Bridge 108

by Anne Charnock

Overview

From the Arthur C. Clarke Award–winning author, a dystopian novel of oppression set in the climate-ravaged Europe of A Calculated Life, a finalist for the Kitschies award and Philip K. Dick Award.

Late in the twenty-first century, drought and wildfires prompt an exodus from southern Europe. When twelve-year-old Caleb is separated from his mother during their trek north, he soon falls prey to traffickers. Enslaved in an enclave outside Manchester, the resourceful and determined Caleb never loses hope of bettering himself.

After Caleb is befriended by a fellow victim of trafficking, another road opens. Hiding in the woodlands by day, guided by the stars at night, he begins a new journey—to escape to a better life, to meet someone he can trust, and to find his family. For Caleb, only one thing is certain: making his way in the world will be far more difficult than his mother imagined.

Told through multiple voices and set against the backdrop of a haunting and frighteningly believable future, Bridge 108 charts the passage of a young boy into adulthood amid oppressive circumstances that are increasingly relevant to our present day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781542006088
Publisher:	47north
Publication date:	02/18/2020
Pages:	204
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Anne Charnock is the author of Dreams Before the Start of Time, winner of the 2018 Arthur C. Clarke Award. Her debut novel, A Calculated Life, was a finalist for the 2013 Philip K. Dick Award and the 2013 Kitschies Golden Tentacle award. The Guardian featured Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind in “Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2015.” Anne’s novella, The Enclave, won the 2017 British Science Fiction Association Award for Short Fiction. Her writing career began in journalism, and her articles appeared in the Guardian, New Scientist, International Herald Tribune, and Geographical. Learn more at www.annecharnock.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/25/2019

This mosaic dystopian novel from Arthur C. Clarke Award–winner Charnock (Dreams Before the Start of Time) explores the lives of characters threatened by devastating climate change in near-future England. With drought and wildfires destroying southern Europe, 12 year old Caleb and his mother are just two of millions of migrants headed to England in search of new lives. Unfortunately, ecological collapse has also brought about social change in England, leaving refugees even more disenfranchised than they were before. When Caleb’s mother abandons him, he must find his own way to a safe home, employment, and future, surrounded by adults eager to exploit him. Charnock bounces between Caleb’s point of view and the thoughts and experiences of the various people he encounters along his journey. Though long passages of exposition initially slow the pace, Charnock’s worldbuilding grows more sophisticated and detailed over the course of Caleb’s travels. Readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories with hopeful messages will be gratified by this topical tale of human resourcefulness in the face of climate disaster. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

This coming-of-age story, told through a mosaic of voices, is enjoyable for readers young and old alike.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories with hopeful messages will be gratified by this topical tale of human resourcefulness in the face of climate disaster.” —Publishers Weekly

“Arthur C. Clark Award-winning Charnock (Dreams Before the Start of Time) provides a window into a future that feels all too near in this post-Brexit world. From the fears and repercussions of intense drought to the politics and panic of immigration, Caleb’s story, sadly, rings true.” —Library Journal

“An interesting and thoughtful book that keeps readers engaged throughout, both emotionally and politically.” —Interzone

“Anne Charnock’s Bridge 108 is set in the same universe as her terrific 2013 debut A Calculated Life…[Bridge 108] seems horribly prescient. With the inclusion of climate refugees, child trafficking, and slavery, Bridge 108 adds that final touch of verisimilitude to Charnock’s post-Brexit nightmare.” —LOCUS Magazine

“Charnock tells her story through the lives of ordinary people caught up in situations beyond their control, and Bridge 108 is all the more powerful for that.” —The Guardian

“[Bridge 108] tells a very strong message of the potential consequences of allowing global warming to continue as it is. The world that Charnock builds for us is realistic and frighteningly possible in the current political and social environment.” —BSFA Review

“The novel’s near-future setting feels grimy, sweltering, and lived-in. Environmental collapse has brought out the worst in everyone, and instances of kindness are few and far between. It’s a commanding, if demanding, read.” —Financial Times

“Like her three previous novels, this one reveals how large, systemic problems like economic stratification and climate change are tightly entwined…Through vibrant storytelling and compelling character development, Bridge 108 depicts a possible future rife with ecological destruction and millions of climate refugees.” —Chicago Review of Books

“Anne Charnock is fast carving out a niche for herself as a writer using speculative fiction to explore the social and economic impacts on society of technological and demographic change…In Bridge 108, Charnock turns to the geopolitics of climate change.” —Strange Horizons

From the Publisher

02/28/2020

Set against a backdrop of catastrophic climate change, this story sees people desperately fleeing the south of Europe to seek sanctuary in England. But England has closed its borders and instituted strict immigration sanctions, including detention centers and indentured-work camps. Caleb and his mother have nearly reached England from southern Europe when they become separated during an immigration raid. Caleb meets a seemingly kind woman with a motorbike and is spirited away to a run-down British enclave where he's forced to sew clothes from recycled textiles. Without a loving parent to guide him, Caleb will have to make decisions about his own welfare, but will he always be at the mercy of a system set against him? VERDICT Arthur C. Clark Award-winning Charnock (Dreams Before the Start of Time) provides a window into a future that feels all too near in this post-Brexit world. From the fears and repercussions of intense drought to the politics and panic of immigration, Caleb's story, sadly, rings true.—Jennifer Beach, Longwood Univ. Lib., Farmville, VA

Library Journal