NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “One of the year’s strongest fantasy novels” (NPR), an imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale from the bestselling author of Uprooted.
NEBULA AND HUGO AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE • ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Public Library
With the Nebula Award–winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.
Spinning Silver takes a fairy tale apart because the tale deserves it. Novik says Rumpelstiltskin carries antisemitic stereotypes about gold-hoarders, so she rebuilt it around a Jewish moneylender's daughter and wrote the prejudice in on purpose. The fae are real, but the plot turns just as much on debts, loans and neighbours who won't pay.
Then there's the book's deliciously troublesome narration. Several young women tell the story in first person, with no chapter headings to say who is speaking. Admirers call it a craft feat that builds quiet connections. Kirkus found it confusing at times, and the complaint is fair, especially when new voices turn up late. The book starts small and grows into an epic, and it's the better for it. If you can sort out the voices as you go, it pays off.
The reviews largely agree that Novik makes this more than a clever retelling; the one recurring snag is the shifting narration. It was a finalist for the 2018 Nebula and 2019 Hugo for Best Novel, and The Calculating Stars won both.
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Historical alternate fantasy featuring dragons during the Napoleonic Wars introduced readers to a distinct blend of military history and speculative fiction. Naomi Novik established her reputation with the nine-novel Temeraire series before expanding into award-winning standalone folklore reimaginings and dark magical academy fiction.
An avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, Novik combines a lifelong love of speculative worldbuilding with rigorous historical interest. Her works have won the Nebula, Locus, Mythopoeic, and British Fantasy awards, and have been translated into more than thirty languages.
Born in New York in 1973 as a first-generation American, Novik was raised on Polish fairy tales, stories of Baba Yaga, and the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. She developed a deep fascination with the Napoleonic era alongside a fondness for the literary works of Jane Austen and Patrick O'Brian. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Brown University and a Master's degree in Computer Science from Columbia University. Novik initially worked in the computer games industry as a programmer and designer, contributing to Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide at BioWare in Edmonton, Canada. Recognizing that she preferred creative storytelling over computer programming, she returned to New York to focus full-time on writing novels.
Novik made her publishing debut in 2006 with her Temeraire series, reimagining nineteenth-century naval and aerial warfare with intelligent dragons serving in military aviator corps. Following the conclusion of the nine-book series in 2016, she turned to standalone fairy-tale retellings and later developed the dark academic Scholomance trilogy. She lives in New York City with her husband, daughter, and many purring computers.
Novik's writing frequently merges intricate historical detail, folk mythology, and subverted speculative tropes. In her folklore-inspired standalones, she draws upon Eastern European motifs and classic fairy tales to explore themes of isolation, magical bargain dynamics, and systemic power. Her characterization often highlights pragmatic protagonists navigating harsh environments, complex political alliances, and dangerous magical institutions.
