Termush (Faber Editions): 'A classic―stunning, dangerous, darkly beautiful' (Jeff VanderMeer)

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This was a fascinating and gripping dystopian novel. The moral dilemmas that arose as well as how each person handled their new life was really interesting to watch as it unfolded. This was a short novel but one that will stay with me for a long time. Indeed, our new introducer Jeff VanderMeer praises Termush as ‘a classic: stunning, dangerous, darkly beautiful'. His foreword brilliantly places the novel in its literary context, arguing that the way in which Holm prioritises the ‘psychology of the holed-up survivors and the hazards of societal breakdown’ in the ‘wrong future’ bridges the genres of 1950s ‘disaster cosies’ by John Wyndham and the extravagant 1970s dystopias of J. G. Ballard. The fact that this focussed on wealthy members of society gave the writing an extra level. The characters were forced to come to terms with the idea that they are, in fact, human, just like everyone else. They are not untouchable, and the moral battles that unfold between them showcased the questionable levels people hold both themselves and others to.

I don't have visions of the corpses or the shattered houses or the people who are still alive with burns on their bodies. But there is something that has changed in the last weeks, perhaps it is something in myself." Chilling and prescient.' Andrew Hunter Murray 'Elemental and true.' Kiran Millwood Hargrave 'Mesmerizing.' Sandra Newman 'Like someone from the future screaming to us.' Salena Godden Outside the sun has been shining through a thin layer of cloud, but there has been no sign of rain, which, according to the radiation experts, ought to reassure us.This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income.To support our work buy a copy! Termush perfectly fits the spirit of our Faber Editions series resurrecting radical literary voices, and I can’t wait for a new generation of readers to experience this masterpiece. Secrets! Secrets! My wife buys plenty of her own books — and as they are contemporary fiction they all tend to be more than mine. So she doesn’t say anything about my habit. From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada:

Introduced by Jeff VanderMeer - 'a classic: stunning, dangerous, darkly beautiful' - welcome to the post-apocalyptic White Lotus: a luxury hotel at the end of the world in this lost 1967 dystopia ... The protagonist begins to question the information offered and the actions taken by the Termush management team. This book was so brilliant and unique, it reminded me of South by Babak Lakghomi which is became one of my favorite book as well. John Gray’s “The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism” will be published later this year by Allen Lane It seemed to me on the whole that the group of scouts was rather optimistic in its judgement. Of course the individual members have been specially selected and the nature of their assignment may give a boost to their ability, or perhaps their discretion, but on the other hand, they represent nobody but themselves, and if they were to do something foolish the effect on the hotel’s guests and management would be incalculable. According to the full plan, as presented in the brochure, it was intended to send out an individual group of reconnaissance men only if all forms of public communication had failed. But I thought it was best not to express my private doubts at the first meeting.

There is of course no danger of the guests feeling secure. When the management uses this expression, it is not because they are incapable of putting themselves in the guests’ position, but because they choose simple, straightforward language, partly to reassure themselves and partly to remind us of the impersonal tone of the brochure. When all is said and done, management and guests are faced with precisely the same situation. I have been thinking over one of the points mentioned in the brochure: “A physical aspect of radioactive destruction is the transformation of elements. For instance, take radioactive phosphorus, P-32. This isotope is converted by the transmission of a Beta particle into stable sulphur. It is not difficult to imagine the confusion that will arise…” I include myself in these observations, because I go about preoccupied with the coppery-green colour of the carpet, which annoys me, and the noise from the room next door which impinges on me against my will. The armchair is the only item of furniture in the room which gives me satisfaction. Even the mirror has a frame which makes it clash with the rest of the furnishings. If the hotel management see themselves as a protective shield between the guests and the outside world, whenever that world is revealed as menacing, they are acting in direct contradiction of their terms of reference. To be a guarantee of help in a situation which may well turn out to be total chaos, according to the unhelpful wording of the brochure, does not mean that to conceal the true facts becomes a duty.