The Half Life of Valery K
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- Create Date：2022-07-02 00:16:52
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Natasha Pulley
- ISBN：1408885212
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Summary
Previously titled: 'The Rust Country'。
From the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Kingdoms， an epic Cold War novel set in a mysterious town in Soviet Russia。
In 1963， in a Siberian gulag， former nuclear specialist Valery Kolkhanov has mastered what it takes to survive: the right connections to the guards for access to food and cigarettes， the right pair of warm boots to avoid frostbite， and the right attitude toward the small pleasures of life so he won’t go insane。 But on one ordinary day， all that changes: Valery’s university mentor steps in and sweeps Valery from the frozen prison camp to a mysterious unnamed town that houses a set of nuclear reactors and is surrounded by a forest so damaged it looks like the trees have rusted from within。
In City 40， Valery is Dr。 Kolkhanov once more， and he’s expected to serve out his prison term studying the effect of radiation on local animals。 But as Valery begins his work， he is struck by the questions his research raises: why is there so much radiation in this area？ What， exactly， is being hidden from the thousands who live in the town？ And if he keeps looking for answers， will he live to serve out his sentence？
Based on real events in a surreal Soviet city， and told with bestselling author Natasha Pulley’s inimitable style， The Rust Country is a sweeping new adventure for readers of Stuart Turton and Sarah Gailey。
From the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Kingdoms， an epic Cold War novel set in a mysterious town in Soviet Russia。
In 1963， in a Siberian gulag， former nuclear specialist Valery Kolkhanov has mastered what it takes to survive: the right connections to the guards for access to food and cigarettes， the right pair of warm boots to avoid frostbite， and the right attitude toward the small pleasures of life so he won’t go insane。 But on one ordinary day， all that changes: Valery’s university mentor steps in and sweeps Valery from the frozen prison camp to a mysterious unnamed town that houses a set of nuclear reactors and is surrounded by a forest so damaged it looks like the trees have rusted from within。
In City 40， Valery is Dr。 Kolkhanov once more， and he’s expected to serve out his prison term studying the effect of radiation on local animals。 But as Valery begins his work， he is struck by the questions his research raises: why is there so much radiation in this area？ What， exactly， is being hidden from the thousands who live in the town？ And if he keeps looking for answers， will he live to serve out his sentence？
Based on real events in a surreal Soviet city， and told with bestselling author Natasha Pulley’s inimitable style， The Rust Country is a sweeping new adventure for readers of Stuart Turton and Sarah Gailey。
Reviews
Daniela
，
Well she did it again。 This is incredible and I can’t wait to reread it。 I may have to go rewatch Chernobyl too。
Luana Rainbow
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"He could feel his hastily built levee creaking with the force of the hunger behind it， only this hunger was worse than hunger for food。 This was desperate， grasping。"This book is very different from Pulley's previous works。 It's a purely historical novel with no magic realism in it。 Magic is now replaced by science， but one could argue that in Pulley's hands they are kind of the same thing。This story is also firmly set in its present。 It lacks her usual reflection on time and memory， even thoug "He could feel his hastily built levee creaking with the force of the hunger behind it， only this hunger was worse than hunger for food。 This was desperate， grasping。"This book is very different from Pulley's previous works。 It's a purely historical novel with no magic realism in it。 Magic is now replaced by science， but one could argue that in Pulley's hands they are kind of the same thing。This story is also firmly set in its present。 It lacks her usual reflection on time and memory， even though her trademark bone-deep loneliness and longing are there and they're beautiful。 No one writes romance like she does， I'll never get tired of saying this。The Half-Life Of Valery K is a story about broken people trying to preserve or reclaim their humanity in a world that does everything in its power to take it away。 It's kindness that saves us from the dehumanisation of the soul。How much of yourself and your morals are you willing to sacrifice， when cruelty seems to be the only way to survive in a world where nations play tug of war at the expense of innocent lives？There are so many things I loved in this book， I'll just （vaguely） mention a few:- Valery's scientific yet poetic explanation of death。 It was such a comforting way of looking at it。 It should be taught to everyone， it would free us from religions。 - The last chapter。 The comparison Pulley made there was brutal in its perfection and humor。- The way Pulley played with Valery and Shenkov's physical appearance in relation to what people expect from them。 As usual， she's an expert in writing vulnerability that survives toxic masculinity， but what she did here was beyond excellence。 I could really go on forever。 Now excuse me while I reread this immediately， as one does with every Pulley's book。 "If I look sad it’s because this is the happiest I’ve been for years， and you did that。" 。。。more
Carola
