The Half Life of Valery K
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- Create Date：2022-07-11 08:51:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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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
Dorian McIntush
，
As always， a Pulley review is difficult to write。 The way Natasha Pulley writes and crafts characters and emotions cuts deep into me like very little else。 Her prose is beautiful and there were many scenes and lines that made me sit and stare out for a while， processing。 And again， she has written a beautiful and surprisingly tender love story。 I am going to be thinking about it for a long， long time。 I love Valery and Shenkov so so so deeply。 The plot of Valery K is also my favorite of all her As always， a Pulley review is difficult to write。 The way Natasha Pulley writes and crafts characters and emotions cuts deep into me like very little else。 Her prose is beautiful and there were many scenes and lines that made me sit and stare out for a while， processing。 And again， she has written a beautiful and surprisingly tender love story。 I am going to be thinking about it for a long， long time。 I love Valery and Shenkov so so so deeply。 The plot of Valery K is also my favorite of all her novels。 I was more convinced by it and invested in everything going on in the book， even outside of the relationship， than any of the other books she's written。 I thought it was extremely interesting and well done。However， I continue to be massively disappointed with how Natasha treats the women she writes。 I love her women characters dearly， but the way they are used as nothing more than tools in the story line for the main men is consistently upsetting。 。。。more
Iona Sharma
，
I think I would have approached this book differently while reading it had i known it wasn't SFF。 （On a selfish note， I hope this isn't a general move by the author away from SFF。） I suppose part of it is that what happened in the Soviet Union is true but stranger than fiction and wasn't a surprise to me because I'm interested in the same sort of thing--nuclear accidents， closed cities， the massive cult of secrecy--and had recently read A Symphony For The City of the Dead （about Stalin's purges） I think I would have approached this book differently while reading it had i known it wasn't SFF。 （On a selfish note， I hope this isn't a general move by the author away from SFF。） I suppose part of it is that what happened in the Soviet Union is true but stranger than fiction and wasn't a surprise to me because I'm interested in the same sort of thing--nuclear accidents， closed cities， the massive cult of secrecy--and had recently read A Symphony For The City of the Dead （about Stalin's purges） and Midnight at Chernobyl， which is a masterful and gripping account of the Soviet nuclear industry and the accident。 So I sort of knew what would happen， but of course Pulley's prose is stunning， understated and beautiful， and Valery and Shenkov's story perfectly， heartbreakingly on point。 Both Symphony and Midnight at Chernobyl take care to emphasis individual kindness and humanity in their historical accounts and Pulley does it too in her fiction （as she always does）。 She really might be the best SFF novelist currently writing， she's out of this world and even if this isn't the very best book she's written （I think broadly speaking the SFF is better） it's still ridiculously good。 And I liked the cameo！ The brief appearance of Ivan Denisovitch Shukov， from Solzhenitsyn's Life of Ivan Denisovitch， made me smile （fcvo "smile"， it's horrifying）。 What a good book。 。。。more
zeta
，
i LOOOOOOVE to have fun and i love getting a chemistry lesson。 i think natasha pulley and i both watched hbo's chernobyl miniseries starring jared harris and were obsessed so this book was soo made 4 me。 if u love weird little freaks you will love valery<3 and i love u albert u will always be famous。。。that said i feel like the ending wrapped up too quickly and too neatly — throughout the whole story stakes would be raised immensely only to be resolved almost immediately， which is a shame i think i LOOOOOOVE to have fun and i love getting a chemistry lesson。 i think natasha pulley and i both watched hbo's chernobyl miniseries starring jared harris and were obsessed so this book was soo made 4 me。 if u love weird little freaks you will love valery<3 and i love u albert u will always be famous。。。that said i feel like the ending wrapped up too quickly and too neatly — throughout the whole story stakes would be raised immensely only to be resolved almost immediately， which is a shame i think！ the romance is fine i guess？ i love two old losers falling in love， so i'm not complaining！ though it wasnt really given enough time to get me invested but thats just me！ i think the story left a lot unexplored， there was a lot of things i wanted to know more about。。。ultimately， it's almost exactly what i expected to be， which i think is both praise and criticism？ after 4 novels i know what awaits me in pulley's stories， so i hope she surprises us next time 。。。more
Jennifer
，
This book was literally everything and I need about ten more exactly like it please and thank you
Emmett
，
