When the Sparrow Falls
Page 29
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.
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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
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First Edition: 2021