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I've been looking forward to this book ever since it was announced。 When it arrived， I couldn't put it down。 Now I've slept on it and I need to write this review。You see， I'm conflicted。I absolutely did enjoy this book。 I love my characters deeply troubled and absolutely everyone in this book was exactly that。 I am also very interested in the setting （both in time and space） and the topic。 The plot was solid。 It was a good book！Thing is， I'm also a fan of Pulley's work in general and can't help I've been looking forward to this book ever since it was announced。 When it arrived， I couldn't put it down。 Now I've slept on it and I need to write this review。You see， I'm conflicted。I absolutely did enjoy this book。 I love my characters deeply troubled and absolutely everyone in this book was exactly that。 I am also very interested in the setting （both in time and space） and the topic。 The plot was solid。 It was a good book！Thing is， I'm also a fan of Pulley's work in general and can't help compare and contextualise。 This wasn't her strongest book。 I love it compared to other， non-Pulley books， but at least on my first read it didn't live up to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Kingdoms especially。 That's fine （I do urge everyone to go read The Kingdoms especially， it's super underrated）。 It was still good， just a bit more straightforward than what she usually does。If you've read her other work， it's very clear that she has a few tropes that she comes back to in every book， and that while technically the characters are new they feel。。。 very familiar。 I don't mind， because I actually like the formula。 But that's what it is starting to become: a formula， and I wouldn't blame anyone for being tired of it。My bigger issue is。。。 after five books， seeing what she's doing with her female characters every single time is starting to become painful。 Without exception they draw the short end of the stick， and in plenty of cases either die or （tragically） disappear or get left behind。 It's grating on me。 It's fine if it happens in one book， women don't have to be perfectly angelic （I'd rather they're not）。 But this is starting to become a glaring part of the formula and， yeah。。。 no。 。。。more
Teresa Cornelius
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The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha PulleyI have read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Natasha Pulley’s previous novels so I was looking forward immensely to this new novel。 It is on a very different theme to her previous work dealing as it does with real events。 It is a terrifying story which focuses on Valery K。 At the beginning of the novel he is in a gulag in Siberia with his only friend Boris the rat who brings him nails， a useful commodity in a gulag。He is then suddenly removed from the gula The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha PulleyI have read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Natasha Pulley’s previous novels so I was looking forward immensely to this new novel。 It is on a very different theme to her previous work dealing as it does with real events。 It is a terrifying story which focuses on Valery K。 At the beginning of the novel he is in a gulag in Siberia with his only friend Boris the rat who brings him nails， a useful commodity in a gulag。He is then suddenly removed from the gulag he assumes to be shot but is then transferred to the strange City 40。 Here it becomes immediately apparent they are living in the middle of a zone devastated by a nuclear accident。 Valery begins to unearth the truths which the powers would rather remained a secret and we wonder how long he will be able to survive。 I found the main character’s life fascinating。 He was so well developed。 I loved his inability to remain quiet about injustice; even at the risk of his own life; his difficulty in relating to others and the subtlety of his relationship with Shenkov。 From the first pages， I was fully engaged with the character and how his story would develop。 With the tragedies currently occurring in the Ukraine the book provides a terrible insight into the ideology of the Russians。I did have one or two minor questions related to anachronisms。 The term HR is used to refer to a department which then went by the name Personnel， there are references to mooning， the octopus uses the TV remote control and the BBC screens live from Parliament in 1963？Despite this I would still give it 5 stars as the book is so engaging and will be recommending it to everyone I know。 I would like to thank Natasha Pulley， the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Lydia
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i maybe should have docked points for lack of svetlana content but i would also end up adding the points back for her just existing as a character
Jen 3_Piets
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Just have to say that this is:1。 Different to all Natasha’s other books （except it contains a pet octopus， of course） and2。 Much。 Better。 Than。 I。 Ever。 Thought。 It。 Could。 Be。 Wow。 Ok synopsis。 Valery K is a nuclear scientist who unfortunately ended up in Germany at the wrong time （1930’s） then because of that， in soviet Russia in the 1960’s he ended up in a labor camp on 10 years hard labor。 He is pulled out of the camp by his previous academic supervisor， to a lab researching the effects of r Just have to say that this is:1。 Different to all Natasha’s other books （except it contains a pet octopus， of course） and2。 Much。 Better。 Than。 I。 Ever。 Thought。 It。 Could。 Be。 Wow。 Ok synopsis。 Valery K is a nuclear scientist who unfortunately ended up in Germany at the wrong time （1930’s） then because of that， in soviet Russia in the 1960’s he ended up in a labor camp on 10 years hard labor。 He is pulled out of the camp by his previous academic supervisor， to a lab researching the effects of radiation， in a most unethical way。 No more plot line， just know it’s really a worthwhile read。 Once again I’m in love with another Natasha Pulley book。 。。。more