another grapling story， with very good main characters and a great relationship between the two。 the story is obviously very well documented and i really enjoyed everything that had to do with radiation a lot。 however ！！！ there are some tropes that pulley seems to keep coming back to in her novels， and the portrayal of female characters in general is still not good！！ miss please！！ apart from that， i found the writing in this one very good， and i loved valery as a narrator and protagonist （altho another grapling story， with very good main characters and a great relationship between the two。 the story is obviously very well documented and i really enjoyed everything that had to do with radiation a lot。 however ！！！ there are some tropes that pulley seems to keep coming back to in her novels， and the portrayal of female characters in general is still not good！！ miss please！！ apart from that， i found the writing in this one very good， and i loved valery as a narrator and protagonist （altho i will say。。。。。i watched chernobyl not too long ago and。。。。he reminded me a lot of that /other/ valery。 maybe it was a cool reference idk but it felt a bit sus） 。。。more
Phee 💗💜💙
，
4。5 starsAnother fantastic Natasha Pulley novel。 Honestly there is no doubt that she is one of my favourite authors。 I love everything she writes。 This one is quite different in some ways to her previous works。 It definitely felt more tense and scary， no magical twist either。 The nuclear threat and potential radiation exposure is terrifying。 Not to mention the heavy KGB presence。 But it had some of the elements that I love from her other books。 Softly gay， a magnificent octopus and characters to 4。5 starsAnother fantastic Natasha Pulley novel。 Honestly there is no doubt that she is one of my favourite authors。 I love everything she writes。 This one is quite different in some ways to her previous works。 It definitely felt more tense and scary， no magical twist either。 The nuclear threat and potential radiation exposure is terrifying。 Not to mention the heavy KGB presence。 But it had some of the elements that I love from her other books。 Softly gay， a magnificent octopus and characters to fall deeply in love with。 Shenkov…。 My words。 If you had told me I’d fall in love with a 51 year old brute of a KGB officer before I started this then I wouldn’t believe you。 But well， I’m a changed woman now。 I never mind what the plot is to her books， I just sit back and enjoy the journey she takes me on。 I want more damn it。 But she is young and I’m hopeful that there will be many more years of books from her to come。 。。。more
Helen
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I love all of Natasha's novels， they draw you into the story in a heartbeat。And， this one is no different。 A terrifyingly accurate storyline for these troubled times。 The amount of research that goes into her novels must be exhaustive。 I love the totally unexpected addition of an Octopus into the story。 I love all of Natasha's novels， they draw you into the story in a heartbeat。And， this one is no different。 A terrifyingly accurate storyline for these troubled times。 The amount of research that goes into her novels must be exhaustive。 I love the totally unexpected addition of an Octopus into the story。 。。。more
Valentina Borghesi
，
Rating: 2。5/5I have read and enjoyed all of Natasha Pulley's books so i was really looking forward to this one， but it was a pretty big letdown for me。 There are just too many elements from her other books that are almost exactly the same。 The characterizations， the dynamics in the love story， the female characters （this， in my opinion， being the worst of them all）。 The science seemed， to an external eye （I don't know much about radiation） well-researched， but again I'm not an expert so I could Rating: 2。5/5I have read and enjoyed all of Natasha Pulley's books so i was really looking forward to this one， but it was a pretty big letdown for me。 There are just too many elements from her other books that are almost exactly the same。 The characterizations， the dynamics in the love story， the female characters （this， in my opinion， being the worst of them all）。 The science seemed， to an external eye （I don't know much about radiation） well-researched， but again I'm not an expert so I could be wrong。 However， the story was also set in Soviet Russia， and it seems like very little research went into that part of the story。 Even just from the way the characters address each other， they almost always only the surname， when it should either be comrade + surname （I think this one is used a few times in the book but very rarely）， or first name and patronymic （this one is never used， and patronymics in general are NEVER used throughout the whole book， which is a big misstep because patronymics are very important in Russian）。 Pulley also hammered a lot on the "women were so emancipated in Soviet Russia" aspect， to the point where she takes it to an extreme that is not realistic， （view spoiler）[ like when Valery and Shenkov have dinner with a British couple and they are absolutely flabbergasted at the husband's expectation of his wife to do the dishes on her own， without his help。 （hide spoiler）] As if women in Soviet Russia were not also expected to do all the houseworks themselves。 Some thoughts that Valery has regarding the treatment of women also sound very odd coming from a 60s Soviet man， I don't know if Pulley was trying to make a point to show more feminism in her work， but it didn't work for me。The ending also rubbed me the wrong way， because （view spoiler）[ Shenkov seemed so attached to his kids， that his nonchalant response to having to abandon them is just so weird to me。 I feel like it was made that way so it wouldn't take away from the happy ending for the protagonists， but it's just so bizarre。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Simms
