Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Giveaway Week is underway, but today we are switching things up and are giving a book away here instead of there! Occasionally we receive a book not related to steampunk at all, as in the case of The Silent Land by Graham Joyce. It's a lovely, rather spooky book, and so we feature it here today.


The Silent Land by Graham Joyce (Doubleday)



The Silent Land describes the experiences of Zoe and Jake, a British couple on holiday in the French Pyrenees who are caught in a sudden avalanche. They extricate themselves and return to the ski resort, only to find it deserted. The neighboring village is also empty, and when they try to leave, whether by foot, skis or car, they find that they can't get out; they are somehow trapped in the town. Are they dead? Is this a dream? Are they alone? Zoe starts to see people, but cannot track them down for answers. And then, slowly at first, the frozen environment around them begins to change...


Among my scribbled notes for The Silent Land is the mention that it's a small book and a quick read. However, when checking before writing the review, I found that it's almost 250 pages. And yet, Joyce's book is so tightly constructed that it seems small; I read all at once, sitting on the floor, intrigued to know what was happening to Zoe and Jake. The atmosphere of the cold, silent and mysterious lands permeates throughout the book's language, keeping the reader in the town with the couple until the very end of the book. It's a spooky, lovely read, and I highly recommend it.


We have a hardcover copy of The Silent Land to give away! In order to be considered for the giveaway, post a comment on this entry and tell us where you would want to be "trapped" for a time, if such a thing were to happen to you. (We've been discussing this at home; I am torn between a huge library/museum and a place like EPCOT.) All entries will be put into a hat and the winning entry will be drawn at random, perhaps by one of our snarky puppets. The deadline for entering the contest is 11:59 pm EST Friday, May 27; we'll hold the drawing sometime over Memorial Day weekend and post the winner straight away. Good luck!


(More information on The Silent Land is available on the Random House website; Graham Joyce also has his own website.)

7 comments:

Alden said...

I don't know where I would like to be "trapped" if no one else was there. My first thought was Disney World/EPCOT, but if no one is there to operate the rides, etc., that wouldn't be much fun. The Smithsonian (or the Louvre or a mammoth library) could be great, but being there without a lot of other people would get to be creepy real fast. So, I would have to choose an outdoor place like Lake Powell, Yellowstone, Arches or Zion's National Parks.

Tanzi said...

I would totally want to be trapped in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Why? Just read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and you'll see!

Meredith.Cherven-Holland said...

I would like to be trapped in the Canyon of the Ancients. Located in southwestern Colorado, it contains a spectacular uninhabited landscape with over 6000 recorded archaeological sites representing ancestral Puebloan and other Native American cultures. it is rumoured to contain 30-40,000 sites dating to 1500 BC. I would love to ram this landscape that leaves vestiges of human habitation for the past 10,000 years.

Liam said...

I could certainly do the Met, though I think maybe the rare books section of the British Library or the Bibliotheque Nationale would be best.

Anonymous said...

I want this book. DO I EVER! So, I'm takin' off the gloves.

It's hard though, thinking of such a place, as I am often trapped, by my circumstances,my thoughts.

But, if being trapped were a choice, I wish to be trapped in a remote observatory in Greenland, during one of its 24-hour darkness days. That would be a pleasure beyond compare.

However, on days when I'm feeling a bit more sensual, the thought of being trapped in the back of a functioning cement mixer, filled with jello(instead of cement, obviously), naked, with someone I share great chemistry, also naked, excites me! (teehee) I can dream, can't I? That would be quite an experience, bodies, jello, movement. That would definitely enhance the sexual experience.

It's a toss up, literally haha, between the two.

Hands down, I've won this contest. When shall I expect the book? : )

(BTW, love the review, you are truly gifted, my friend.)

Anonymous said...

Nicole Dunlap
email: auxier0492@aol.com
I'd rather be trapped somewhere stormy, where it's always dark and cloudy outside, and raining. I love the rain. I'd like there to be a massive library of every kind of book out there, with a fireplace and nice big comfortable chairs where I can relax and take all the time to read what I want. My cat would be there, and perhaps a man, someone to share the peace with :D

Anonymous said...

Don't forget to include me in your drawing. I noticed that a few entries fell off when blogger crashed.

Have so much fun on your trip! I wish I could join ya.