Fynn
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- queer romance- two murderous bastards as the MCs。 with trauma- SLOWEST OF SLOW BURNS- quirky pet- gender is fake- sciency stuff which isn't magical for a change- and autismall in all: perfect， 5/5 - queer romance- two murderous bastards as the MCs。 with trauma- SLOWEST OF SLOW BURNS- quirky pet- gender is fake- sciency stuff which isn't magical for a change- and autismall in all: perfect， 5/5 。。。more
Megan
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A compulsively readable book about a Russian scientist who is released to work in a top secret radiation lab。 This book is heartwarming and hopeful which is very bizarre to say since it is also about radiation accidents。
Cat Evans
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I've come to expect an edge of the weird in Natasha Pulley's books， where science slips elegantly over into fiction。 This one's staggeringly weird but in entirely historically plausible ways。 I learned things AND I felt things。 Rude。The story was fascinating， as always， and the characters as sharp and engaging， and as damaged。 This doesn't quite take the crown from The Kingdoms as my favourite Pulley but it came very close。 The animal body count is still racking up， though。 I've come to expect an edge of the weird in Natasha Pulley's books， where science slips elegantly over into fiction。 This one's staggeringly weird but in entirely historically plausible ways。 I learned things AND I felt things。 Rude。The story was fascinating， as always， and the characters as sharp and engaging， and as damaged。 This doesn't quite take the crown from The Kingdoms as my favourite Pulley but it came very close。 The animal body count is still racking up， though。 。。。more
Helen Precious
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This book follows the life of Valery K flitting between the present， the recent past and his time working in Nazi Germany。 After being imprisoned in a Gulag as an undesirable， Valery is picked to work in relative freedom in a mysterious village located in the depths of Siberia。 Once there， it is quickly evident that only half truths are being told and that the ecological damage caused by radiation is just the external evidence of a much darker secret。 Pulley has created a captivating story based This book follows the life of Valery K flitting between the present， the recent past and his time working in Nazi Germany。 After being imprisoned in a Gulag as an undesirable， Valery is picked to work in relative freedom in a mysterious village located in the depths of Siberia。 Once there， it is quickly evident that only half truths are being told and that the ecological damage caused by radiation is just the external evidence of a much darker secret。 Pulley has created a captivating story based on real life events that has a mix of scientific， suspense and historical threads。 The threat and paranoia caused by the political climate of Russia permeates every action of this narrative illustrating the psychological damage of the regime， where doing the right thing and speaking out carries a real risk of deadly repercussions。 。。。more
Rachel Barber
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I have never wanted to ask an author about their sources so badly before。 A well researched， gripping tale is just catnip to me。 I’ve read a few negative reviews and I think their criticisms have merit， especially in regards to the disparate positions held by the two leads， and the power dynamics within。It’s messy。 I grant you that。 And adding an extra layer of atrocity to a historical atrocity？ I appreciate that she acknowledged this （probable） fabrication in the afterword。I think it’s good to I have never wanted to ask an author about their sources so badly before。 A well researched， gripping tale is just catnip to me。 I’ve read a few negative reviews and I think their criticisms have merit， especially in regards to the disparate positions held by the two leads， and the power dynamics within。It’s messy。 I grant you that。 And adding an extra layer of atrocity to a historical atrocity？ I appreciate that she acknowledged this （probable） fabrication in the afterword。I think it’s good to consider the moral quandaries this brings about， and I’m not naive enough to think they didn’t occur to the author as she was writing。These were choices that she deliberately made， and whether they jibe with her readership remain to be seen。But I found this to be an excellent， well-written， brilliantly researched FICTIONAL book with characters I grew very attached to， and loved very much。I wonder what became of Albert？For fans of HBO’s Chernobyl miniseries， I highly recommended。 。。。more
Nic
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3。5*。 The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley is a book which is fascinating as events in Russia and Ukraine unfold and feels like a story that everyone should be aware of。 Valery has spent years in a Siberian gulag， one of a high proportion of educated Russian’s spirited away in the 1950/60s Stalin regime。 When he is removed for the gulag before his sentence is spent， he finds himself in the mysterious City 40。 Called for by his previous academic supervisor， Valery is amazed to be somewhere 3。5*。 The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley is a book which is fascinating as events in Russia and Ukraine unfold and feels like a story that everyone should be aware of。 Valery has spent years in a Siberian gulag， one of a high proportion of educated Russian’s spirited away in the 1950/60s Stalin regime。 When he is removed for the gulag before his sentence is spent， he finds himself in the mysterious City 40。 Called for by his previous academic supervisor， Valery is amazed to be somewhere with fresh fruit， veg and coffee but everything isn’t all that it seems。 Surrounded by half lies and people with secrets or oblivious as to what may be happening， Valery needs to ground himself in what may be happening and what he can do which will lead to meaningful change。 Based on an incredible true story， The Half Life of Valery K is an amazing fictionalised telling of a dark side of history。 The characters and incredible， the plot is intriguing although it is sometimes a little tricky to follow。 Overall， a highly recommended read。 Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Sarah R
