Lost City Radio

Reviews / Votes

'It would be wrong to give away even a shred of plot here, but it must be said that the final pages are extraordinarily haunting, managing, in a way that only great writing can, to be both tragic and wonderful. The real surprise, however, is that this is a first novel, for "Lost City Radio" is a book of extraordinary power, by a writer - recently selected as one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists - whose own endless invention and send of colour are already second to none.' Guardian


'"Lost City Radio" is a gripping and tense political fable, sharply rooted in a world we have come to recognize. With echoes of Orwell and Huxley, and with images of astonishing originality, Daniel Alarcon creates a universe both menacing and tender, filled with characters imagined with skill and nuance. The scope of the narrative and the sense of urgency in the story make clear that he is one of the most exciting and ambitious writers to emerge in recent years.' Colm Toibin, author of 'The Master'


'Daniel Alarcon writes about subterfuge, lies, and the arbitrary recreation of history with a masterful clarity. By accepting the premise that war is senseless, he goes on to make sense of the lives that are destroyed in its wake. "Lost City Radio" is both ambitious and resonant.' Ann Patchett, author of 'Bel Canto'


'Daniel Alarcon has written a book that fully captures the slow, quiet, terror of war. From the first page, the reader like Alarcon's characters, is captured by an uncertainty and longing that traps you in the pages of this book and makes it impossible to leave this story alone. Alarcon's prose is quick and beautiful. This is a first novel that needs to be read.' Uzodinma Iweala, author of 'Beats of No Nation'