The Blood of Angels
The Blood of Angels
by Johanna Sinisalo
translated from the Finnish by Lola Rogers
published by Peter Owen
In a near-future Europe, an amateur beekeeper and professional undertaker searches for the cause of the disappearance of his bees, while also struggling to cope with death and grief in his own life. With the help of his son’s animal rights blog, he comes to believe that the bees themselves may lead him to the answers he seeks.
Using her trademark blend of fact and fantasy, Johanna Sinisalo mixes the poetic and polemic to build a moving story of loss and transcendence in the natural world and in our own everyday lives.
Reviews of The Blood of Angels:
“Sinisalo juxtaposes one man’s personal grief with impending ecological disaster in this compelling and intimate rumination on animal rights, world food supply, and the indispensable role of bees to our environment. ” – Booklist (*starred review)
“Stunning prose takes the reader down a twisting path between gritty ecoterrorism and another world, with winged messengers leading the way.” – Library Journal (*starred review)
“A gorgeous, heartbreaking tale of three generations of men trying to define their relationship with nature and one another in the wake of ecological collapse.” – Washington Post
“At a time when much of science fiction has been criticized for being bland, uncommitted or retrospective, Johanna Sinisalo’s The Blood of Angels is a raw, gritty, angry book that is actually about something… I passionately admire this book” – Strange Horizons
Winner, English Pen Award
2014 Recommended Reading List, Locus Magazine
Library Journal Sci-fi Pick of the Month
Top 10 Fall Sci-fi, Publisher’s Weekly
cover artwork by Hannu Mänttäri