Vřeteno – König Jakub (2021)

The inhabitants of the new world around the Abyss cower in sacred horror before the goddesses who, it is said, swept most of humanity from the surface of the devastated planet during a long-ago catastrophe. The only source of knowledge is the Book of Babel, but even its vague hints are likely incomprehensible to the teachers who repeatedly tell children unreliable tales. What is certain is that as an expression of gratitude to the Mother of the Abyss, an elderly volunteer is thrown into her maw every thirty-six days. No one questions this rule. Not even the teenage boy Key, who lives with his large family in a neighborhood called Manycourts. Unlike his siblings, Key does not excel in anything; he cannot even spin his spindle, an object that every resident of Manycourts possesses. Nevertheless, Key is drawn into an unexpected adventure, in which he gradually comes to understand the essence of the new world. The Spindle is a fantastical dystopian novel. It is the transformation of a young boy into an adult man. It is a story about the expansion of consciousness. Acclaimed musician Jakub König applies his sense of detail and unbridled imagination through writing song lyrics. His novel debut is literally packed with intense scenes and haunting visions.