，
A surprising piece of historical fiction。 Knowing Natasha Pulley from her previous novel The Kingdoms， and from my belief that her Watchmaker of Filigree Street series was perhaps more of a pure fantasy than my just-now research seems to indicate， I spent a good half of this book waiting for the "science fiction" to kick in。 A mysterious Soviet nuclear research facility with signs of more radiation than anybody in the government is willing to admit to？ Sweet， let's see when the crashed alien spa A surprising piece of historical fiction。 Knowing Natasha Pulley from her previous novel The Kingdoms， and from my belief that her Watchmaker of Filigree Street series was perhaps more of a pure fantasy than my just-now research seems to indicate， I spent a good half of this book waiting for the "science fiction" to kick in。 A mysterious Soviet nuclear research facility with signs of more radiation than anybody in the government is willing to admit to？ Sweet， let's see when the crashed alien spacecraft or portal to an alternate nuclear-winter world shows up， I thought。 But no， turns out the easiest explanation for "there is more radiation than the Soviet government will admit to" is "the Soviet government does not want to admit there is radiation，" which perhaps will come as no surprise， and the author's note at the end goes into quite a lot of detail on the real， quite interesting， historical basis for the setting。That's not to say that this isn't still "science fiction，" emphasis on the "science，" since Pulley luxuriates in the early-60s nuclear technology， including a memorable scene that lampoons and explains the umpteen different official measurement scales for radiation。 It's all fascinating and a great use of setting。 The setting is less strong as it pertains to the political and social side of things， as Pulley also spends time discussing the Soviet gulag system， secret police， state violence， and gender roles， all culminating in the （seemingly signature Natasha Pulley） gay romance subplot， in this case between a recently-released gulag inmate/radiochemist and a giant cuddly KGB OFFICER。 Pulley makes this plotline more believable than it has any business being， but it strikes me as a particularly odd choice of pairing， especially when their bond is then supposed to be the justification for a cascade of character decisions at the back end of the book that don't totally jive with how the characters （KGB man most of all） have been portrayed up to that point。 Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC。 。。。more
Urwa
，
4 stars "If I look sad it’s because this is the happiest I’ve been for years， and you did that， but you aren’t even one-tenth mine and you never will be。" Natasha Pulley knows how to tragic men。 That is something I can say with confidence！ Another thing I can say with confidence is that I always end up falling for the intense gay yearning。 The Half Life of Valery K was a very different book。 For one， it did not have that magical realism aspect that is so attractive in most of Pulley's books。 A 4 stars "If I look sad it’s because this is the happiest I’ve been for years， and you did that， but you aren’t even one-tenth mine and you never will be。" Natasha Pulley knows how to tragic men。 That is something I can say with confidence！ Another thing I can say with confidence is that I always end up falling for the intense gay yearning。 The Half Life of Valery K was a very different book。 For one， it did not have that magical realism aspect that is so attractive in most of Pulley's books。 And with Pulley being the only writer who knows how to write magical realism properly， that aspect was sorely missed。 Secondly， I found Valery K to be her darkest book as of yet。 I do remember a lot of violence in The Kingdoms but feel as if this book surpassed it easily。 But overall I loved this book。 I finished it one day and was absolutely hooked from the very first page。 It didn't drag at all for me and I had to stop myself at 3 am so I could go to sleep and wake up early in time for my Thesis Defense！ Valery was an intensely lovable character and I enjoyed reading his narration a lot。 Like all Pulley characters， he had his morally ambiguous moments。 His struggle with PTSD was brilliantly portrayed and him being a forever optimist even in the face of terrible odds was something that I greatly admired。 Kontantin Shenkov， the tragic love interest， never thought I'd be rooting for a member of the KGB but I loved Shenkov so much！ We stan Russian male wives。 Being wanted for an hour， even when it was just a mirage of vodka fumes， was a lot better than not at all。 At twenty-six， he hadn’t understood what not at all meant。 Obviously， the romance was my favorite part of the whole book as it is with most Pulley books。 It was the most beautiful slow burn。 Think holding hands， forehead kisses， butterflies in your stomach type yearning 😭😭😭❤❤。 