One evening in downtown Seoul, Jeong-su is smoking a cigarette outside when he sees something impossible: a huge black orb appears out of nowhere and sucks his neighbour inside. The orb soon begins consuming other people and no one knows how to stop it. Impervious to bullets and tanks, the orb splits and multiplies, chasing the hapless residents of Seoul out into the country and sparking a global crisis with widespread violence and looting. Jeong-su must rely upon his wits as he makes the arduous journey in search of his elderly parents. But the strangest phases of this ever-expanding disaster are yet to come and Jeong-su will be forced to question everything he has taken for granted. Dryly funny, propulsive and absurd, The Black Orb is terrifyingly prescient about the fragility of human civilisation.

A piercingly dark, surreal satire on mass panic, disaster response and modern masculinity

About the Author
Ewhan Kim is the author of twelve novels. His debut The Ghosts of Evithezen, was a finalist for the Korean National Fantasy Award and his other works have won the SF Award and the Young Writers Award. The Black Orb won the Multi Award and has been translated into nine languages.

Reviews
This book absorbs readers like a black orb. * The Korea Economic Daily *
I recommend this book to anyone feeling anxious and stifled by the here and now. * The Jeonbuk Daily *
A social fantasy reminiscent of Jose Saramago's Blindness * Newsis *
Surreal structure, impossible imagination. Masterpiece! ... Kim overwhelms the reader. I needed to catch my breath after putting it down. -- Oi-su Lee, South Korean writer and judge for the Multi Award



Book Information
ISBN 9781800815728
Author Ewhan Kim
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Serpent's Tail
Publisher Profile Books Ltd