Longyearbyen, 2110: Far to the North, buried deep in the mountains, is a massive vault filled with seeds from every corner of the Earth. Tommy grows up in the brutal landscape of Spitzbergen alongside his two brothers, for whom he would do anything, and his grandmother, the seed keeper of the vault. Life just to the South of the North Pole is demanding, but their tiny community has found its shape.  It has been many years since they cut off contact with other countries, and in their isolation, they live in harmony with nature.

When Longyearbyen is hit by a disaster, Tommy, his brothers, and his grandmother are among the few survivors. Six lonely people in a deserted landscape, in possession of a treasure the world thought forever lost.

At the same time, in a place far, far away, Tao subsists on the memories of her son Wei-Wen, whom she lost twelve years ago. Every day is the same; she is numb with sadness. And she is starving, like the rest of her people, trapped on a barren, impoverished land where countless species have disappeared.

But everything changes the day Tao is asked to lead an expedition to the North. The destination is Spitzbergen and its legendary seeds.

From acclaimed Norwegian author Maja Lunde,  The Dream of a Tree  is a chilling and gripping tale about our responsibility to this planet, both as a species and as individuals. Past, present and future are woven together, and the novel poses questions that our age is striving to answer: How did  homo sapiens  become the species that changed everything? Do we deserve to be masters of nature? And are we, too, an endangered species?

Translated into 36 languages, winner of the Norwegian Bookseller’s Prize, and the most successful Norwegian author of her generation, Maja Lunde returns  with a heart-wrenching tale, set in the distant past and the dystopian future, about  extinction and survival, family and hope.

Mikhail lives in Russia in 1881. When a skeleton of a rare wild horse is brought to him, the zoologist plans an expedition  to Mongolia to find the fabled Przewalski horse, a journey that tests not only his physicality, but his heart. In 1992, Karin, alongside her troubled son Mathias and several Przewalski horses, travels to Mongolia to re-introduce the magnificent horses to their native land. The veterinarian has dedicated her life to saving the breed from extinction, prioritizing the wild horses, even over her own son.  

Europe’s future is uncertain in 2064, but Eva is willing to sacrifice nearly everything to hold onto her family’s farm. Her teenage daughter implores Eva to leave the farm and Norway, but a pregnant wild mare Eva is tending is about to foal. Then, a young woman named Louise unexpectedly arrives on the farm, with mysterious intentions that will either bring them all together, or devastate them one by one.

Spanning continents and centuries,  The Last Wild Horses  is a powerful tale of survival and connection-of humans, animals, and the indestructible bonds that unite us all.  

Translated from the Norwegian by Diane Oatley

In the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, this dazzling and ambitious literary debut follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, and future, weaving a spellbinding story of their relationship to the bees – and to their children and one another – against the backdrop of an urgent, global crisis.

England, 1851. William is a biologist and seed merchant, who sets out to build a new type of beehive-one that will give both him and his children honour and fame.

United States, 2007. George is a beekeeper and fights an uphill battle against modern farming, but hopes that his son can be their salvation.

China, 2098. Tao hand paints pollen onto the fruit trees now that the bees have long since disappeared. When Tao’s young son is taken away by the authorities after a tragic accident-and is kept in the dark about his whereabouts and condition-she sets out on a grueling journey to find out what happened to him.

Haunting, illuminating, and deftly written, The History of Bees joins these three very different narratives into one gripping and thought provoking story that is just as much about the powerful relationships between children and parents as it is about our very relationship to nature and humanity.

Praise for The History of Bees:
‘Spectacular and deeply moving. Lunde has elegantly woven together a tale of science and science fiction, dystopia and hope, and the trials of the individual and the strengths of family’ Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author

‘Such is the genius of debut novelist Maja Lunde that her tale of three eras-the long past, the tenuous present and the biologically damned future-is strung on the fragile hope of the survival of bees’ Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author

‘As a lover of honeybees and a fan of speculative fiction, I was doubly smitten by The History of Bees. Maja Lunde’s novel is an urgent reminder of how much our survival depends on those remarkable insects. It is also a gripping account of how-despite the cruelest losses-humanity may abide and individual families can heal’ Jean Hegland, author of Into the Forest

‘By turns devastating and hopeful, The History of Beesresonates powerfully with our most pressing environmental concerns. Following three separate but interconnected timelines, Lunde shows us the past, the present, and a terrifying future in a riveting story as complex as a honeycomb’ Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author

‘Here is a story that is sweeping in scope but intimate in detail’ Laura McBride, author of We Are Called to Rise

‘A brilliant and beautiful novel’ Jan Askelund, Stavanger Aftenblad
 
‘She does everything right [?] She paints on a broad canvas, the topic is highly important and the language is both comprehensive and precise’ Geir Vestad, Hamar Arbeiderblad

‘One can easily understand the buzz ?’   Maria Årolilja Rø, Adresseavisa

‘The settings portrayed in the novel are impressively visual and each character is perfectly naturally rooted in his or her own era and environment’ Janneken Øverland, Klassekampen

‘Maja Lunde will reach a big audience with The History of Bees. (?) She has written a novel many will read in one go, and then sit down and think, about life, the world and the future. That is unique and it is very well done’ Annette Orre, littkritikk.no

‘The History of Bees is a fascinating and brilliantly written novel that elegantly moves between the various stories and timelines’ Oddmund Hagen, Dag og Tid