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Mori literally invented the cure for TB for Thaniel， Merrick waited half his life for Raphael， Joe "everything I've done since losing you has been about getting back to you" Tourniercontrasted with Valery and Shenkov who just happened to meet in terrible conditions and fell in love anyways i think is kinda sweet Mori literally invented the cure for TB for Thaniel， Merrick waited half his life for Raphael， Joe "everything I've done since losing you has been about getting back to you" Tourniercontrasted with Valery and Shenkov who just happened to meet in terrible conditions and fell in love anyways i think is kinda sweet 。。。more
River
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There is something very discomfiting about things that can kill you but you can't see。 There is something equally disturbing about no one talking about things everyone knows。 I was mildly uneasy for the entire day it took me to read this， and i somehow enjoyed every minute of it。 There is something very discomfiting about things that can kill you but you can't see。 There is something equally disturbing about no one talking about things everyone knows。 I was mildly uneasy for the entire day it took me to read this， and i somehow enjoyed every minute of it。 。。。more
S
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T_TSo good。 She gets it。 I just finished and that's all I can write atm。 T_TSo good。 She gets it。 I just finished and that's all I can write atm。 。。。more
Nadirah
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I have just one thing to say: How dare you make me learn new things through your fiction yet again， Ms。 Pulley？Okay， I lied， I have more to say。 "The Half Life of Valery K" is one of my most -- if not the most -- anticipated reads of this year， and so it's with half trepidation and half excitement that I devoured this whilst I shut myself away from civilization for a day。 What can I say？ A Pulley book demands complete and total immersion。I thoroughly enjoyed this insightful historical fiction ab I have just one thing to say: How dare you make me learn new things through your fiction yet again， Ms。 Pulley？Okay， I lied， I have more to say。 "The Half Life of Valery K" is one of my most -- if not the most -- anticipated reads of this year， and so it's with half trepidation and half excitement that I devoured this whilst I shut myself away from civilization for a day。 What can I say？ A Pulley book demands complete and total immersion。I thoroughly enjoyed this insightful historical fiction about the dangers of radiation set in the mysteriously named City 40 in Russia， where a real-life nuclear incident occurred in the 1960s。 Though it's odd to read a Pulley novel that doesn't have her signature magical realism， that doesn't make this story any less engaging。 Much of the events that took place in this book are rooted in reality， with some notable exceptions， and Pulley brings her magic to the narrative with her storytelling。 In some ways， some of the questions raised in this book re: science & ethics reminded me of When We Cease to Understand the World， which I appreciated。That said， while I enjoyed this， I do have reservations about some of the choices Pulley made， namely in the pairing of the Gulag prisoner & a KGB officer （which can be deemed as in poor taste）， and that unsatisfying ending。 For me， Valery K has one of the weakest endings compared to all of her other books。 While The Kingdoms's ending felt too clean-cut in its resolution， this one just left me with more questions as to the fate of some of the characters。 （For the record， I maintain that The Bedlam Stacks has the most perfect ending， never mind that it broke my heart into pieces。） For all of my reservations， I can't deny that Pulley has a way of writing endearing characters that will stick with me for a long time， and I can see myself rereading this whenever I need a dose of Valery K。 I can't wait to read whatever she's got cooked up next。Related Read（s）: The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II， When We Cease to Understand the World 。。。more
˗ˏˋ eg ˎˊ˗
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RTC
Kat Steiner
