It is July 1897, at the northernmost
reach of the inhabited world. A Swedish
scientist, an American journalist and a
young, French-speaking adventurer climb
into a wicker gondola suspended beneath a
huge red and white balloon. The ropes are
cut, the balloon rises and the three begin
their voyage: an attempt to become the
first people to set foot on the North Pole, to
arrive there, and return, borne on the wind.
Philip Pullman says in his foreword: “Once
I open any of his novels at any point I find
it almost impossible not to turn and read
on, so delightful is the sensation of a sharp
intelligence at work. In The Balloonist, we
see all of his qualities at their best.”
“Metaphysics, science, sex, the romance of
ballooning, turn of the century charm, all
combine in a lyrical, deliciously comic and
moving novel.” Publisher’s Weekly.