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Nonesuch
- Author
- Francis Spufford
- Narrator
- Lydia Wilson
- Publisher
- Faber & Faber
- Publish Date
- 24 February 2026
- Run Time
- 15 hours 29 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Rating
- 4.7 (6 reviews)
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What to expect
A spell-binding fantasy novel set in the Blitz, from the author of
Golden Hill.
'What a joy! A novel with endless ingenuity and enormous heart.' Kaliane Bradley
'Everything that great literature should be.' Sarah Perry
'
His Dark Materials meets the Blitz.'
Observer
'An all-encompassing masterpiece.'
London Standard
'My god can he write.' Richard Osman
'Ripples with literary magic.'
The Times
It's the summer of 1939. London is on the brink of catastrophic war. Iris Hawkins, an ambitious young woman in the stuffy world of City finance, has a chance encounter with Geoff, a technical whizz at the BBC's nascent television unit.
What was supposed to be one night of abandon draws her instead into an adventure of otherworldly pursuit - into a reality where time bends, spirits can be summoned, and history hangs by a thread. Soon there are Nazi planes overhead. But Iris has more to contend with than the terrors of the Blitz. Over the rooftops of burning London, in the twisted passages between past and present, a fascist fanatic is travelling with a gun in her hand.
And only Iris can stop her from altering the course of history forever.
Nonesuch was a
Sunday Times bestseller w/e 28/2/2026.
User Reviews
Book 4.7
Narration 4.8
-
5.0 4.0
Wonderful! Modern dilemmas , multiple twists and avoids easy solutions. A genuinely magical mystery tour!!
jodunn64 2026-06-18 -
5.0 5.0
It is amazing to me how completely different the books that I have read by this author have been.
They do share a certain sensibility, but whew, I did not see this story coming! “Light Perpetual” began the process of moving away from the grounded historical realism of “Golden Hill”to push away into the imagined realm of what if?, and this new novel takes that question another big step further and presents a sort of fantasia that mixes Spufford's usual historical accuracy (he must be a terrific researcher) with a rooftop-hopping, speculative fiction filled to bursting with fascists, bombs, angels, and other worlds. Quite a wilder ride than I was expecting, but if you don't spend. too much time looking down, a lot of fun as well. A gripping yarn. Kudos also to the wonderful narrator of the audiobook.TippyCanoeGal 2026-06-04 -
5.0 5.0
A really well told story, weaving fact and fantasy together. I enjoyed it VERY much!!
ClareR 2026-05-14 -
4.0 5.0
Beautifully written and superbly imagined. The characters aren’t the usual fantasy-fodder and the setting is almost, but not quite, normal, which makes it even more intriguing. Can’t quite give it 5 stars because the heroine doesn’t (to my mind) stay consistent to her character at the end, and the denouement feels a bit rushed. But more than worth the read/listen.
JanKewl 2026-04-02
Details
- Author
- Francis Spufford
- Narrator
- Lydia Wilson
- Duration
- 15 hours 29 minutes
- Release Date
- 24 February 2026
- ISBN
- 9780571397419
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Faber & Faber
- Genre
- Fiction: literary and general non-genre, Fantasy
- Rating
- 4.7(6 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.8(6 reviews)
Synopsis
A spell-binding fantasy novel set in the Blitz, from the author of Golden Hill. 'What a joy! A novel with endless ingenuity and enormous heart.' Kaliane Bradley 'Everything that great literature should be.' Sarah Perry ' His Dark Materials meets the Blitz.' Observer 'An all-encompassing masterpiece.' London Standard 'My god can he write.' Richard Osman 'Ripples with literary magic.' The Times It's the summer of 1939. London is on the brink of catastrophic war. Iris Hawkins, an ambitious young woman in the stuffy world of City finance, has a chance encounter with Geoff, a technical whizz at the BBC's nascent television unit. What was supposed to be one night of abandon draws her instead into an adventure of otherworldly pursuit - into a reality where time bends, spirits can be summoned, and history hangs by a thread. Soon there are Nazi planes overhead. But Iris has more to contend with than the terrors of the Blitz. Over the rooftops of burning London, in the twisted passages between past and present, a fascist fanatic is travelling with a gun in her hand. And only Iris can stop her from altering the course of history forever. Nonesuch was a Sunday Times bestseller w/e 28/2/2026.
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