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It feels wrong for me to give a Natasha Pulley novel less than 4 stars: Watchmaker is one of my absolute favourite books。 And I did really enjoy this one too！However。 I've read all of her novels and there are some pretty obvious patterns by now。 One: they all feature slightly unlikely gay romances。 Two: they never have any likeable female characters。 Three: all the protagonists are indistinguishable from each other in terms of personality and turn of phrase。 Four' an octopus often features。I am It feels wrong for me to give a Natasha Pulley novel less than 4 stars: Watchmaker is one of my absolute favourite books。 And I did really enjoy this one too！However。 I've read all of her novels and there are some pretty obvious patterns by now。 One: they all feature slightly unlikely gay romances。 Two: they never have any likeable female characters。 Three: all the protagonists are indistinguishable from each other in terms of personality and turn of phrase。 Four' an octopus often features。I am just profoundly disappointed by the women， again。 I feel like Pulley deliberately likes to subvert stereotypes by writing soft， tender men and women who actively dislike children and only care about science。 Which is fine， except people have a bit more to them than that and she actually just writes really unlikeable， one-dimensional， emotionless or cruel women， or sets them up in direct conflict with the male protagonists。 When she manages to write relatively fleshed-out male characters， this is just getting boring to me。I'm never quite sure what I'm going to get with her novels - they tend to feature quite adorable， almost twee male romance， but within quite grim and unpleasant action。 Particularly this book， and The Kingdoms。 It's a bit jarring。 I enjoyed the mystery and the plot， although I don't much like books about Nazis or radiation。 It was pacey and a quick read and the science was good。 I found the mass rape subplot deeply unpleasant but I suppose not unlikely or unbelievable for the setting。I thought the ending was quite weird - nice that the guys got together but odd that there wasn't even an attempted explanation of why Shenkov's family didn't get to come with them。 It just felt like they were written out so Valery got his love affair。 And of course Anna didn't get a look-in。 In some ways I always find the romances anachronistic - not because gay men didn't exist in the past！ But because none of the men ever refer to anything to do with their sexuality， what effect it's had on their lives， what it means for them， what their past relationships were like。 It makes it feel sort of tacked on。 Anyway， some good， some bad。 Would like more fun women and a bit of variation to the increasingly similar protagonists and romance。 。。。more
Kaye Fraser
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When we meet Valero K he is at the beginning of his recovery from imprisonment in a Soviet ‘gulag’ and has been sent to a community in the remotest part of the country to continue his work as a nuclear research scientist。 What he finds there could change the lives of not just the people working and living there， but the course of the whole nuclear power struggle in the world。 The story is complex but the writing always makes it easy for the reader to follow。 There is drama and skullduggery in ab When we meet Valero K he is at the beginning of his recovery from imprisonment in a Soviet ‘gulag’ and has been sent to a community in the remotest part of the country to continue his work as a nuclear research scientist。 What he finds there could change the lives of not just the people working and living there， but the course of the whole nuclear power struggle in the world。 The story is complex but the writing always makes it easy for the reader to follow。 There is drama and skullduggery in abundance and the reader becomes completely invested in saving the scientists and the people around them from nuclear Armageddon。 It’s a difficult book to review without giving the plot away， but this is well worth reading， although the science does occasionally become a little overwhelming。 。。。more
Mel Pretorius
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If someone said that you'd be reading a book about a nuclear plant disaster， worse than Chernobyl then I'd say， I'd probably give it a miss in the current climate。 However， I am so very glad to have read "The Half Life of Valery K" by Natasha Pulley， as only she can turn something depressing like that into a page-turner。 Now there possibly are a few fantastical inventions such as Boris the rat that brings Valery nails or Albert the octopus that can change the tv channel and adjust the temperatur If someone said that you'd be reading a book about a nuclear plant disaster， worse than Chernobyl then I'd say， I'd probably give it a miss in the current climate。 However， I am so very glad to have read "The Half Life of Valery K" by Natasha Pulley， as only she can turn something depressing like that into a page-turner。 Now there possibly are a few fantastical inventions such as Boris the rat that brings Valery nails or Albert the octopus that can change the tv channel and adjust the temperature of his tank， but these are light relief。 Fascinating！ 。。。more
Catherine
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Based on true events at a Russian nuclear facility in the 1960s， The Half Life of Valery K follows the story of a Russian nuclear scientist， pulled from the gulag to lend his expertise to what seem to be human radiation trials at the mysterious City 40。 Natasha Pulley adds her trademark slow burn， queer romance with delightfully awkward characters。 It's a delight to read her historical fiction with a touch of whimsy。 For readers of TJ Klune and Kate Quinn。 Based on true events at a Russian nuclear facility in the 1960s， The Half Life of Valery K follows the story of a Russian nuclear scientist， pulled from the gulag to lend his expertise to what seem to be human radiation trials at the mysterious City 40。 Natasha Pulley adds her trademark slow burn， queer romance with delightfully awkward characters。 It's a delight to read her historical fiction with a touch of whimsy。 For readers of TJ Klune and Kate Quinn。 。。。more
Queer Reader
