Over the years we have done a few reviews on books and movies translated from other languages into English. I can think of some from Sweden, Spain, and China, off the top of my head. But this is the first time we have showcased a book originally written in Hebrew! And while we don’t yet have a review (it’s not due out until February 2020), we were given a chance by the lovely people at Angry Robot to show you the brand-new English edition cover! And if you know anything about Angry Robot, you know it’s going to be good!
Let me introduce you to the author.
Asaf Ashery is an author, editor, academic and screenwriter. He is also a functioning workaholic, an organic vegetable grower and a dog lover. He lives in a cooperative village in the Jerusalem Mountains with his lovely wife, Yael, and two rescue dogs: Mazzy and Bill.
But what is this book that Ashery has written? And why should you be as excited about it as we are? Ah, dear reader, now we are getting to the good part!
Women disappear from streets, clubs, and rooftops leaving the police dazed and confused. The mystical Soothsayer Task Force must use their special skills to divine the truth and solve the mystery.
Detectives Simantov and Bitton, along with their team of mystic agents, try to make sense of the weird crime scenes and even weirder forensic findings. The victims are seemingly unconnected and the only clues to their disappearances are the small objects they leave behind; a whip, a feather, a lock of hair…
Together with Mazzy’s instincts and Yariv’s stubbornness, they realise that these abductions signal the start of an apocalypse—a war between opposing hosts of angels, the daughters of Lilith and the Nephilim. The battle for access to heaven is underway and humans are caught in the middle. But strong as they may be, angels will always underestimate the power and weight in human free will.
Sound exciting and mysterious? Wait till you see the cover!
The all-seeing eye bathed in red and surrounded by geometric designs forming a mathematically perfect flower. The image seems at once very grounded in the real world and mystically enigmatic—designed, perhaps, by someone or something from another world.
Beneath it the title is barely contained by the confines of the cover. It mirrors the sharp corners of the triangle, but also the soft curves of the petals. There is tension here, and it beautifully sets the stage for what is sure to lie within its pages.
We would like to thank Angry Robot again for giving us the opportunity to share this amazing cover with you! Simantov is due out in February 11, 2020 and is available for pre-order here!
Julia Kitvaria Sarene