Spinning Silver
Published on 16. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
528 pages
978-1-0350-7621-5 (ISBN)
Description
Will dark magic claim their home?
Rumours have drawn unexpected attention - and now her life hangs in the balance. From the author of the award-winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver is a rich, original tale inspired by the folktale of Rumpelstiltskin.
'Dire and wonderful; I loved this book so much' - Laini Taylor, author of Strange the Dreamer
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is too kind-hearted to collect his debts. They face poverty, until Miryem hardens her own heart and takes up his work in their village.
Her success creates a rumour that she can turn silver into gold, attracting the fairy king of winter himself. He sets her an impossible challenge - and if she fails, she will die. Yet if she triumphs, it may mean a fate worse than death. And, in her desperate efforts to succeed, Miryem unwittingly spins a web which draws in the unhappy daughter of a lord . . .
Irina's father schemes to wed her to the tsar - he will pay any price to achieve this goal. However, the dashing tsar is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of mortals and winter alike.
'Pits the cold of endless winter against the fires of duty, love and sacrifice. I couldn't put it down' - Katherine Arden, author of The Bear and the Nightingale
'Naomi Novik knows how to weave words into magic, and Spinning Silver enchants the reader from the first page' - Christina Henry, author of Alice
'I'm in awe of how Novik spins moldy, hateful straw into warm and glimmering gold' - Amal El-Mohtar, author of This is How You Lose the Time War
Rumours have drawn unexpected attention - and now her life hangs in the balance. From the author of the award-winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver is a rich, original tale inspired by the folktale of Rumpelstiltskin.
'Dire and wonderful; I loved this book so much' - Laini Taylor, author of Strange the Dreamer
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is too kind-hearted to collect his debts. They face poverty, until Miryem hardens her own heart and takes up his work in their village.
Her success creates a rumour that she can turn silver into gold, attracting the fairy king of winter himself. He sets her an impossible challenge - and if she fails, she will die. Yet if she triumphs, it may mean a fate worse than death. And, in her desperate efforts to succeed, Miryem unwittingly spins a web which draws in the unhappy daughter of a lord . . .
Irina's father schemes to wed her to the tsar - he will pay any price to achieve this goal. However, the dashing tsar is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of mortals and winter alike.
'Pits the cold of endless winter against the fires of duty, love and sacrifice. I couldn't put it down' - Katherine Arden, author of The Bear and the Nightingale
'Naomi Novik knows how to weave words into magic, and Spinning Silver enchants the reader from the first page' - Christina Henry, author of Alice
'I'm in awe of how Novik spins moldy, hateful straw into warm and glimmering gold' - Amal El-Mohtar, author of This is How You Lose the Time War
Reviews / Votes
Cool and clever and warm and satisfying and dire and wonderful; I loved this book so much -- Laini Taylor, author of <i>Daughter of Smoke and Bone</i> A book as cool and mysterious as a winter's night, with two marvelous heroines at its heart. Spinning Silver pits the cold of endless winter against the fires of duty, love and sacrifice. I couldn't put it down -- Katherine Arden, author of the Winternight Trilogy Dauntless women, cruel lords and wayward fairies come together in a beautifully realised world. Brimming over with fairy-tale magic, Spinning Silver proves Naomi Novik to be a master fantasist at the top of her game -- Zen Cho, author of <i>Spirits Abroad</i> Lovely, intricate and strong. A gorgeous read. The sort of book one reads again and again -- Genevieve Cogman, author of the Invisible Library series Enchanting, in every sense of that fine old word. A charming and inviting story that looks unflinchingly at the strangling roots of hurt and revenge -- Robin Hobb, author of the Farseer trilogy, on <i>Uprooted</i> So vividly believable that it almost seems you could work the spells. But the book will do that for you -- Ursula K. Le Guin, author of the Earthsea series, on <i>Uprooted</i> Uprooted has everything I love: a great heroine, new takes on old myths and legends, and surprising twists and turns. A delight -- Cassandra Clare, author of <i>Sword Catcher</i> on <i>Uprooted</i> This gorgeous, complex, and magical novel . . . rises well above a mere modern re-imagining of classic tales . . . This is the kind of book that one might wish to inhabit forever -- <i>Publishers Weekly</i>, Starred Review A remarkable achievement . . . Confirms a huge step forward for Novik -- <i>SFX Magazine</i>, 5 Stars Novik has created something that deserves to be a sure fire hit - a tale that's ancient, contemporary, traditional and yet forward thinking -- <i>The Bookbag</i>, 5 StarsMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
350 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0350-7621-5 (9781035076215)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Person
Naomi Novik is the acclaimed author of the Temeraire series and standalone fairytale fantasy Uprooted. She has been nominated for the Hugo Award and has won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, as well as the Locus Award for Best New Writer and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. She is also the author of the graphic novel Will Supervillains Be on the Final?
Fascinated with both history and legends, Novik is a first-generation American raised on Polish fairy tales and stories of Baba Yaga. Her own adventures include pillaging degrees in English literature and computer science from various ivory towers, designing computer games, and helping to build the Archive of Our Own for fanfiction and other fanworks. Novik is a co-founder of the Organization for Transformative Works.
She lives in New York City with husband and Hard Case Crime founder Charles Ardai and their daughter, Evidence, surrounded by an excessive number of purring computers.
Fascinated with both history and legends, Novik is a first-generation American raised on Polish fairy tales and stories of Baba Yaga. Her own adventures include pillaging degrees in English literature and computer science from various ivory towers, designing computer games, and helping to build the Archive of Our Own for fanfiction and other fanworks. Novik is a co-founder of the Organization for Transformative Works.
She lives in New York City with husband and Hard Case Crime founder Charles Ardai and their daughter, Evidence, surrounded by an excessive number of purring computers.