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The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz
The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz
Jan 1, 2026 6:21 PM

Author:Russell Hoban,Matt Addis

The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz

Brought to you by Penguin.

'I have gone to look for a lion.' In a world where lions have become extinct, the map-maker Jachin-Boaz nevertheless abandons his wife and son to find one, leaving just this note. But his decision has unexpected consequences. He will be pursued by his son, Boaz-Jachin, and by something else: a tawny-skinned, amber-eyed beast from another place and time, a bringer of life and death.

'Magic at work ... Funny as well as beautiful' Irish Times

'Hoban is unclassifiable, thank goodness. His narrative is so minutely and compellingly realistic that after a time you cease to notice that he has stood reality on its head' Sunday Times

'A piece of invention as original as any of Tolkien's or C.S. Lewis's' New Statesman

© Russell Hoban 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Reviews

Magic at work ... Funny as well as beautiful.

—— Irish Times

Amazingly, the mythology is sustained in totally modern terms, desolate, comic and urban.

—— Time Out

A piece of invention as original as any of Tolkien's or C.S. Lewis's.

—— New Statesman

Worth rejoicing in ... a banquet of whimsical delights. Each Russell Hoban book is surprising ... but you also know what you're getting, which is curiosity, wonder and a world-encompassing empathy.

—— John Self , The Guardian

Mr. Hoban is unclassifiable, thank goodness. His narrative is so minutely and compellingly realistic that after a time you cease to notice that he has stood reality on its head.

—— Sunday Times

A beautifully woven tale of families and their secrets.

—— Liz Fenwick

Gentle yet poignant, it's a book to settle down with and enjoy Devon.

—— Devon Life

Lovely . . . Made me long for a long hot summer by the sea with friends and family. I loved that new beginnings turn up when you least expect them.

—— Jo Thomas, author of The Oyster Catcher

Lovely . . . Made me long for a long hot summer by the sea with friends and family. I loved that new beginnings turn up when you least expect them.

—— Jo Thomas, author of Escape to the French Farmhouse

Warm summer reading

—— Choice Magazine

A beautifully woven tale of families and their secrets

—— Liz Fenwick

A book so exquisite in its language it pushes me to want to write better ... you will love the quiet world of Paddy & Kit Gladney and all it is their daughter Moll brings to their door. Beautiful

—— Anne Griffin, author of When All Is Said

A beautiful, almost unbearably moving novel. Donal Ryan's compassion shines through every word he writes

—— Louise O’Neill

This is a novel to savour, for its mastery of language, its power of storytelling and its sure hand as it covers the sweep of time. Irish fiction was in a great place already, but Donal Ryan has gone and raised the bar again. All the beauty and sorrow of life can be found in these pages

—— Kathleen MacMahon

The lyricism of the prose can be pitch perfect, placing Ryan among the great writers of rural Ireland such as John McGahern and Mary Lavin

—— Sunday Times

It is the sweetest, gentlest story of love ... each character so tenderly evoked

—— Saga Magazine

Ryan's beautifully written story reads like coming home and is a breath of fresh air

—— Best Novels of 2020 , Image Magazine

Tender and beautifully written ... We read this outstanding book in one sitting and will definitely return to it again

—— Independent

What a beautiful book, I loved it

—— Sinéad Morrissey

Beautifully observed Tipperary setting and tenderly created characters telling a story of loss and redemption ... Love permeates Ryan's work

—— Irish Times

A master with the written world and who has an insight into the Irish psyche which is not only stunning, but is hard to touch with a flame

—— Ryan Tubridy, RTE Radio 1

The slim novel belies its size by packing in a whole world of exploration of social class, gender, sexuality, race, parenthood, and religion. For all its scope, nothing is shoehorned in. It's all naturally and gently explored

—— Journal.ie

One of the greatest Irish novels of this century so far

—— Sunday Independent

A brilliant and ambitious addition to a body of work from an author who is inevitably, and seemingly effortlessly, writing his way into the pantheon of great Irish novelists

—— Sunday Business Post

Utterly captivating

—— Irish Examiner

Ryan reaffirms his place amongst Ireland's greatest wordsmiths ... This is a book which more than justifies the hype that accompanies it

—— RTE.ie

A novel carried by deep feeling and great empathy

—— Daily Mail

The writing is so exquisite, the dialogue so authentic, the sympathy so deep

—— Big Issue

Ryan's love of people pours from every page

—— Sunday Independent

One of the standout books for me this year. He's a master of the craft and has written a family story with humanity and warmth, turning sentence after sentence to die for

—— Kit de Waal , New Statesman, Books of the Year

Inventive

—— TLS

A lovingly crafted story that draws you in, gets under the skin and will resonate long after

—— i

Heartbreaking but redemptive, and lightened by French's trademark humour, this is a compelling read that will keep you poised between laughter and tears

—— Daily Mail

A tantalising story of motherhood told with Dawn French's signature warmth

—— Sainsbury's Magazine

As ever, even in the darkest of times, Dawn has found humour to inject into her novel

—— Best

A brilliant book

—— Good Housekeeping

The life-affirming and unmissable new novel

—— Eastern Daily Press

A tale told with warmth

—— Daily Record

While Dawn French's latest novel contains a dash of humour, it's also heart-wrenching

—— The Hunsbury Handbook

A fabulous emotional tearjerker of a novel

—— Silversurfers

Praise for Dawn French

—— -

Hilarious and brilliant

—— Woman & Home

I adored According to YES. It's so different to anything I've read in forever, so charming, wise, brilliantly written. I loved it all

—— Marian Keyes

Witty and wise, it'll have you burning the midnight oil. A cracker

—— Woman's Weekly

Very funny and packs an emotional clout. Brilliant!

—— Heat

An enlightening and feel-good read offering a fresh look at life and how to embrace it. Funny and enjoyable to the end

—— We Love This Book

There is lots of fun to be had reading this book. It's impossible not to warm to Rosie, a funny and open-hearted woman who acts as a salve and comfort blanket for this unhappy, inhibited family. There's something quite joyous about the way she unashamedly romps her way through the novel, changing the lives of those around her for the better

—— Express

Another hilarious novel!

—— Bella

French can spin a yarn . . . which sets According to YES apart. Think the vicar of Dibley, without the dog collar. YES YES YES indeed

—— Independent

Wise and poignant

—— Beyond the Joke

Heart-warming

—— Choice Magazine
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