<h2>Arthur C. Clarke winner and <i>Sunday Times</i> bestseller Adrian Tchaikovsky's triumphant return to fantasy with a darkly inventive portrait of a city under occupation and on the verge of revolution. </h2><p>There has always been a darkness to Illmar, but never more so than now. The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Pallaseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse.</p><p>What will be the spark that lights the conflagration?</p><p>Despite the city's refugees, wanderers, murderers, madmen, fanatics and thieves, the catalyst, as always, will be the Anchorwood – that dark grove of trees, that primeval remnant, that portal, when the moon is full, to strange and distant shores.</p><p>Illmar, some say, is the worst place in the world and the gateway to a thousand worse places.</p><p>Illmar, City of Long Shadows.</p><p>City of Bad Decisions.</p><p>City of Last Chances.</p><p><b>Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky:</b> <br />'Brilliant science fiction and far out worldbuilding' <b>James McAvoy</b> <br />'Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human' <b>Patrick Ness</b> <br />'A refreshingly new take on post-dystopia civilizations, with the smartest evolutionary worldbuilding you'll ever read' <b>Peter F. Hamilton</b> <br />'This is superior stuff, tackling big themes – gods, messiahs, artificial intelligence, alienness – with brio' <b><i>Financial Times</i></b></p>
<p>Illmar is a city under occupation and on the verge of revolution. A city about to go to war not only aginst its oppressors, but also against itself. Ideological zealots collide with criminal fraternities, an infernal industrial revolution with an ancient curse and, when the moon is full, a portal to strange and distant shores.</p>
<b>PRAISE FOR <i>BEAR HEAD</i></b>: <br />
'Adrian Tchaikovsky's dissection of Thompson's appeal and ghastly genius is the thoughtful highlight of this unashamedly thrilling escapade. You don't need to have read <i>Dogs of War</i> to enjoy <i>Bear Head</i> – but why deny yourself the pleasure?' <i>The Times</i> <br />
'Funny, appalling, gruesome and uplifting (often at the same time), <i>Bear Head</i> is propelled by a cracking plot that balances dystopian satire with a palpable sense of moral peril' <i>Daily Mail</i>. <br />
'An absolute whammy of a read, and a must for anyone who enjoys a smart, fast-paced, hugely entertaining blast of speculative fiction... This is one of those books where you can just throw yourself and abandon yourself to a fabulous story, knowing you will be entertained throughout' LoveReading. <br />
'A rousing good read'
Guardian
<p>New fantasy novel from the winner of the 30th anniversary Arthur C. Clarke Award.</p>
<p>MARKET: Joe Abercombie; China Mieville; Ben Aaronovitch.</p>