on a quest for wealth and immortality, creating a religion he did not believe in? Or was he a visionary who truly discovered the secrets of the universe?
Advance Praise for The Circumference of the World
“Tidhar wins it all with this magnificently original mind-bender of a novel about a missing husband and a mysterious book that disappears as soon as you read it. The Circumference of the World is two parts Philip K. Dick, two parts Brothers Strugatsky, and six parts blow your f**king mind.”
—Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
“Brilliant and bizarre, Lavie Tidhar’s The Circumference of the World is many things—but fundamentally it is a love letter to the Golden Age of science fiction, whether or not it deserves it (it does), as well as a love letter to its writers, whether or not they deserve it (they don’t. Well, mostly.).”
—Molly Tanzer, author of Vermilion and Creatures of Will and Temper
“Reading a new Lavie Tidhar novel is always a treat. You can count on engaging prose paired with an inventive story and The Circumference of the World certainly fits that bill.”
—The Speculative Shelf
Praise for the works of Lavie Tidhar
On Central Station
[STARRED REVIEW] “A fascinating future glimpsed through the lens of a tight-knit community. Verdict: Tidhar (A Man Lies Dreaming; The Violent Century) changes genres with every outing, but his astounding talents guarantee something new and compelling no matter the story he tells.”
—Library Journal
“It is just this side of a masterpiece — short, restrained, lush — and the truest joy of it is in the way Tidhar scatters brilliant ideas like pennies on the sidewalk.”
—NPR Books
On The Violent Century
“A tour de force”
—James Ellroy, bestselling author of L.A. Confidential
“A stunning masterpiece”
—The Independent
“A new masterpiece”
—Library Journal
“Unforgettable”
—Jewish Standard
On Osama
“Bears comparison with the best of Philip K. Dick”
—The Financial Times
“Exceptional”
—World Literature Today
On A Man Lies Dreaming
“A twisted masterpiece”
—Guardian
“Unmissable”
—The Telegraph
“Incredible”
—Tor.com
British Science Fiction, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Award–winning author Lavie Tidhar (A Man Lies Dreaming, The Escapement, Neom) is an acclaimed author of literature, science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, and middle-grade fiction. Tidhar received the Campbell, Xingyun, and Neukom Awards for the novel Central Station. His speaking appearances include Cambridge University, PEN, and the Singapore Writers Festival. He has been a Guest of Honor at book conventions in Japan, Poland, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, China, and elsewhere. Tidhar currently resides with his family in London.