Once again it did invoke that feeling of sadness and melancholy that Pulley's books have。 That feeling that you've already lost someone who is right next to you。 Missing someone while you are talking to them。 The ever-increasing feeling of doom and that you'll have your heart broken but can't stop falling for the other person despite all that。。。 I will never be able to fully convey that "Natasha Pulley effect"。 I swear the day she writes a book on sapphics， I will die a happy death。 The world is not yet ready for that amount of sapphic pining。 He would never come first for anybody， that was silly， but he would have given anything for second。 In a desperate rush， he missed Shenkov even though he was sitting right there。 I did feel as if the second half of the book wasn't as tight as the first half。 Probably something that could have been fixed with a better editor。 It was still great but lacked that emotional sucker punch at the end that was being built up throughout the novel。 Similarly， I didn't like the ending as much， because we never found out （view spoiler）[ what happened to Anna and the kids？ and how come Shenkov was so chill with leaving behind his kids。 It seemed like a cop-out just so Valery and Shenkov could end up together。 Believe me， no one wanted them together more than me， but the execution was a bit eeeeh。 And the random sprinkling of Anna having terminal cancer？？ Pulley's books have always had questionable female characters， and I wish she would work on them more （hide spoiler）]。 There were a lot of emotionally charged and tender moments that I lived for， including some next-level dialogues， but it still wasn't able to beat The Kingdoms， which is probably one of my favorite books of all time， no questions asked。Came for the shady nuclear physics， stayed for the gay yearning and Albert the octopus; Natasha Pulley shows again why she is my favorite author with The Half Life of Valery K。 An absolute insta-buy at this point。 。。。more
Missi
，
I could not put this down。 Some of the details of radiation exposure are hard to read… Well worth the read。
Kate
，
Natasha Pulley knows exactly what she's doing。 I'm resigning myself now to reading and loving every single thing she's written as well as foisting copies off onto my friends so I have someone to talk to about the characters。 She's really great at constructing people in all their bitter-joyful， scared-brave， hateful-loving complicated wholes。 And then she sticks them in a setting and plot that is so well constructed you can't even feel the seams。 Yeah， I'm a fan。 This one was more than fascinatin Natasha Pulley knows exactly what she's doing。 I'm resigning myself now to reading and loving every single thing she's written as well as foisting copies off onto my friends so I have someone to talk to about the characters。 She's really great at constructing people in all their bitter-joyful， scared-brave， hateful-loving complicated wholes。 And then she sticks them in a setting and plot that is so well constructed you can't even feel the seams。 Yeah， I'm a fan。 This one was more than fascinating， based on historical events and chock full of nuclear science。Also， there is an octopus。 。。。more
Kendal
，
If I could make a Faustian deal with Natasha Pulley that meant I could read this for the first time over and over again， I would be running up that hill。 I would smile happily as my soul was condemned forever。
Nella
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5/5⭐ pulleyverse checklist:[x] extremely morally gray love interest[x] endearing and oblivious main character[x] a lot of gay yearning[x] child（ren） who needs to be taken care of[x] female character who stands in the gay couple's way （seriously， what's up with that？） and will probably die at some point[x] extremely atmospheric and unique writing[x] something going on with memory/time etc （very subtle in this case but oh well）[x] asylums and something explosive buckle up because I have some Opi 3。5/5⭐ pulleyverse checklist:[x] extremely morally gray love interest[x] endearing and oblivious main character[x] a lot of gay yearning[x] child（ren） who needs to be taken care of[x] female character who stands in the gay couple's way （seriously， what's up with that？） and will probably die at some point[x] extremely atmospheric and unique writing[x] something going on with memory/time etc （very subtle in this case but oh well）[x] asylums and something explosive buckle up because I have some Opinions。 probably even controversial ones。 and this review is also a Big Mess。 it doesn't have any big spoilers but I added the warning just in case。I think it's very telling that I had to convince myself to feel stuff？ like， you know that feeling when you read parts that you know are supposed to be emotional and you kind of go along with it， maybe listen to some emotional music and even shed a few tears in the process， but ultimately you just didn't feel as strongly as you should've had？ THIS IS NATASHA PULLEY'S BOOK FFS， I thought multiple times， I WAITED FOR THIS HALF A YEAR SO OF COURSE I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT。 and then I just。。。 didn't？ no matter how many times I tried to tell myself I did。 don't get me wrong， I absolutely don't think this is a bad book by any means and I loved many things about it but I can't help but compare it to natasha's other books and I think this is my least favorite from her so far。 