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Nuclear Specialist Valery Kolkhanov is swept from a frozen gulag to a mysterious town， known as City 40， to study the effects of radiation on local animals。 The lies are as pervasive as the radiation and， as Valery searches for answers， he puts his life and those around him at risk。 This was a really hard book for me to review， but I think that is a personal thing rather than the book itself。 I Love Pulley’s previous novels， The Watchmaker and Kingdoms are some of my favourite books。 So， I think Nuclear Specialist Valery Kolkhanov is swept from a frozen gulag to a mysterious town， known as City 40， to study the effects of radiation on local animals。 The lies are as pervasive as the radiation and， as Valery searches for answers， he puts his life and those around him at risk。 This was a really hard book for me to review， but I think that is a personal thing rather than the book itself。 I Love Pulley’s previous novels， The Watchmaker and Kingdoms are some of my favourite books。 So， I think for me it was a hard one to follow。 The Half Life of Valery K shared similar themes as all Pulley's books do; protagonists who happen to be queer， subtle romance， miscommunications， morally questionable characters。 And all of these things are what make the works so enjoyable。 That， and the one thing this book lacked - magic realism。 Based on true facts about a nuclear site in Soviet Russia during the Cold War， I spent the first hundred pages waiting for some supernatural phenomena， or maybe a tiny bit of time travel， before I thought to check the genre tags。 It is good old historical fiction with some science， but no sci fi。 The flashbacks to the gulag and Valery’s experiences prior to City 40 were some of the most affecting scenes。 Valery is portrayed as a sweet and boyish man in his 40s who has spent 5 years imprisoned for things he hasn’t done but things he might。 Pulley demonstrates the harsh realities and the injustices of war for those not directly involved but irrevocably affected。 It caught me in the feels a couple of times。 The flashback to the train and a conversation Valery has with one of Shenkov’s children were written with just the right amounts of horror and sorrow without over doing it。 That is the great thing about Pulley's writing， it gives you just enough。 I think this is why I am such a fan， That and the queer representation。 It's rarely a plot device， it's barely mentioned and it's not a big deal， even if in reality it would be。 It doesn't play on the forbidden romance thing that other queer historical novels do。 Which is refreshing。 I enjoyed the slow burn romance that was more two opposites finding comfort in each other， but the ending didn’t tie everything up neatly and left me a little unsure about how I felt for some of the other characters involved。 Although they were surrounded by radiation on a nuclear plant in the middle of a war， the threat never felt quite high enough， every challenge is resolved quickly and Valery is so convinced he will be taken back to the gulag at any moment that he accepts it and it doesn’t really feel like it would be so bad。I did really like Valery and Shenkov， particularly how the characters aren't perfect。 The difference is one is forced to do horrible things and the other is not。 But I wont give any spoilers， you'll have to read it to see why。 。。。more
Heather L
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This was an interesting book， it's based on a real event that took place in Russia that was kept hidden for many years。 In around October 1963， Valery K has been in a Siberian gulag for a number of years， with a number more to go， when he is plucked from there by an old acquaintance， a former professor， who brings him to a very remote area where scientists are working to try to find what makes people （or anything for that matter） resistant to radiation。 The place Valery has been taken to is City This was an interesting book， it's based on a real event that took place in Russia that was kept hidden for many years。 In around October 1963， Valery K has been in a Siberian gulag for a number of years， with a number more to go， when he is plucked from there by an old acquaintance， a former professor， who brings him to a very remote area where scientists are working to try to find what makes people （or anything for that matter） resistant to radiation。 The place Valery has been taken to is City 40 where back in 1957 an accident had occurred and a very large amount of radiation was released， the area was evacuated and a 'city' was built and staffed to find a scientific way of making people resistant to radiation。 Very quickly Valery finds that there is much more going on then he's been told， he discovers that there are a group of people who were evacuated but returned to the area， they live in the woods and eat fish from a lake that is highly radioactive， all of them are also suffering from radiation sickness。 The rooms are bugged and anyone that says anything even mildly against anything going on， is quickly taken out and never returns。 It's hard to describe this book as a suspense， though there is a lot of that， the city is mostly modern， they have their own rooms and with the exception of the listening devices in the light switch， they can do whatever they want。 Valery's backstory， how he ended up in a gulag， is told in flashbacks。 The ending is hopeful。 I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it。。 Thank you to #Netgalley and #Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC。 。。。more
Julia
