The Half Life of Valery K

By: Natasha Pulley

Narrated by: Jot Davies

Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley, read by Jot Davies.

From the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Kingdoms, an epic Cold War novel set in a mysterious town in Soviet Russia.

In 1963, in a Siberian prison, former nuclear specialist Valery Kolkhanov has mastered what it takes to survive: the right connections to the guards for access to food and cigarettes, the right pair of warm boots, and the right attitude toward the small pleasures of life so he won’t go insane. But one day, all that changes: Valery’s university mentor steps in and sweeps him from the frozen camp to a mysterious unnamed city. It houses a set of nuclear reactors, and surrounding it is a forest so damaged it looks like the trees have rusted from within.

In City 40, Valery is Dr. Kolkhanov once more, and he’s expected to serve out his prison term studying the effect of radiation on local animals. But as Valery begins his work, he is struck by the questions his research raises. Why is there so much radiation in this area? What, exactly, is being hidden from the thousands who live in the town? And if he keeps looking for answers, will he live to serve out his sentence?

Based on real events in a surreal Soviet city, and told with bestselling author Natasha Pulley’s inimitable style, The Half Life of Valery K is a sweeping new adventure for fans of Stuart Turton and Sarah Gailey.

©2022 Natasha Pulley (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

"Provocative, unsettling...Pulley, extrapolating out from the records of a historic Soviet research center, raises questions about scientific experimentation and the ways in which it can be manipulated for less than honorable purposes. Her dark humor, which turns on the blind faith given to Soviet authority figures despite their outlandish claims, combines with complex characters and a clear understanding of radiation science to yield an explosive blend. The chilling result feels all too plausible." (Publishers Weekly)

"Pulley adds to her impressive oeuvre with another exquisite novel. Many of the author’s trademarks are on display here: a finely-drawn period setting, a vein of dark humor, a plot blending historical fact and fiction, and a protagonist seeking to do the right thing in the face of a brutal political machine. An illuminating and immersive historical tale." (Vaseem Khan, author of The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra)

Great historical fiction!

The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley is a historical fiction about the Soviet Union from the 1930's to the 1960's and the Cold War nuclear secrecy. The story mainly takes place in the 1950's and early 1960's and is centered around nuclear biological specialist Valery Kolkhanov and his trials and tribulations in the Stalinist Era USSR.

Valery was one of the millions of people rounded up by Pro Stalinist KGB and sent to one of the many Siberian Gulag prison camps for his former ties to Germany, where he attended university.

He is then given a reprieve from the rough prison camp life to put his professional skills to use studying the effects of radiation on the environment for the State. But it turns out there is more to this position than meets the eye, and uncovering its truths may prove dangerous when the secretive Soviet political machine wants it all to stay hidden.

This book was an excellent read as it expertly blends these fictional characters into the real-life nuclear secrecy of the Soviet Union. It addresses such historical topics as Soviet gulag life, racial and ethnic divisions within the Soviet satellite states, including how Ukrainians were cruelly treated at the time, the political espionage in the Soviet Union, the great lengths the Party would go through to keep its secrets, and it also addresses how cruelly same sex relationships where addressed and handled in Cold War Soviet Union.

Historical fictions usually drag me in if the character development is good, and this one is superb. A solid 4 out of 5 star read!

Well research and written

History woven into a credible plot and characters. Excellent narration that signals the difference between living in Russia and the West. Enjoyable lesson for anyone

look at this baddie I pulled by being autistic the novel

This has become a comfort listen for me, I miss shenkovs voice. Coming off the kingdoms, I didn’t realize it was historical fiction and the ending note had me reading Wikipedia articles until the early hours.
this book took my heart out and tenderized it with a KGB baton which hurt like hell but in the end made my heart softer.
i have now read all her work and I understand some people’s trepidation with pulleys character tropes, but I don't agree. shes got good character types and she types characters good, but take that with a grain of salt. I also love to read fanfiction and that’s usually the same two characters falling in love over and over again so 🤷

A wonderful storyteller

I love her writing. She's able to describe extremely difficult issues without making one recoil in horror. This is the first of her books I know of that does not involve fantasy. The characters are well drawn and interesting. and she clearly does her research on both technical and cultural issues. Her observations on culture at the end are pointed, and sadly accurate. The narrator was excellent, no stumbles. Highly recommended.

Amazing book, perfectly blending many genres

Part fictional account of life in USSR during the Cold War, part story of an unlikely friendship, love story, thriller, character study, with a small cast of characters all 3-dimensional and (with one notable exception) exceptionally relatable… It’s quite amazing really how many facets there are to this novel, and how well they intertwine. One of the best novels I’ve read in a long time, and that’s not to say good novels in general are hard to find!

Excellent book, great characters

Natasha Pulley has written another fantastic book, and this is different than her others. This is historical fiction without elements like time travel such as she has in "The Kingdoms", also an excellent book. This story mostly takes place in Russia. Valery K has been brought from a gulag with its forced labor, to a research facility in a manufactured city where he is being brought by a former professor because he is a scientist.

The facility is researching radiation's effects on people, but Valery K realizes something is wrong and things are worse than most people there know. There is a lot of denial and deception. It is typical Cold War crap. There is interesting science in this book as well. I actually learned some things.

I'm not going to give spoilers. I love this book and have loved all of Natasha Pulley's books. She is one of the few authors that I'm willing to pre-order anything she writes. The narration is excellent. Can I give this book 6 stars?

Fabulous story

A gripping story backdropped against impossible, frightening circumstances and led for us by two charismatic protagonists. Loved it.