The Bedlam Stacks: From the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Description

'A sheer fantastical delight. Exploding "whitewood" trees, lamps made of glowing pollen, moving statues and rock formations of pure glass ... Pulley writes elegantly and plots like a pro' The Times In uncharted Peru, the holy town of Bedlam stands at the edge of a mysterious forest. Deep within are cinchona trees, whose bark yields the only known treatment for malaria. In 1859, across the Pacific, India is ravaged by the disease. In desperation, the India Office dispatches the injured expeditionary Merrick Tremayne to Bedlam, under orders to return with cinchona cuttings. But there he meets Raphael, an enigmatic priest who is the key to a secret which will prove more valuable than they could ever have imagined.

Natasha Pulley studied English Literature at Oxford University. After stints working at Waterstones as a bookseller, then at Cambridge University Press as a publishing assistant in the astronomy and maths departments, she did the Creative Writing MA at UEA. She later studied in Tokyo, where she lived on a scholarship from the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. She was chosen to be a Writer in Residence at Gladstone's Library and is now associate lecturer at Bath Spa University and panel tutor at the Cambridge University Institute of Continuing Education. Her first novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, was an international bestseller, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award. The Bedlam Stacks is her second novel. She lives in Bath. @natasha_pulley

A fast-paced adventure story with great characters and a message about colonialism * Independent * Pulley's prose is as delightfully playful and evocative as ever. She paints a hidden world that's every bit as colourful as James Cameron's Pandora, packed with vibrant and quirky characters, and fascinating historical detail that never feels forced **** * SFX Magazine * A magical, hugely imaginative novel set in 1859 ... Adventure and mystery abound as his expedition encounters moving statues, exploding trees, volcanic glass, floating cities and protective Incas * Eithne Farry, Sunday Express * The Peru that Markham and Tremayne encounter is a sheer fantastical delight. Exploding "whitewood" trees, lamps made of glowing pollen, moving statues and rock formations of pure glass ... What's more, she writes elegantly and plots like a pro * The Times * Natasha Pulley had a lot to live up to after the runaway success of her debut novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. But she's managed to do just that with The Bedlam Stacks * Herald * Filled with wondrous images, from moving statues to exploding trees ... It rolls along at speed to a satisfying ending * Scotsman * This terrific historical adventure draws on the same world of magic and intrigue as Pulley's bestselling The Watchmaker of Filigree Street ... Brilliantly imaginative * Saga 'Poolside page-turners' * Part adventure story, part meditation, and all richly imagined dreamscape ... Pulley's story reaches across the years and miles to reflect on the nature of time, myth, magic, and above all, what makes us most human ... Magical on the outside and inside * Chicago Review of Books * Immensely readable ... The story's rich detail provides the reader a clear experience of 1850s Peru while imparting believability to its magic and imaginative elements. Its exciting style, humour and uniqueness are nothing short of charming. Enthusiastically recommended * Historical Novel Society *