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I was looking forward to reading this book and hence very happy when I was approved for an ARC。 Now that I have finished， I just don’t know how to review and rate the book。Well， I should preface this review with some information。 I really like Pulley’s style of writing， her books manage to draw me in every time， despite knowing that there’s certainly going to be at least one female character that is supposed to be the bad guy （or better gal） who is sabotaging the M/M romance。 Further， I have liv I was looking forward to reading this book and hence very happy when I was approved for an ARC。 Now that I have finished， I just don’t know how to review and rate the book。Well， I should preface this review with some information。 I really like Pulley’s style of writing， her books manage to draw me in every time， despite knowing that there’s certainly going to be at least one female character that is supposed to be the bad guy （or better gal） who is sabotaging the M/M romance。 Further， I have lived behind the Iron Curtain and， although that doesn’t make me an expert in Soviet culture， I wish this book had had at least one sensitivity reader， because the anachronisms and cultural/language missteps were jarring and jarringly obvious to me。 Last but not least， the book was listed under Sci-Fi， which is probably for its science content。2。5/5 StarsFull review - including spoilers - can be found on the blog: https://scepticalreading。com/2022/06/。。。 。。。more
Melanie Caldicott
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I think it would have been better if I had gone into this book knowing more about it as I felt for half the book I was playing catch-up in terms of context and themes。 For me， despite the heavy subject matter there seemed to be an incongruous light touch to the plot and characters。 I think Valery seemed to be written with more than just trauma playing into his personality but also a difficulty to read people and emotions and therefore the comfort he finds from science and factual reality。 But as I think it would have been better if I had gone into this book knowing more about it as I felt for half the book I was playing catch-up in terms of context and themes。 For me， despite the heavy subject matter there seemed to be an incongruous light touch to the plot and characters。 I think Valery seemed to be written with more than just trauma playing into his personality but also a difficulty to read people and emotions and therefore the comfort he finds from science and factual reality。 But as things emerge from his perspective I found everything quite sterile and opaque which for me as a reader was frustrating and， most importantly， failed to communicate the tragic nature of what was going on effectively。 I could not believe in Shenkov and found him shadowy and full of contradictions。 Maybe that was because we got to know him through his relationship with Valery and it was down to the reader to read between the lines and flesh out his subtleties but I just found it frustrating。 I could not reconcile his role as KGB agent and his growing relationship with Valery and why he went from enforcing the secrecy to exposing conspiracy。 I just felt like missed some parts of the journey - maybe I did。 As historical fiction telling a rarely told story this had a lot of potential， but for me it was just hard to grasp hold of and failed to engage me as much as I would have liked in its emotion， characters and storytelling。 This honest review is with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy。 。。。more
Debrafleming
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This is my first time reading a novel by Pulley， and it was an interesting experience。 I was thoroughly invested in Valery as a character and I loved Pulley's use of language。 That being said， I did find the capitalization deviations distracting。 I did really enjoy the scientific and historical aspects of the story。 Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advance copy to read and review。 All opinions are my own。 This is my first time reading a novel by Pulley， and it was an interesting experience。 I was thoroughly invested in Valery as a character and I loved Pulley's use of language。 That being said， I did find the capitalization deviations distracting。 I did really enjoy the scientific and historical aspects of the story。 Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advance copy to read and review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Laura
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The Half Life of Valery K was not on my list of most anticipated books of 2022， but it definitely would have been had I known it was getting published this year， because Natasha Pulley is one of my favourite authors。 It’s 1963， and Valery has spent six years in the gulag when he is abruptly transferred to a secret facility called Chelyabinsk 40， where his scientific expertise is required to study an irradiated forest and the animal life within。 However， Valery soon realises that something is wro The Half Life of Valery K was not on my list of most anticipated books of 2022， but it definitely would have been had I known it was getting published this year， because Natasha Pulley is one of my favourite authors。 It’s 1963， and Valery has spent six years in the gulag when he is abruptly transferred to a secret facility called Chelyabinsk 40， where his scientific expertise is required to study an irradiated forest and the animal life within。 However， Valery soon realises that something is wrong; the levels of radiation in the city are far above what has been officially reported。 Struggling with the effects of his trauma， and having firmly believed that he was going to die in the gulag， Valery is aware that he sees everything off-kilter。 He’s almost moved through his own death to a state beyond it where nothing matters to him more than preserving the lives of others。 He’s a hugely compelling protagonist， perhaps Pulley’s best creation to date， because of this skewed logic。