and while there are many similarities between her books （the checklist！！） I just didn't feel properly connected to the characters and story this time around。 the kingdoms for example is one of my all time favorite books because I thought it was very immersive and almost painfully emotional with a PERFECT ending so you can only imagine how well that comparison played out （I personally found the ending of this book lacking and very underwhelming）。 I actually couldn't bring myself to like the romance that much either？ they definitely had their moments （the whole "you aren't even one tenth mine" quote？ Actual Art） but something about it just didn't feel quite right。 I know natasha's romances are pretty subtle and surrounded by a fair share of moral ambiguity but this time it actually felt a bit superficial， maybe because there wasn't that additional magical realism aspect， that "I've missed you even when I didn't remember you"， that one HEARTWRENCHING moment you realize what's going on and can't help but process it for a while。 is it really a pulleyverse book if it doesn't have Yearning that transcends time and space？ but still， I'm not that familiar with the historical context here and its accuracy but I found the setting extremely interesting and I think I actually learned a few things about radiation！ it was all kind of depressing but that's part of the charm！ the characters were quite complex and interesting too。 there were many female characters and I really liked some of them but I'm not a fan of that "male character is married to/has to marry a woman who is ultimately only in the gay couple's way" like WHAT'S THE POINT？ even in my beloved kingdoms I just didn't get it？ why is that aspect there in the first place if it doesn't really have any significance plotwise？ I could understand if it was done once or twice but pulley has that trope in almost every book！ you could， for example， write sapphic relationships （or even side m/f relationships that doesn't include either of the main characters） instead。 and what was up with that "call me comrade instead of mister" thing？ I genuinely thought valery was nonbinary or something at one point but I think it's just meant to show the differences in gendered expectations between the countries or something？ anyway， I know my expectations were too high and that definitely affected my overall enjoyment level。 I think I would've liked this book a lot more if it was written by any other author but I've kind of put natasha pulley on a pedestal and expect that proper emotional punch from her lol and when that doesn't fully come it throws me off。 I'll probably listen to the audiobook sometime and see if that makes me like the book more （like what happened with the watchmaker of the filigree street）。 I still decided to round my rating up to 4 stars because it was still GOOD and I enjoyed some parts A LOT but it's nevertheless my least favorite pulleyverse book， at least for now。 。。。more
Oscar Penrose
，
I'm eating this book like it's a taco（four stars for now but that might go up once I reread it at a less stressful time） I'm eating this book like it's a taco（four stars for now but that might go up once I reread it at a less stressful time） 。。。more
Vivienne
，
“The birch trees had been unhealthy， but the pines were dead。 The whole woodland had turned a weird rust colour。 The road was a line of red， dead pine needles; the trees were gingery ruins， and everywhere the trunks had cracked， so badly that it couldn’t have been safe to drive beneath them。”My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing U。K。 for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Half Life of Valery K’ by Natasha Pulley。I have loved Natasha Pulley’s works of fantastical fiction and had rather expected that her “The birch trees had been unhealthy， but the pines were dead。 The whole woodland had turned a weird rust colour。 The road was a line of red， dead pine needles; the trees were gingery ruins， and everywhere the trunks had cracked， so badly that it couldn’t have been safe to drive beneath them。”My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing U。K。 for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Half Life of Valery K’ by Natasha Pulley。I have loved Natasha Pulley’s works of fantastical fiction and had rather expected that her latest novel would be in the same vein。 However， it proved quite different though Pulley’s storytelling skills transformed a bleak tale into something quite extraordinary。‘The Half Life of Valery K’ is a historical novel based on true events that took place in the Soviet Union during the early late 1950s-early 1960s。 In 1963， former nuclear specialist Valery Kolkhanov has been incarcerated in a Siberian gulag for six years of a ten year sentence。 During his time there he has mastered what it takes to survive。 Then one day Valery's university mentor intervenes and Valery is swept from the frozen prison camp to a mysterious town， known as Chelyabinsk （City） 40， hidden within a forest so damaged it looks like the trees have rusted from within。 Here Valery is expected to serve out his prison term studying the effect of radiation on local animals。 But as Valery begins his work， he is struck that the levels of radiation and incidents of radiation sickness in local residents suggests that something sinister is taking place。 