by Jeff Noon
The most beautiful of all cities.
And now the lamps were less bright, and further apart. The city faded at the edges until only dark blue skies remained, dim skies, and then twilit skies. They were getting close to the border. Out there it was night. He rested his head against the seat back, as his fingertips remembered that last touch of her hand on the tabletop. A spark, a memory. And the look in her eyes, a slight darkening of the blue, a mistiness. And he wondered about the moment of exchange: when Eleanor had given something of herself to her sister, had the sister given anything back in return? A message, perhaps; something good to take out of dusk, to bring into the light.
The steward made an announcement, that the vehicle was now leaving the city, and was entering the country’s standard time zone, normal time. Nyquist adjusted his watch, as did all the people around him. He looked out of the window at the night sky, the wide open sky, the moon and the pale wash of the galaxy’s central hub, and the ever circling stars in their ancient patterns. And somewhere in the distance, below the horizon, waiting for him: the sun.
The coach travelled on.
Acknowledgments
Lots of people have helped with this story. Chief among them are Vana and Michelle, who both offered much needed advice and kindness. The team at Angry Robot – especially Marc Gascoigne and Penny Reeve – worked their wonders, bringing the story to fruition, and into the public eye. Simon Spanton did a brilliant editing job. And a special mention to Tim Dedopulos, for bringing myself and Angry Robot together.
About the Author
Jeff Noon is an award-winning British novelist, short story writer and playwright. He won the Arthur C Clarke Award for Vurt, the John W Campbell award for Best New Writer, a Tinniswood Award for innovation in radio drama and the Mobil prize for playwriting. He was trained in the visual arts, and was musically active on the punk scene before starting to write plays for the theatre. His work spans SF and fantasy genres, exploring the ever-changing borderzone between genre fiction and the avant-garde.
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jeffnoon.weebly.com • twitter.com/jeffnoon
ANGRY ROBOT
An imprint of Watkins Media Ltd
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Between dog and wolf
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An Angry Robot paperback original 2017
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Copyright © Jeff Noon 2017
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Jeff Noon asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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UK ISBN 978 0 85766 669 7
US ISBN 978 0 85766 670 3
EBook ISBN 978 0 85766 671 0
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Set by Epub Services.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
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This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Angry Robot and the Angry Robot icon are registered trademarks of Watkins Media Ltd.
ISBN: 978-0-85766-671-0