The Separation

Publisher Marketing: Researching the war between Britain and Nazi Germany, which lasted from May 1940 to May 1941, historian Stuart Gratton becomes intrigued by the enigma of J. L. Sawyer, an obscure figure who played a key part in bringing the conflict to its conclusion. As he digs deeper, he discovers there were two J. L. Sawyers - identical twins Jack and Joe, one a fighter pilot and the other a conscientous objector - divided both by their love for the same woman and their attitudes towards the war. But as the brothers' story emerges from books, letters, and diaries, the evidence does not all add up, and there may be an even wider separation between them - divergent realities, in which different possibilities and unexpected truths emerge, and nothing is quite what it seems. Both a brilliant historical novel about World War II and one of the best works of alternate history ever written, Christopher Priest's "The Separation" earned the Arthur C. Clarke and BSFA Awards and ranks among his finest achievements. Like his classics "The Affirmation" and "The Prestige," it is an engrossing literary puzzle that will keep readers turning the pages until its startling conclusion. 'An astonishing achievement.' - "Locus" 'A masterly novel that deserves to become a classic.' - "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction" 'A complex and enigmatic tale of identity, illusion and deception.' - "Glasgow Herald" 'Superbly constructed, the prose admirably spare and elegant ... a queasily gripping and intelligent work of fiction.' - "Daily Telegraph" 'A subtle, unsettling alternative WWII history.' - "Publishers Weekly" (starred review) Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 10/17/2005 pg. 45 (EAN 9781882968336, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Booklist 11/15/2005 pg. 27 (EAN 9781882968336, Hardcover) - *Starred Review Asimov's Science Fiction 08/01/2006 pg. 136 (EAN 9781882968336, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Priest, Christopher Christopher Priest is the author of ten novels and two collections of short stories, including the prize-winning THE GLAMOUR and THE PRESTIGE which won the James Tait Black award in 1995. He lives in Hastings with his wife and twin children.