Polygon 2010. ISBN: 1846971012

"Novgorod the Great"

...sorry, that's all...
But here are all the chapter-titles to fill up the space...
+ her first husband's peculiarly becoming nakedness + a perpetuity of sloth, ignorance and bigoted superstition + he frequently mistook a laxative for an aphrodisiac + never wear right and left shoes + at the sight of the inn-keeper's daughter, he recovers his appetite + he vacates his marriage-bed for the honoured guest + a couple of restless hours on a bed of moss + she follows the devil through the closing door + an old gentleman bleached by the shadow of death + the endless road and the tyranny of the coach + her sad acquaintance with men + her mother advised her that a woman needs have several husbands + in spite of his teeth, he was still a Frenchman + he speaks of the nocturnal secrets of his harem + no blanket - a great oversight in a Siberian winter + never mind London, he said, help me to piss + he talks blithely of revolution as if it were of no consequence + the passage of large armies of mice + liberty ! - the cry of the Frenchman and the end of all honour + he found the life of a troubadour most desirable + Lord Byron swam the Hellespont, and John Cochrane the Okhota + they pick up a pen and cast down autocracy + frequently, truth is a libel. the greater the truth, the greater the libel + she considers marriage; he considers escape + if one sleeps on a raised bedstead, the alligators will not carry you off + a large snake, whose sting is instant death + the free enjoyment of a passion + I forwarded my wife on, in the charge of a Cossack + this man smells worse than the major's bed-pan + confound the key-hole, he exclaimed + 'tis the colour they call black ! + her beauty would much expose her + he prepares to talk long and loud of liberty + degeneracy, rhubarb and millions of squirrels + he took the only course open to an honourable man, and fled to Europe + the goat is the beast which most delights the ladies of Scotland + it was with some facility that he defrauded the French government + omelettes + the swaggering jacks in office + with these sentiments, he concluded his narration + the breakfast of Chernobog, master of the infernal darkness + an axe may strike more swiftly than a book + no sooner was the bottle empty than she fell to mourning + Vladimir Ivanovich, she cried, you have lost your mind + it was, unfortunately, a very empty boast + he finished - as all men do - with a great deal of noise + the tomb belched forth smoke and fire + her husband is engaged in the measurement of the Black Sea +

The story of John Cochrane, pedestrian traveller extraordinaire, and deceased husband of the young widow Ksenia; of his infamous father, who spent his life defrauding governments and upsetting Napoleon; of Ksenia Loginova's perilous 6,000 mile journey across Siberia and the unwelcome attentions of a troubadour; of the merchant Horatio who reflects on love, slavery and arithmetic. Among other matters discussed at length in the small hours of the night are carnivorous Colombian elephants, the questionable motives of travellers, and the impatience of Chernobog, Master of the Infernal Darkness.

What fascinated me most about the story of John Cochrane is his matter-of-factness about the most horrendous disasters he meets on his journey - from the loss of his trousers to the impending loss of his life in a wilderness of icy rivers and plummeting temperatures. A close second as a curiosity is his treatment of his new wife - "Mrs Cochrane" is mentioned a couple of times in passing in the course of several hundred pages, but no mention is made of her given name, nor is there any record of how she reacted to the grim return-journey across Siberia. This bizarre treatment of the poor girl led me to thinking: what did happen to those brave explorers' wives who were left behind - in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and, almost certainly, beyond? This book is a fictional attempt to answer that question.

It must be noted that I have absolutely no evidence, not even the very slightest suggestion, that Ksenia Loginova behaved in any way improperly during her life. But, if I'd been her...

The Skinny, 22 September 2010 'The tales range into entertainingly bizarre areas... The main characters are well written and it is quite comedic at times... A good story and an enjoyable read...' (3 Skinnies of a possible 5) Click here to read the entire review

The Big Issue, 4 October 2010 'There is a certain ornate humour to Drummond's writing, and Novgorod The Great has plenty of ideas thrown into the pot, but...the reader is left a little nonplussed...' Click here to read the entire review

The [Glasgow] Herald, 30 October 2010 'It's fun, evoking the period...while ditching most of the ornate language that might be a stumbling block for modern readers. You couldn't make this up.' ('Paperback of the Week') Click here to read the entire review