Jacek Dukaj read his first Stanislaw Lem novel at the age of six, published his first short story at the age of sixteen and has gone on to publish numerous novels, novellas, short stories, and essays. His works have been translated into nineteen languages. A short animated movie by Tomasz Baginski based on his novella 'Katedra' (The Cathedral) was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003. In 2020 Netflix released series 'Into the Night' based on his novel Starosc aksolotla (The Old Axolotl). Among other literary prizes, Dukaj has won a European Literary Award and a Koscielski Award. He lives in Cracow.

Ursula Phillips is an award-winning British translator of Polish. She has a background in both Russian and Polish Studies and a doctorate in Polish 19th-century literature.

"Intrigue and strangeness follow in a novel that's as technically brilliant as it is creative... An extraordinary book." --SFX Magazine

"Mighty, relentless, unhurried, this extraordinary work by the much-garlanded Polish author is glacial - in the best way. It dazzles and grips as it carves out a new world of science, history and pure imagination." --The Daily Mail

"Should anyone have a hankering for some postmodern speculative fiction that deals with weighty topics such as philosophy, imperialism and quantum physics, then they need look no further." --Financial Times