'A brilliant fusion of scholarly detective work and speculative fiction that will leave you questioning the nature of reality itself.' - John Ahern
'There's a lovely old-fashioned swagger to this novel, and there's no doubt that contemporary Irish fiction needs more of this kind of risky, absurdist mischief-making, just to remind us what we're capable of – it's no coincidence that, before picking up Paradise Lost during a research trip to the library, Seán "looked at books by Seán Ó Ríordáin and Pádraic Ó Conaire, by Rabelais and many writers besides'. - Declan Burke, THE IRISH TIMES
When Cork academic Seán kills an annoying fly and examines it under his flatmate's microscope, he makes a discovery that will shatter everything he believes about reality. What he sees in that tiny specimen launches him into a labyrinth of historical conspiracy, ancient texts, and dangerous secrets that powerful people have killed to protect. As Seán and his fellow researchers dive deeper, they uncover evidence that this same discovery was made centuries ago by some of Europe's greatest minds-Galileo, Milton, Newton - only to be ruthlessly suppressed. From the scientific academies of 17th-century Amsterdam and Paris to the corridors of power in Renaissance Rome, a hidden truth has been carefully buried, one that challenges our understanding of human civilisation itself. But knowledge this profound comes at a price. As the mystery deepens, Seán realises that some secrets have guardians who will stop at nothing to keep them hidden. In our age of deepfakes and social media deception, EL asks the most urgent question of our time: who controls reality? Part academic thriller, part historical mystery, EL is a mind-bending exploration of truth, faith and the price of knowledge that asks: what if everything we think we know about our place in the universe is wrong? Translated from Irish by the author, this award-winning work captures the authentic voice of contemporary Irish literature. This novel was first published in Irish by Coiscéim and was awarded Irish Language Novel of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards.
