The Carpet Makers

Andreas Eschbach

Jul 2013 · Macmillan + ORM

About this ebook

Since the time of pre-history, carpetmakers tie intricate knots to form carpets for the court of the Emperor. These carpets are made from the hairs of wives and daughters; they are so detailed and fragile that each carpetmaker finishes only one single carpet in his entire lifetime.

This art descends from father to son, since the beginning of time itself.

But one day the empire of the God Emperor vanishes, and strangers begin to arrive from the stars to follow the trace of the hair carpets. What these strangers discover is beyond all belief, more than anything they could have ever imagined...

Brought to the attention of Tor Books by Orson Scott Card, this edition of The Carpet Makers contains a special introduction by Orson Scott Card.



At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

This wonderful piece of science fiction weaves together an entire universe with the stories of several believable and uniquely motivated characters. Their tales evoke interest in the greater mystery surrounding the purpose of these strange hair carpets while also providing interesting plots and scenarios that exist in science fantasy but that run parallel to real life themes. Each chapter leaves you wanting to know more about its specific events, but also leaves you wondering how they connect to the larger story. Minor spoiler alert: The ending provides a satisfying answer that ties it all together. 5/5.

One of the most beautifully put together sci fi novels I've read. So thoughtful and engaging and of do tragic in the end.

This is one of my newer favorite science fiction book. I love the worlds, characters, and cultures that he created. It moved me in the same way as Enemy Mine, when I read it as a child. It is a addition to my library.

About the author

Andreas Eschbach was born 1959 in Ulm, Germany. In 1996, his first novel, Die Haarteppichknüpfer (The Hair Carpet Makers), won one of the highest awards of German science fiction, the SFCD-Literaturpreis. His second novel, Solarstation, won the other great German science fiction award, the Kurd Laßwitz Preis. His third novel, Jesus Video, won both of them, became a nationwide bestseller in 2000, and was turned into a movie in 2002.

His first translation into another language was in 1998, when Die Haarteppichknüpfer was published in France as Des milliards des tapis de cheveux. It was not only the first German science fiction novel to be published in France after 18 years, it also won two literary prizes in France and Belgium. Several novels and short stories have been translated since then, into French, Italian, Czech, Japanese, Russian, and Turkish.

Eschbach currently lives in Stuttgart with his family.