The Arrival of Missives

Aliya Whiteley
3.69
494 ratings 106 reviews
In the aftermath of the Great War, Shirley Fearn dreams of challenging the conventions of rural England, where life is as unchanging as the seasons. The scarred veteran Mr. Tiller, left disfigured by an impossible accident on the battlefields of France, brings with him a message: part prophecy, part warning. As Shirley's village prepares for the annual May Day celebrations, where a new queen will be crowned and the future reborn, she must choose between change and renewal - will the missives Mr. Tiller brings prevent her mastering her destiny? Exploring complex ideas of fate and power, and questioning the authority of those who write our cultural narratives, The Arrival of Missives is a unique work, deftly marrying literary and genre influences. It heralds the arrival of a major new voice in speculative fiction.
Genres: FantasyScience FictionFictionHistorical FictionNovellaHistoricalBritish LiteratureSpeculative FictionMagical RealismHorror
120 Pages

Community Reviews:

5 star
100 (20%)
4 star
217 (44%)
3 star
115 (23%)
2 star
50 (10%)
1 star
12 (2%)

Readers also enjoyed

Other books by Aliya Whiteley

Lists with this book

Slade House
Homegoing
The Noise of Time
Man Booker Prize Eligible 2016
176 books196 voters
A Court of Mist and Fury
Empire of Storms
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two
Best Books of 2016
1840 books2788 voters
Jackdaws
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Sorcerer to the Crown
ATY Group Members Recommendations
246 books88 voters
The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher
The Grapes of Wrath
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The ______ of ______
1087 books43 voters