The kindle team have picked two 4th Estate books for their February Picks – After the Lockout, the début novel from Darran McCann; and The Ice Balloon by Alec Wilkinson, the story of a failed attempt to travel across the North Pole by hot air balloon.
An ambitious and compelling first novel about a key moment in Irish history
‘I think that, though good historical novels are rare in themselves, much rarer are good historiographical novels, stories that reflect on their own workings and examine the processes they describe; this is one of those select few. The triumph is that it is not only a deeply intelligent and self-aware novel, it is also entertaining from the first page to the last.’ Hilary Mantel
November 1917. With tensions in Ireland, war in Europe and revolution in Russia, Victor Lennon returns to his home village after a long exile. Radicalized by his experiences in the Dublin Lockout and Easter Rising, Victor is a hero to many but a danger to some.
