As ice engulfs the world, a nameless narrator moves through a shattered landscape where civilization has slipped into ruin. He searches for a white haired girl who appears and vanishes in a series of dreamlike visions, a figure he longs to save yet may wish to destroy. The frozen earth shifts beneath him as he crosses ruined towns, collapsing borders, and nightmarish enclaves ruled by a powerful figure known only as the Warden. Each encounter pulls him deeper into a maze of obsession, violence, and environmental catastrophe.
First published in 1967, Anna Kavan’s final novel anticipates modern climate fiction with haunting precision and has inspired writers from Doris Lessing to Jeff VanderMeer.
This cult classic holds 4.0 stars on Amazon and more than 11,000 Goodreads ratings.
