Laline Paull

The Handmaid’s Tale meets Watership Down in this brilliantly imagined debut. Born into the lowest class of her society, Flora 717 is a sanitation bee, only fit to clean her orchard hive. Living to accept, obey and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy mother, the Queen. But Flora is not like other bees. Despite her ugliness she has talents that are not typical of her kin. While mutant bees are usually instantly destroyed, Flora is removed from sanitation duty and is allowed to feed the newborns, before becoming a forager, collecting pollen on the wing. She also finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers secrets both sublime and ominous. But enemies are everywhere, from the fearsome fertility police to the high priestesses who jealously guard the Hive Mind. And when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all her instinct to serve is overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will lead to the unthinkable . . . Laline Paull’s chilling yet ultimately triumphant novel creates a luminous world both alien and uncannily familiar. Thrilling and imaginative, ‘The Bees’ is the story of a heroine who, in the face of an increasingly desperate struggle for survival, changes her destiny and her world.

Enter a whole new world, in this thrilling debut novel set entirely within a beehive. Born into the lowest class of her society, Flora 717 is a sanitation bee, only fit to clean her orchard hive. Living to accept, obey and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy mother, the Queen. But Flora is not like other bees. Despite her ugliness she has talents that are not typical of her kin. While mutant bees are usually instantly destroyed, Flora is removed from sanitation duty and is allowed to feed the newborns, before becoming a forager, collecting pollen on the wing. She also finds her way into the Queen's inner sanctum, where she discovers secrets both sublime and ominous. But enemies are everywhere, from the fearsome fertility police to the high priestesses who jealously guard the Hive Mind. And when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all her instinct to serve is overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce love that will lead to the unthinkable ...Laline Paull's chilling yet ultimately triumphant novel creates a luminous world both alien and uncannily familiar. Thrilling and imaginative, 'The Bees' is the story of a heroine who, in the face of an increasingly desperate struggle for survival, changes her destiny and her world.

Vysoce ceněný román srovnávaný se slavným 1984 Včely jsou výjimečný výtvor představivosti a život včelího úlu zachycují do úchvatných, vzrušujících a brilantních podrobností. Smyslný, niterný miniepos o věčných rituálech a novodobé ekologické katastrofě. Drásavý román Laline Paullové čtenáře uvrhá do zcela nového světa. Flora 717 patří od narození k nejnižší třídě svého společenství a nečeká se od ní nic víc, než že bude uklízet v úle. Přestože má vlohy, které pro její rod nejsou zrovna typické, nepotká ji obvyklý osud všech, co se odlišují – okamžitá likvidace. Nejdřív krmí čerstvě vylíhnuté larvičky, a později má dokonce dovoleno sbírat nektar a pyl a stane se létavkou. Netrvá dlouho a najde si cestu do Královniných střežených komnat, kde objeví vznešená a současně zlověstná tajemství. Flořin vzestup naruší přirozenou hierarchii kolonie a přiláká mocné nepřátele. Když je však přinucena porušit nejposvátnější zákon ze všech, její instinkty přemůže láska, spalující a stejně tak zakázaná… Mrazivý román Laline Paullové s vítězným koncem vtahuje čtenáře do pestrého světa, který je člověku cizí a zároveň povědomý. Včely jsou napínavý a vynalézavý příběh hrdinky, která tváří v tvář zoufalému boji o přežití změní svůj osud i osud svého světa.

An electrifying story of friendship, power and betrayal by the bestselling, Baileys-prize shortlisted author of The Bees. `A memorable eco-thriller. This is a world of arms dealers, heroic arctic adventurers and power crazed captains of industry. And that's just the ladies' The Times A frozen corpse emerges from a melting glacier and after three years of uncertainty, Sean Cawson can finally put the past behind him. Tom Harding, Sean's friend of thirty years was lost in an accident and Sean was the last person to see him alive. Tom's body is not the only secret hidden in the ice. As global businesses and global powers jostle for territory in this new, lawless frontier there are big opportunities for those with the courage - or mendacity - to seize them. And equally big risks. For years Sean has navigated these dangerous waters, loving the glamour and influence they bring. But as the inquest into Tom's death begins, the choices made by both men - in love and in life - are put on the stand. Soon everything Sean has believed about his friends, his position and himself is thrown into question. Just how deep do the lies go?

An electrifying story of friendship, power and betrayal by the bestselling, Baileys-prize shortlisted author of The Bees. It's the day after tomorrow and the Arctic sea ice has melted. While global business carves up the new frontier, cruise ships race each other to ever-rarer wildlife sightings. The passengers of the Vanir have come seeking a polar bear. What they find is even more astonishing: a dead body. It is Tom Harding, lost in an accident three years ago and now revealed by the melting ice of Midgard glacier. Tom had come to Midgard to help launch the new venture of his best friend of thirty years, Sean Cawson, a man whose business relies on discretion and powerful connections - and who was the last person to see him alive. Their friendship had been forged by a shared obsession with Arctic exploration. And although Tom's need to save the world often clashed with Sean's desire to conquer it, Sean has always believed that underneath it all, they shared the same goals. But as the inquest into Tom's death begins, the choices made by both men - in love and in life - are put on the stand. And when cracks appear in the foundations of Sean's glamorous world, he is forced to question what price he has really paid for a seat at the establishment's table. Just how deep do the lies go?

Bestselling author Laline Paull returns with an immersive and transformative new novel of an ocean world - its extraordinary creatures, mysteries, and mythologies - that is increasingly haunted by the cruelty and ignorance of the human race. Ea has always felt like an outsider. She suffers from a type of deafness that means she cannot master the spinning rituals that unite her pod of spinner dolphins. When catastrophe befalls her family and Ea feels she is partly to blame, she decides to make the ultimate sacrifice and leave. As Ea ventures into the vast, she discovers dangers everywhere, from lurking predators to strange objects floating in the water. But just as she is coming to terms with her solitude, a chance encounter with a group of arrogant bottlenoses will irrevocably alter the course of her life. In her terrifying, propulsive novel, Laline Paull explores the true meaning of family, belonging, sacrifice - the harmony and tragedy of the pod - within an ocean that is no longer the sanctuary it once was, and which reflects a world all too recognisable to our own.

Vysoce ceněný román srovnávaný se slavným 1984 Včely jsou výjimečný výtvor představivosti a život včelího úlu zachycují do úchvatných, vzrušujících a brilantních podrobností. Smyslný, niterný miniepos o věčných rituálech a novodobé ekologické katastrofě. Drásavý román Laline Paullové čtenáře uvrhá do zcela nového světa. Flora 717 patří od narození k nejnižší třídě svého společenství a nečeká se od ní nic víc, než že bude uklízet v úle. Přestože má vlohy, které pro její rod nejsou zrovna typické, nepotká ji obvyklý osud všech, co se odlišují – okamžitá likvidace. Nejdřív krmí čerstvě vylíhnuté larvičky, a později má dokonce dovoleno sbírat nektar a pyl a stane se létavkou. Netrvá dlouho a najde si cestu do Královniných střežených komnat, kde objeví vznešená a současně zlověstná tajemství. Flořin vzestup naruší přirozenou hierarchii kolonie a přiláká mocné nepřátele. Když je však přinucena porušit nejposvátnější zákon ze všech, její instinkty přemůže láska, spalující a stejně tak zakázaná… Mrazivý román Laline Paullové s vítězným koncem vtahuje čtenáře do pestrého světa, který je člověku cizí a zároveň povědomý. Včely jsou napínavý a vynalézavý příběh hrdinky, která tváří v tvář zoufalému boji o přežití změní svůj osud i osud svého světa.