Steven Carroll's subtly crafted novel is a poignant exploration of dashed hopes and suburban desperations...A rich and evocative novel with a strong sense of period.

An exquisitely crafted journey of Australian suburban life . . . fresh and irresistible

Deceptively simple, this novel has a quiet force

A veritable little gem . . . a beautiful discovery

Subtle, true and profoundly touching . . . from the first lines of this very beautiful novel by Steven Carroll, an indefinable charm is at work

a little masterpiece

A superb evocation of an almost-lost Australia

The Art of the Engine Driver is a stunning work of masterful storytelling and sparing, assured prose

A brilliant novel

Carroll has choreographed his story too well to be obvious. Resist the urge to flip to the end. It's the journey that rewards in this book, not the destination

Invigorating. To recreate convincingly a single historical period is an achievement. To recreate six is to approach virtuosity ... Deft, smart, various and warm: a very good book indeed.

Multi-layered and masterful. Suspend your disbelief, flow along with this wonderful book.

Stunning. Moving between Wang's many pasts, all of them thrilling, gruesome, and tragic, and Wang's increasingly desperate present, Barker's historical tour de force is simultaneously sweeping and precise. Barker's psychologically nuanced characters and sharp wit turn the bleakness and the gore into something seriously moving. Effortlessly blends the past with the present, dark humour with profound sadness. A deeply human masterpiece.

Not since Jung Chang's WILD SWANS has there been such a visceral re-telling of the old days.

Barker resembles David Mitchell in the ability to weave together past and present in a convincing, and ultimately intriguing, manner

China reels with tension

This is a beautifully structured novel, and the interspersed letters describing previous lives are engrossing and sharp. These past lives are too real to feel like mere metaphor. Cruelty, betrayal and slavery reoccur over the centuries, and are echoed in Wang’s modern life.

The prose is light and often witty, and the characterization is one of the book’s most impressive aspects… This is an extremely satisfying and intelligent book

A wonderful piece of historical/fantasy/suspense fiction unlike anything else I've read... Constantly unpredictable and surprising

Barker is a phenomenal storyteller. She time-travels seamlessly from the Tang Dynasty in AD 632 to contemporary Beijing and each snippet of each incarnation, rich in convincing detail, is utterly mesmerising

Barker has created a set of characters who jump off the page and Wang's heartrending story is sensitively told

Seamlessly weaving Chinese folklore, history, and literary classics, The Incarnations is a taut and gripping novel that sheds light on the cyclical nature of history and it hints that the past is never truly settled.

Remarkable... a time-bending fantasy with an unknown (and possibly unreliable) narrator sweeping us down the rabbit hole of history

Vivid and engaging

The Incarnations is so many stories wrapped into one astounding tale, and the end result is nothing short of a masterpiece. Susan Barker takes us on a breathtaking tour of China's chequered history, and her literary prowess is a thing of beauty.

The best English-language novel about China I have ever read.

Engaging, poetic and lyrical... Individually, the historical chapters are compelling, interesting short stories; together you have a novel I want to read with a book club and discuss, discuss, discuss

Balances past and present, the grand sweep of history and the intensely personal, all wrapped up in brisk and densely evocative prose. You can never quite be sure where Wang's story is going to turn next - not even after a thousand years.

A towering, sweeping ode

So alive, so visceral. Every incarnation is raw and vicious. Just amazing. For fans of David Mitchell and Murakami

Barker is a brilliant prose stylist and this book should be read out loud. Even some of the most minor details are charged with social and historical insight... a genuine page turner that brings it all together quite unlike any other book about China published in the past decade.

Page-turning. A very memorable read.

Engrossing. Barker's writing is fluid, and the plotlines and characterizations found in her historical tales, while dark and sinister, are nonetheless intriguing. Misunderstandings abound throughout the novel to unravel the past that collides intensely with the present, ultimately leading to a disquieting finale.

Dazzling ... her natural storytelling gifts shine from every paragraph

Brutal yet seductive, this journey through the darkest parts of the human spirit will leave readers with chills running down their spines.

Barker skilfully combines history, the supernatural and the everyday in a novel that suggests the apst is never really past, while providing a cracking good read.

A deeply human masterpiece.

[A] kaleidoscopically imaginative novel…Barker stitches together an unnervingly perceptive portrait of China and of the enduring influence that its past has on the present.