Civilisations

Civilisations provides a whole series of what-ifs, concertinaing known facts in new and surprising ways

Literary Review

Binet's best book yet: the work of a major writer just hitting his stride. A delightful counterfactual novel. *****

Tim Smith-Laing, Daily Telegraph

Imagine that Christopher Columbus never made it back to Spain - and that the Incas weren't conquered by Spain but instead invaded Europe, replacing Christianity with sun worship....the distant tone enables some enjoyably tart humour about European mores as seen through Incan eyes

The Times

One of the most successful French writers of his generation... a wild romp of a book that turns history on its head

Guardian

Characteristically ambitious, brilliant...Combining all the pleasure of a period romp with vital questions about our shared origin stories...a triumph

i

Tremendous fun.

Guardian

[A] hugely entertaining counterfactual history of the making of the modern world... Binet has riotous, brainy fun in a rollicking story of the urge to power, which delights in turning received ideas upside down

Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2021*

A bold and thrilling experiment in counter-factual history from a masterful storyteller

Àngel Gurría-Quintana, Financial Times, *Summer Reads of 2021*

Wonderfully inventive

Muriel Zagha, Times Literary Supplement, *Summer Reads of 2021*

A propulsive 'counter-factual' romp...both dizzying and fun

Claire Allfree, Metro, *Summer Reads of 2021*

[A] glorious counterfactual novel... Funny and profound, this is Binet's best novel yet

Daily Telegraph, *Summer Reads of 2021*

Glorious, funny and profound

Daily Telegraph

A wild romp of a book that turns history on its head

Guardian

A bold and thrilling experiment in counter-factual history from a masterful storyteller

Financial Times