»Kurkov finished the book before the war, reading it now induces a double bellyache.«

»Kurkov has written a true pageturner.«

»One thing is for sure: Kurkov is being read, and popular historical tales are far more influential than the studies of academic historians.«

»This is a trippy, funny, very absurd novel, and one that’s a great deal of fun.«

»A page-turner that has you hoping the author will swiftly write more.«

»He proves that satire must be written and also read, most importantly in times of war.«

»Reactionary and progressive things are inseparably intertwined ––an incredible, sometimes even fairytale-like composure characterizes the people, with which whom Samson interacts.«

»Kurkov paints vivid pictures of the characters in his novel. First and foremost honest Samson, who believes in a better future.«

»Samson deserves a sequel.«

»Andrey Kurkov, who wrote this picaresque novel, is said to be one of the best authors in Ukraine – and rightly so!«

»Andrey Kurkov’s novel Samson and Nadezhda reads like a parable on the current situation in Ukraine and yet is a look into the past.«

»Andrey Kurkov unites realism and imaginary elements with ease and creates a veritable undertow in this book.«

»As you read this novel, magic prevails over sorrow and anger.«

»A historical thriller, yet one that also brings the reader closer to understanding modern-day Ukraine.«

»Andrey Kurkov is often called Ukraine's greatest living writer, and it is a gift for crime fiction fans that he writes in this genre.«

»Translated from the Russian by poet Boris Dralyuk, Kurkov's prose is brisk but capacious, with a quiet flair [. . .] And though it is clear-eyed in its depiction of war's sheer senselessness, The Silver Bone has an unusual poetic lightness too.«

»[The Silver Bone is a] fascinating series launch [. . .] the finely drawn characters and harrowing descriptions of daily life in 1919 Kyiv leave a far more lasting impression than clever genre tricks ever could. With its earthy prose and stunning attention to detail, this stands apart.«

»A gripping whodunnit with surrealist flourishes [. . .] Kurkov brings to life an overlooked and much-contested episode in Ukrainian history, capturing the brutality with which Soviet forces first attempted to establish control over the city.« 

»The first of his Kyiv Mysteries, set in a world turned upside down, where nothing is certain but uncertainty, is told with black humour and great narrative brio.«

»Witty and enjoyable, Boris Dralyuk's translation is playful and subtle [. . .] It promises rich storytelling in future instalments.«

»A very intriguing and atmospheric novel by a highly accomplished writer. [. . . The Silver Bone] is a fascinating read in the light of contemporary events.«
 

»Rich and compulsive, a modern classic in the making.« 

»Original and intriguing. Relocates the historical crime novel somewhere between Kafka and The Twilight Zone.«

»In the tradition of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther [. . .] Kurkov sets crime-solving against the chaos of a turbulent era -- for his Samson Kolechko, the upheaval of Ukraine in 1919, when Cossacks, the Red Army and their White opponents, and even Chinese Communists battled in streets of a Kiev darkened by power failure [. . . The Silver Bone] poses haunting moral questions about defending order in perilous days, questions that reverberate a century later in Ukraine and around the world.« 

»An atmospheric police procedural whose protagonist battles personal tragedy and a tangled system to solve his first case.«

»Mix[ing] elements of grim humor and surrealism [. . . The Silver Bone is] a winning offbeat crime novel that begs for a sequel.«

»A delightfully dark novel - refreshing, unique, comical.«

»The Silver Bone is a masterpiece, and well deserving of the accolades it is bound to receive.«

»Kurkov's writing does not skimp on humorous, paradoxical, and surreal traits, as in the tradition of so much Russophone literature of the past three centuries. This ear that lives a life of its own, disseminating secrets and truths, descends directly from the nose of Gogol who goes for a walk around the city.«

»Samson and Nadezhda revives the first Ukrainian People’s Republic. Relishable.«

»The diverse personae of that time move through the story, giving it the colours of a social fresco in times of war.«

»After this delightful read, Kyiv and its inhabitants are even dearer to us.«

»Samson and Nadezhda retraces a revolutionary transition with sharp-edged humour.«