Books like The Vorrh by B. Catling

The Vorrh follows a diverse group of figures in a parallel Africa where the boundaries of fact, fiction, and fantasy blur. Tsungali, a native marksman conscripted by colonial authorities after leading a revolt, hunts the English bowman Williams, who aims to be the first to cross the vast, sentient forest at the edge of the colonial city of Essenwald. The Vorrh is described as endless, eternal, and capable of bending time and erasing memories. Alongside them are Ishmael, a curious cyclops raised by Bakelite robots; the cruel Dr. Hoffman, who surgically inverts the hands of a servant’s son; and MacLeish, a slave owner who drives his workers to insanity in pursuit of profit. The narrative interweaves historical figures such as surrealist Raymond Roussel and photographer Edward Muybridge with these fictional characters, creating a tapestry where fantasy coexists with colonial history.

First publish date: 2012