He finds an unusual ally in City 40’s Head of Security， KGB Officer Konstantin Shenkov。 Yet looking for answers will put both their lives in danger。This was a very powerful novel that underlined the levels that the USSR went to cover up such incidents。 Apparently the nuclear accident that took place at the Mayak facility in 1957 is considered the third worst after Chernobyl （1986） and Fukushima （2011）。 Pulley writes in her Afterword: “Shenkov and Valery are fictional， but almost everything that happens to them is real。 Or， as real as I could make it。 The Lighthouse – Mayak – is now run by ROSATOM， the Russian nuclear science agency， and information about its history is extremely curated。“One ongoing motif in Pulley’s novels are octopuses， and here Valery obtains an octopus that he named Andrew as an animal companion。 He is a delight。 Natasha Pulley is an author whose work I rate very highly and I felt that this new direction demonstrated her versatility as a storyteller。 Her descriptions throughout were evocative and painted a chilling picture of the gulag （in flashbacks） and the blighted environment of City 40。 There is a fair amount of science discussed in the course of the novel though this is something that I enjoy。 Overall， I found ‘The Half Life of Valery K’ a powerful novel that lifts the curtain on a historical event that certain parties wished to conceal。 It is undoubtedly a beautifully written story that I am certain will gain Pulley new readers。 It’s also the kind of historical fiction rich in ideas and human interest that I expect will also prove popular with reading groups。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Lily Rooke
，
I think I've found my all-time favourite book。 Six years into a decade of hard labour， nuclear scientist Valery is snatched from the Siberian gulag and transported to City 40， a mysterious exclusion zone where he is expected to shed his skin as a prisoner and become Dr Kolkhanov once more。 Surrounded by nuclear reactors， a dead lake， and a forest destroyed by radiation， Valery cannot help but grow curious as to the cause， which is kept secret under orders from Moscow， and enforced by the intimid I think I've found my all-time favourite book。 Six years into a decade of hard labour， nuclear scientist Valery is snatched from the Siberian gulag and transported to City 40， a mysterious exclusion zone where he is expected to shed his skin as a prisoner and become Dr Kolkhanov once more。 Surrounded by nuclear reactors， a dead lake， and a forest destroyed by radiation， Valery cannot help but grow curious as to the cause， which is kept secret under orders from Moscow， and enforced by the intimidating yet strangely protective KGB agent， Shenkov。 But despite Shenkov's care， Valery is still considered a criminal， and as he stumbles closer to the horrific truth， will he escape the looming spies and soldiers of the Soviet Union， determined to see him shot against a wall？Breathlessly， gut-punchingly good， The Half Life of Valery K is one of those very special novels that took me out of time and place and transported me straight into the nuclear forest of the Urals。 Strung with unbearable tension， the author does an incredible job at demonstrating how dangerous life was for men like Valery and Shenkov in Soviet Russia。 The trauma Valery suffers due to his lengthy， undeserved imprisonment is beautifully detailed on each and every page， from his constant anxiety and dread to his panic attacks and PTSD。 I found it fascinating， too， to come to understand more about Shenkov， and what someone like him was doing with the KGB。 With that said， neither Valery nor Shenkov are morally pure characters， and I though the novel did an excellent job at demonstrating how far one's principles must twist and bend under immense pressure so as not to completely break and shatter。 Part mystery thriller， part agonisingly slow burn romance， I really liked how aspects of Soviet society such as the universal address of 'Comrade' were used as a route into exploring complex feelings about gender identity， when it wouldn't have been historically appropriate for Valery to use a term such as 'agender'。 Steeped in historical accuracy， I'm quite honestly amazed at how the novel did such a good job at keeping me engaged with the complex examination of nuclear science， while never feeling like a lecture。 Perfectly paced， with delicately chosen moments of soft Achillean romance and sparing but deeply effective use of flashbacks from Valery's arrest and sentence in the gulag， The Half Life of Valery K is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a powerful character study of a man determined to survive with dignity， even in some of the worst circumstances humanity has to offer。Never was 'Fear can hold you prisoner， hope can set you free' more appropriate。cw: abduction; false imprisonment; PTSD; panic attacks; violence; human experimentation; implied gang rape; implied torture; implied murder; miscarriage; foetal abnormalities; state-sanctioned terror; references to Nazi war crimes; references to eugenics 。。。more
Harriet Thomas-Bush
，
Obviously 5 stars
Munch
，
4。5
Sarah-Hope
