The Book of Joan

Lidia Yuknavitch繼獲獎暢銷書The Small Backs of Children之後，又一引人入勝的力作。險峻之地發生的毀滅與愛，人類生存的意義是什麼？性別在生理與心理之間變換流動，藝術如何成為生存的手段？☉《紐約時報書評》編輯選書☉Elle, BuzzFeed,《哈芬頓郵報》等各大媒體交相讚譽，獲選2017年最讓人期待的書籍之一「才華洋溢又煽動人心…充滿瘋狂的創見與讓人愛不釋手的動能…Yuknavitch展現罕見的天賦，力求如實、有意義與相互關聯的寫作。將預測的元素加入小說中，她以我們這個星球的生與死做為更高的賭注，使得小說達到了新的高度。」- Jeff VanderMeer《紐約時報書評》「了不起…Yuknavitch了解我們的集體敘事可以摧毀或是拯救我們，其結果不僅取決於說故事者，也包括了聽故事的人。」-《歐普拉雜誌》O即將毀滅的未來，出現了如聖女貞德一般的人物，她要拯救被戰火、暴力、貪婪所蹂躪的世界，力圖改變歷史的命運。在不久的未來，地球變成了戰場。為了逃避永無止境的暴力與充滿輻射的地球表面，人類重新聚集在名為”天空”(CIEL)的神祕平台上，盤旋在曾經是他們家鄉的上空。這個已然改變的世界倒轉了演化的次序：存活下來的人類變為無性之人，成了沒有頭髮、面色蒼白、孤伶漂浮的生物，只能將故事銘刻在他們的皮膚上。無盡的戰爭中出現了一個有群眾魅力又嗜血的邪教領導人Jean de Men，他將”天空”轉化成類企業的警察國家。一群反抗軍團結起來要打破他的鐵律，他們受讚頌貞德(Joan)的歌曲所激勵，她是個小戰士，天生就有與地球感通的神秘力量。當de Men與他的軍隊迫害Joan，卻發生了任何人，連Joan本身都無法預視的驚人結局…。她皮膚上的故事與獨特的天賦，將改變世世代代的命運。The 25 Most Anticipated Books by Women for 2017, Elle MagazineThe 32 Most Exciting Books Coming Out in 2017, BuzzFeed50 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2017, Nylon Magazine33 New Books to Read in 2017, The Huffington PostMost Anticipated, The Great 2017 Book Preview, The MillionsNew York Times Book Review Editor’s ChoiceNational Bestseller“Brilliant and incendiary. . . . Radically new, full of maniacal invention and page-turning momentum. . . .Yuknavitch has exhibited a rare gift for writing that concedes little in its quest to be authentic, meaningful and relevant. By adding speculative elements to The Book of Joan, she reaches new heights with even higher stakes: the death or life of our planet.”   — Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times Book Review (cover review)“Stunning. . . . Yuknavitch understands that our collective narrative can either destroy or redeem us, and the outcome depends not just on who’s telling it, but also on who’s listening.”   — O, The Oprah Magazine“[A] searing fusion of literary fiction and reimagined history and science-fiction thriller and eco-fantasy. . . Yuknavitch is a bold and ecstatic writer.”   — NPR Books “[The Book of Joan] offers a wealth of pathos, with plenty of resonant excruciations and some disturbing meditations on humanity’s place in creation . . . [It] concludes in a bold and satisfying apotheosis like some legend out of The Golden Bough and reaffirms that even amid utter devastation and ruin, hope can still blossom.”   — Washington PostThe bestselling author of The Small Backs of Children offers a vision of our near-extinction and a heroine—a reimagined Joan of Arc—poised to save a world ravaged by war, violence, and greed, and forever change history, in this provocative new novel.In the near future, world wars have transformed the earth into a battleground. Fleeing the unending violence and the planet’s now-radioactive surface, humans have regrouped to a mysterious platform known as CIEL, hovering over their erstwhile home. The changed world has turned evolution on its head: the surviving humans have become sexless, hairless, pale-white creatures floating in isolation, inscribing stories upon their skin.Out of the ranks of the endless wars rises Jean de Men, a charismatic and bloodthirsty cult leader who turns CIEL into a quasi-corporate police state. A group of rebels unite to dismantle his iron rule—galvanized by the heroic song of Joan, a child-warrior who possesses a mysterious force that lives within her and communes with the earth. When de Men and his armies turn Joan into a martyr, the consequences are astonishing. And no one—not the rebels, Jean de Men, or even Joan herself—can foresee the way her story and unique gift will forge the destiny of an entire world for generations.A riveting tale of destruction and love found in the direst of places—even at the extreme end of post-human experience—Lidia Yuknavitch’s The Book of Joan raises questions about what it means to be human, the fluidity of sex and gender, and the role of art as a means for survival.