In this context， the title of the novel becomes fascinating: on first glance， we might assume that Valery’s ‘half life’ refers to how he has been damaged and reduced by the gulag。 But there’s a second meaning here， tied more closely to the subject-matter of the novel: the ‘half life’ of a radioactive substance is how long it takes for half of the unstable nuclei to decay。 Substances with a longer half life have a slower but longer reach across time， while substances with a shorter half life show their effects more quickly but don’t last as long。 Pulley seems to be asking: what is someone like Valery’s impact on the world， and how long will it linger？Pulley’s other novels have all been set in versions of the nineteenth century where the real and the speculative intermingle; for fans of her other books， reading The Half Life of Valery K is a rather disconcerting experience， because it’s all based on fact but feels profoundly unreal。 The novel I kept thinking of while reading Valery K was Ursula Le Guin’s The Dispossessed。 There’s something about Valery that reminded me strongly of Shevek， the physicist protagonist of The Dispossessed who comes to a capitalist world from an anarcho-syndicalist society。 Pulley doesn’t delve as deeply into alternative value-systems， but Valery’s thought processes are at odds with Soviet Russian norms; she also shows how her characters， raised under communism， are perplexed by the West， especially its treatment of women。 Other Pulley tropes are present and correct – Valery is drawn into a close friendship with KGB head of security， Shenkov， despite the fact that he knows Shenkov could execute him at any time – but didn’t seem as central to this novel as they have been to her others。 It’s Valery and his pet octopus who take centre stage。In my opinion， Valery K ranks up there with Pulley's best books - The Bedlam Stacks and The Lost Future of Pepperharrow - while hopefully drawing in a new audience as well。 4。5 stars。I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review。 。。。more
ReadsandThings
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At this point， Natasha Pulley could publish her shopping list and I'd rave about it， so I think it's fair to say I went in ready to be swept off my feet。 It's her first one that has no magic at all to it - as she said herself， radioactivity is weird enough on its own， and while I was a bit apprehensive about that （because I love the magic， not gonna lie）， I think she was right。 It stands beautifully on its own without any magic at all。 It must be difficult to publish a book about Russia in 2022; At this point， Natasha Pulley could publish her shopping list and I'd rave about it， so I think it's fair to say I went in ready to be swept off my feet。 It's her first one that has no magic at all to it - as she said herself， radioactivity is weird enough on its own， and while I was a bit apprehensive about that （because I love the magic， not gonna lie）， I think she was right。 It stands beautifully on its own without any magic at all。 It must be difficult to publish a book about Russia in 2022; even more so having written a book about Russia in 2021 and watching world events unfold as you preparing for the publication of this book。 It didn't distract me from the story at all， however。 It's set in Russia， of course， and the characters are Russians， but first and foremost it's a story about universal human things that could in a similar form be set anywhere。 So if you've been hesitating to pick this up for this reason， please don't。 You'd be missing out on a beautiful book。 She brings all her trademark features to play: the broken characters that have their light escaping at the seams， the wonderful worldbuilding， the masterful plot structure， the tender characterisation。 Pulley just keeps getting better with every book that she writes， and it's such a shame that every book that she writes seems to receive a little less press than the one before。 For me， she's one of the very few living auto-buy authors that I have。 If you loved The Kingdoms by the same author， if you enjoy warm and hopeful stories set in difficult times that never slip into being smarmy or feel-good， if you like stories dealing with adversity little by little one day at a time， still finding things to laugh and weep at; then this book is for you。 There's a mystery to solve， but it's not a murder mystery; there's nucelar fission but it's not a science book; there are people falling in love but it's not a romance。 It's all of these things， but its brilliance exceeds the sum of its parts。 Do read it。 。。。more
Amelia
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I need to immediately re-read。 At first， I was worried it was going to feel like an echo of Watchmaker and Filigree Street， which are so rich and layered and nuanced and which I love so much it's difficult for Pulley's other works to compare， but when it got going， it became very satisfying in a similar way。 It was compelling throughout regardless （although there are a few things I'm troubled by even as I appreciate the complexity of those things）。 I'm looking forward to diving straight back in I need to immediately re-read。 At first， I was worried it was going to feel like an echo of Watchmaker and Filigree Street， which are so rich and layered and nuanced and which I love so much it's difficult for Pulley's other works to compare， but when it got going， it became very satisfying in a similar way。 It was compelling throughout regardless （although there are a few things I'm troubled by even as I appreciate the complexity of those things）。 I'm looking forward to diving straight back in anyway because， as always， I'm not quite ready to leave it。 。。。more
Jane
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