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（See below for added reflection。）Natasha Pulley's The Half Life of Valery K both is and isn't a change from her previous work。Under is-a-change， we can file the fact that this novel is set in the Soviet Union during the cold war。 It's also， with some specific exceptions， based on real-world material。 Her setting did exist， though she had to do some inventing to fill in the unknowns。Under isn't-a-change， we have a pair of men gradually falling in love， one of them more comfortable with what's hap （See below for added reflection。）Natasha Pulley's The Half Life of Valery K both is and isn't a change from her previous work。Under is-a-change， we can file the fact that this novel is set in the Soviet Union during the cold war。 It's also， with some specific exceptions， based on real-world material。 Her setting did exist， though she had to do some inventing to fill in the unknowns。Under isn't-a-change， we have a pair of men gradually falling in love， one of them more comfortable with what's happening between the two of them， the other much more uncertain。 There's a crisis at the center of the novel， one that is at least as weighty as the terrorist attack around which The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is built。 Also， there's an octopus。The novel opens in a prison camp， where our central character， the Valery K of the title， suddenly finds he's being transferred to who-knows-where。 Is he being sent to a different camp？ Is he simply going to be taken out into the woods and shot？ Is he being set up for a second set of accusations and punishment？ Is he about to be tortured to try to force out any information he didn't provide when originally arrested？Valery can think of all these possibilities and more in just seconds， and the novel continues in this way。 Every character is attempting to read dangerous situations with insufficient evidence。 Every character has to both speak in and decode the double-speak that is necessitated under the authoritarian government。I wouldn't recommend this title as a first read if you aren't familiar with Pulley's work。 If that's the case， go for The Watchmaker of Filigree Street or The Kingdoms。 But every one of her books is worth reading。 She has a remarkable ability to create imperfect characters， caught up in their own inner turmoil， that the reader can't help but care about。I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own。Added:One aspect of The Half Life of Valery K that I found particularly striking was the presence/lack of gendered expectations。 A moment when a female Soviet scientist is told "let the man speak" and is not addressed as "comrade" is shocking to a central character because it genders a professional conversation that shouldn't be gendered。 When characters travel outside of the Soviet Union to what Westerners might describe as "normal" middle-class life they are shocked by the idea that a woman would not have a job， that she would be content as a housewife， and that her husband would see this as his due。 The normal titles given in the west—Mr。， Mrs。， Ms。—are perceived as unnecessarily gendering all social and professional interactions。 This is a minor theme， but it nonetheless throws an interesting light on gendered expectations that is visible because of cross-cultural differences。 。。。more
Bea Masters
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway and I really liked this one！ The setting is unique and immersive and Valery is a very compelling protagonist。 This book raises a lot of questions about ethics of science， war， and nationalism， which were especially interesting because of the perspective of someone low status and who i’m interpreting as not neurotypical。 I wasn’t entirely convinced by the ending。 It felt like the ending Valery deserved but not necessarily the most realistic， and a bit too rosy I won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway and I really liked this one！ The setting is unique and immersive and Valery is a very compelling protagonist。 This book raises a lot of questions about ethics of science， war， and nationalism， which were especially interesting because of the perspective of someone low status and who i’m interpreting as not neurotypical。 I wasn’t entirely convinced by the ending。 It felt like the ending Valery deserved but not necessarily the most realistic， and a bit too rosy in tone given how bad the future will be for the other people left at the chocolate factory。 。。。more
Brigi
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This book is polarising af， and I'm curious to see where Pulley stans will stand - I think it will largely depend on your background。 I'm going to admit that my rating is the least objective one ever， and if it had been any other author， it would have been 3 stars at best。Readers from Eastern Europe are going to feel weird af about this。 Or at least I know I did。 The writing is excellent， there's a wide variety of complex characters， it feels like the science was well-researched， but is it reall This book is polarising af， and I'm curious to see where Pulley stans will stand - I think it will largely depend on your background。 I'm going to admit that my rating is the least objective one ever， and if it had been any other author， it would have been 3 stars at best。Readers from Eastern Europe are going to feel weird af about this。 Or at least I know I did。 