When the Sparrow Falls

Home > Other > When the Sparrow Falls > Page 29
When the Sparrow Falls Page 29

by Neil Sharpson

Olesya, my wife–ex-wife. Zahara, who deserved a better world. Vassily, my father.

  Nikolai, my brother.

  I think of all the sparrows who have fallen, and pray for a hand to catch them.

  acknowledgments

  Back when I was writing for theater, I would think how wonderful it must be to be a novelist. After all, novelists can just create a single, uncompromised artistic vision without it being filtered through directors, actors or unreliable lighting and sound effects. Novelists are so lucky, I thought, they get to do it all on their own.

  Apropos of nothing, here is a list of all the people without whom this book would not exist.

  First to Eamonn Sharpson, my brother, who read my early teen novels and whose boundless enthusiasm and support was exactly what I needed in those early days.

  To Jessica Traynor, who never gives up on her friends.

  To Gillian Greer, who saw that it was a novel, not a play. (It’s mostly a novel, but it’s slightly a play.)

  To Conor Kostick and the Irish Writers Centre. Conor for running the writing course that helped me finish the book and for his support and constructive feedback, and to the IWC for selecting it for Novel Fair in 2019.

  To Aisling Leonard-Curtin for all her kind words and support.

  To Vika Melkovska for her help with Russian words and naming conventions.

  To Fleur Farwagi Campbell for help with Arabic words and naming conventions and for general awesomeness.

  To Úna Hennessy for arranging the book club reading and all the cloak-and-dagger that went with it.

  To the Connemara gang, Donnacha, Jess, Una and Abey for quiet summer days and nights writing on the edge of the world in the company of good friends. May they return soon.

  To Moira, for being an inspiration.

  To Mim, my comrade in arms.

  To Anna and George. For the world.

  To Kate Coe and Will Hinton, my U.K. and U.S. editors respectively. Your professionalism, talent, expertise, insight and support helped make this book so much better than I ever thought it could be. You pushed me to be the best version of myself. Thank you.

  To Jennie Goloboy. My agent, or possibly my wizard. You forever changed my life and I cannot thank you enough.

  To Aoife. For believing in the book, and for believing in me. For waking me up at two o’clock in the morning to ask me about the birthrates in Caspian. For coming on the journey. For your love. For your brilliance. For your kindness. For a universe that I cannot express in paltry words. For everything. Mo ghrá.

  about the author

  Neil Sharpson lives in Dublin with his wife and their two children. Having written for theater since his teens, Sharpson transitioned to writing novels in 2017, adapting his own play The Caspian Sea into When The Sparrow Falls. A huge fan of animation, Sharpson writes Unshaved Mouse, a comedic review blog mostly focusing on animated film and comic book movies. You can sign up for email updates here.

  Thank you for buying this

  Tom Doherty Associates ebook.

  To receive special offers, bonus content,

  and info on new releases and other great reads,

  sign up for our newsletters.

  Or visit us online at

  us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup

  For email updates on the author, click here.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  WHEN THE SPARROW FALLS

  Copyright © 2021 by Neil Sharpson

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by Dominic Breuer

  Cover design by Jamie Stafford-Hill

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates

  120 Broadway

  New York, NY 10271

  www.tor-forge.com

  Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

  The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

  Names: Sharpson, Neil, author.

  Title: When the sparrow falls / Neil Sharpson.

  Description: First edition. | New York: Tor, 2021.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2021008754 (print) | LCCN 2021008755 (ebook) | ISBN 9781250784216 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250784223 (ebook)

  Subjects: LCSH: Artificial intelligence—Fiction. | GSAFD: Science fiction. | Suspense fiction.

  Classification: LCC PR6119.H378 W48 2021 (print) | LCC PR6119.H378 (ebook) | DDC 823’.92—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021008754

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021008755

  eISBN 9781250784223

  Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].

  First Edition: 2021

 

 

 


‹ Prev