Veniss Underground - Jeff VanderMeer

This is Jeff VanderMeer's outstanding debut novel. Its powerful prose has been likened to Dante's Divine Comedy and J. G. Ballard's writings, taking reader on an unforgettable journey exploring the limits of love, memory and obsession.

This edition includes the novella Balzac's War. Dreams and nightmares entwine as three fellow travellers strive to achieve their deepest desires. Nicholas seeks to escape his demons in the dark city of Veniss' shadowy underground. But in doing so, makes a deal with the devil himself. Then in her fevered search for him, his twin sister, Nicola, spins her own unusual and hypnotic tale as she discovers the hidden secrets of the city.

Finally, haunted by Nicola's sudden, mysterious disappearance and gripped by despair, Shadrach, Nicola's lover, embarks on a mythic journey. He must steel himself to visit the nightmarish levels deep beneath the surface of the city, to bring his love back to light.

For these depths hold perils that are both complex and chilling. There, he will find wonders beyond imagining . . . and horrors greater than the heart can bear. Literary alchemist Jeff VanderMeer has produced a triumph of the imagination, revealing the mysterious city of Veniss through three intertwined voices.