The Half Life of Valery K
Complex
Layered
Comforting

The Half Life of Valery K

From the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Kingdoms, an epic Cold War novel set in a mysterious town in Soviet Russia. In 1963, in a Siberian gulag, former nuclear specialist Valery Kolkhanov has mastered what it takes to survive: the right connections to the guards for access to food and cigarettes, the right pair of warm boots to avoid frostbite, and the right attitude toward the small pleasures of life so he won't go insane. But on one ordinary day, all that changes: Valery's university mentor steps in and sweeps Valery from the frozen prison camp to a mysterious unnamed town that houses a set of nuclear reactors and is surrounded by a forest so damaged it looks like the trees have rusted from within. In City 40, Valery is Dr. Kolkhanov once more, and he's expected to serve out his prison term studying the effect of radiation on local animals. But as Valery begins his work, he is struck by the questions his research raises: why is there so much radiation in this area? What, exactly, is being hidden from the thousands who live in the town? And if he keeps looking for answers, will he live to serve out his sentence? Based on real events in a surreal Soviet city, and told with bestselling author Natasha Pulley's inimitable style, The Half Life of Valery K is a sweeping new adventure for readers of Stu Turton and Sarah Gailey.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Itzel
Itzel@itzea
4 stars
May 8, 2024
Photo of Zita Azlina
Zita Azlina@shenglingyuan
4 stars
Jan 9, 2024
Photo of George
George@tlxy
2 stars
Jan 8, 2024
Photo of Katharine Shebesta
Katharine Shebesta@rynbesta
5 stars
Aug 26, 2022
Photo of zilver
zilver @howl
4 stars
Feb 15, 2022
This review contains a spoiler
Honest
Layered
Photo of Marisha Lamont-Manfre
Marisha Lamont-Manfre@marishalm
5 stars
Aug 15, 2024
Photo of Kerry McHugh West
Kerry McHugh West@gettingkerryedaway
4 stars
Aug 17, 2023
Photo of Kate Sigrist
Kate Sigrist@katesigrist
5 stars
Nov 27, 2022
Sweet
Complex
Original
Addictive
Inventive
Comforting
Photo of Carter Rabasa
Carter Rabasa@crtr0
5 stars
Dec 23, 2023