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"Ortega's energy and relentless inventiveness succeed in creating a seamless and utterly compelling blend of the past and the present, the real and the imaginary. A Bolaño-like encyclopaedia . . . One of the most original novels to have appeared in Spain in recent years, Desolation Island is ultimately a magnificent tale of travel." —Literary Review
A "breathtaking trip." —The Historical Novels Review
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Fair. As the twentieth century draws to a close, a ship heads for Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan at Chile's southern tip. On board is Oliver Griffin, a man on an unusual quest. His journey is inspired by a photograph of his grandparents embracing a strange automaton which now resides in the Punta Arenas museum. This fearsome metal warrior is a sixteenth-century robot, a relic of a proposed mechanical army, commissioned by Philip II of Spain to guard the strait against the English. The automaton was discovered on Desolation Island by a grieving woman scouring the archipelago for the bodies of her shipwrecked husband and son. Griffin has long been fascinated by this place, where the Magellan Strait meets the Pacific, and spends his life drawing intricate maps of the island. With a host of characters both real and imaginary, touches of Homer, Melville and Sebald, Desolation Island sets countless stories spinning around its central axis - the extraordinary automaton. Taking in sixteenth-century wizardry, court politics, the modern shipping industry, the cinematic version of The Invisible Man and personal letters and family photographs, this mesmerising, original novel is a testament to man's insatiable desire for knowledge. Spanning four full centuries of adventure, Desolation Island is a classic seafaring tale, striking at the heart of that eternal mystery: our obsession with the sea, as terrible as it is irresistible. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR008406737
Book Description Condition: Very Good. 1584885108. 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM. Seller Inventory # U9781846551390
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. uk1st.edition.1st.printing/near fine hardback in near fine dustwrapper.due to weight extra postage for non uk address. Seller Inventory # 27shf fmfd,
Book Description Cloth. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Type: Book N.B. Corners of D/J a little rubbed. Small nick to head of D/J spine. Seller Inventory # 039906
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Good. Ex library book, usual markings. Clean copy. Quick dispatch from UK seller. Seller Inventory # mon0000053848