The writing is excellent， there's a wide variety of complex characters， it feels like the science was well-researched， but is it really appropriate to have a romance between a former gulag prisoner and a KGB boss？ But even ignoring that， the gender stuff and the misogyny was cringy。There's one weird part where Valery thinks about how titles like Mister are gendered and that it is as if people called each other by their genitals？？？？ Huh？？？？ Exact quote “every single person reminded every single time they were named of that one part of them that defined everything they were meant to be， and nobody ever seemed to sit back and say， but we would never call anyone Penis Harrison; how’s mister any different？”Listen， I have a very limited understanding of Russian grammar， but it is not a genderless language？ Especially when you'd have a distinction between Shenkov （the husband） and then Anna Shenkova。。。 Natasha Pulley must have heard me complain about misogyny in her previous books， because it's as if she's trying to be super feminist in this one， but it totally backfired。 There was a huge emphasis on having women scientists， which is great， but since the whole book is from Valery's pov， it is odd some of the things he notices and mentions。 Not saying women in Soviet Russia weren't more emancipated， but they were certainly not on equal status。 The fact that Valery seems hyper aware of misogyny happening to his former mentor or to Anna。。。 I don't know， it's kind of the author's way to wave at you and say how feminist they are， but it just trikes me as insincere。 Also the constant reminders of how women in Russia have it better off than in the West。。。 like okay， we get it？ Not necessarily true， but whatever。But also can we talk about how most of Pulley's female characters are mean hardasses？ Grace， Agatha and now Rezovskaya （and Anna to a lesser extent）， they all seem to be cut from the same ruthless cloth， and they are all eliminated in awful ways because they stand in the gay couple's way。 I don't know if this is newsflash， but there is no need for these characters to be in the book？ There's no reason for a woman to stand in their way。。。 and honestly the ending made me feel incredibly queasy， because I honestly doubt Shenkov would have （view spoiler）[left his children。 Nope。 And the way he seems to have almost forgotten them？ uffff。 It just didn't sit well with me。 （hide spoiler）]Anyway， rant over。 I appreciate the timing of this book is not great， and maybe if Natasha could have done more research on site it would have been different， but I'm begging her and the editors to be more inclusive and not make every female character an asshole。Rep: Russian gay mc， bi （？） Central Asian love interest 。。。more
Gee
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“If I look sad it’s because this is the happiest I’ve been for years， and you did that， but you aren’t even one tenth mine and you never will be。" “If I look sad it’s because this is the happiest I’ve been for years， and you did that， but you aren’t even one tenth mine and you never will be。" 。。。more
Amanda Prado
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my favorite pulley book after the watchmaker series but natasha， my love， what is your obsession with shafting your female characters。 in a book that talks about MISOGYNY。 girl？？？？？
fx
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Good premise， great execution。 As an Eastern European， historical fiction written by Western European or American authors that is set in the USSR tends to rarely satisfy me， but this story was quite believable - Pulley has clearly put a lot of effort into researching the time period and the events referenced。 I was highly impressed by the physics lesson the book offered， too。Pulley's writing in this was great， as always; I had a lot of funny passages to underline。 It may just be my brain but the Good premise， great execution。 As an Eastern European， historical fiction written by Western European or American authors that is set in the USSR tends to rarely satisfy me， but this story was quite believable - Pulley has clearly put a lot of effort into researching the time period and the events referenced。 I was highly impressed by the physics lesson the book offered， too。Pulley's writing in this was great， as always; I had a lot of funny passages to underline。 It may just be my brain but the way she builds the story and describes situations just feels neat and enjoyable， as opposed to being hard to follow or distracting - there is very little "noise"。 The characters are likeable and funny， and the story itself is gripping to the very end。 Maybe dialogue felt a touch too modern， but considering that they were all supposed to be speaking Russian anyway， I will let it slide。 My main criticism would be that female characters are still treated rather。。。 badly？ They are charming and strong， but in the end， the protagonist and the love interest end up together， and the women are all kind of。。。 tossed aside。 I am not saying that side characters need to be given a grand send-off but something perhaps more meaningful than a death would be welcomed。Anyway， still a 5/5 book in my opinion。 Other "Valery is autistic" truthers， if you're out there。。。？ 。。。more
Daniela
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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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