First published 2005
Harry Radcliffe has won prizes for his architectural designs, but his sharp wit masks a calculating nature. He uses people and situations to his advantage, particularly women. His recent divorce coincides with a mental breakdown he cannot explain. The Sultan of Saru approaches him with an extraordinary commission: design a dog museum worth a billion dollars. Harry accepts and travels to Saru, where reality operates by different rules than the world he knows. The project consumes his thoughts completely. Magic begins to surround him in ways he never anticipated. The museum commission reveals darker purposes that grow more threatening as work progresses. Harry discovers that his architectural skills have drawn him into something far beyond a simple building project.
Genres: mystery, fantasy, magical-realism, architecture
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Saru
267 pages · Paperback · Orb Books
Content warnings: mental-illness