Promotional Information

From the internationally bestselling author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street comes an astonishing historical novel set in the magical forests of South America, perfect for fans of The Night Circus, The Essex Serpent and The Muse

About the Author

Natasha Pulley studied English Literature at Oxford University. After stints working at Waterstones as a bookseller, then at Cambridge University Press as a publishing assistant in the astronomy and maths departments, she did the Creative Writing MA at UEA. She later studied in Tokyo, where she lived on a scholarship from the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. She was chosen to be a Writer in Residence at Gladstone’s Library and is now associate lecturer at Bath Spa University and panel tutor at the Cambridge University Institute of Continuing Education. Her first novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, was an international bestseller, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award. The Bedlam Stacks is her second novel. She lives in Bath. @natasha_pulley

Reviews

The Peru that Markham and Tremayne encounter is a sheer fantastical delight. Exploding “whitewood” trees, lamps made of glowing pollen, moving statues and rock formations of pure glass ... What’s more, she writes elegantly and plots like a pro
*The Times*

An epic journey … Violence and danger shimmer in the air like pollen
*New York Times*

A fast-paced adventure story with great characters and a message about colonialism
*i*

An immense treat for lovers of both historical fiction and the surreal
*Observer*

Pulley’s prose is as delightfully playful and evocative as ever. She paints a hidden world that's every bit as colourful as James Cameron’s Pandora, packed with vibrant and quirky characters, and fascinating historical detail that never feels forced ****
*SFX Magazine*

A magical, hugely imaginative novel set in 1859 … Adventure and mystery abound as his expedition encounters moving statues, exploding trees, volcanic glass, floating cities and protective Incas
*Eithne Farry, Sunday Express*

Natasha Pulley had a lot to live up to after the runaway success of her debut novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. But she’s managed to do just that with The Bedlam Stacks
*Herald*

Filled with wondrous images, from moving statues to exploding trees … It rolls along at speed to a satisfying ending
*Scotsman*

This terrific historical adventure draws on the same world of magic and intrigue as Pulley’s bestselling The Watchmaker of Filigree Street … Brilliantly imaginative
*Saga ‘Poolside page-turners’*

Part adventure story, part meditation, and all richly imagined dreamscape ... Pulley’s story reaches across the years and miles to reflect on the nature of time, myth, magic, and above all, what makes us most human … Magical on the outside and inside
*Chicago Review of Books*

Immensely readable ... The story’s rich detail provides the reader a clear experience of 1850s Peru while imparting believability to its magic and imaginative elements. Its exciting style, humour and uniqueness are nothing short of charming. Enthusiastically recommended
*Historical Novel Society*

With the magic of Lost Horizon, Natasha Pulley weaves together a story of a man who, in search of escape from pain and loss, finds how to live again ... Impossible to put down until the end and highly re-readable, Pulley’s second novel is magical
*San Francisco Book Review*