Guardian's Book of the Month, 2018

'[With] echoes of Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Stephen King's The Stand...' Guardian on South

If a virus doesn't kill you, the South will...

The USA has been ravaged by Civil War. It's been thirty years since the first wind-borne viruses ended the war between North and South. While the South has been devastated by disease - the North has emerged victorious, but terrified of reprisals. Both territories remain at the mercy of the vicious Northern dictator, Renard.

Two survivors, Dyce and Vida, journeyed deep into the Southern terrains in search of a Cure for Renard's chemical warfare. Now they find themselves scouring the Northern territories on a new and far deadlier pursuit; to eliminate Renard himself. Could Dyce and Vida unite a fractured America - and at what cost?

This is the story of Dyce and Vida.

This is the story of the Resistance and its last, desperate, stand.

This is the story of North.

About the Author
Frank Owen is the pseudonym for two authors - Diane Awerbuck and Alex Latimer. Diane Awerbuck's debut novel Gardening at Night won the 2004 Commonwealth Writers Prize and Diane was shortlisted for the Caine Prize in 2014. She has long been regarded as one of South Africa's most talented writers. Alex Latimer is an award-winning writer and illustrator whose books have been translated into several languages.

Reviews
North is fast paced, slick, and relentlessly bleak - though some hope is offered in the finale * Guardian, Book of the Month *
Dark and beautiful and surprising. I loved it. * Lauren Beukes, author of Broken Monsters *
South is an absolute blinder of a book. With its cracking pace, unforgettable characters, deliciously gruesome premise and you-won't-see-them-coming twists, if this doesn't make 'book of the year' shortlists, I will eat my Stetson. The Sisters Brothers meets The Stand, it's a post-apocalyptic genre game changer. * Sarah Lotz on South *
There are echoes of Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Stephen King's The Stand, plus graphic violence and heart-stopping action set pieces, but what lifts South above many recent examples of the subgenre is Owen's pared-down prose, slick narrative and the sensitive depiction of Dyce and Vida's relationship. * Guardian on South *



Book Information
ISBN 9781782399001
Author Frank Owen
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Corvus
Publisher Atlantic Books
Weight(grams) 510g
Dimensions(mm) 233mm * 156mm * 32mm