Chimera: A Novel

by Alexandros Yannis

The world is descending into an anti-cosmopolitan dystopia. A cosmopolitan man, locked in a cell, tells a story of a night in New York, when he had a chance encounter with a radical young woman, member of the Cosmopolitan Brigades, a violent group fighting the advancing Anti-Cosmopolitan Movement. He falls in love with her and as they flee together across Somalia, the Balkans and the Alps, he tries to save her from her self-destructive impulses and rescue her from the clutches of the other members of the Cosmopolitan Brigades. But how did he end up in the cell? And what really happened that night in New York? A twisted love story, a bizarre travel adventure and a satirical political thriller. A story about our sense of responsibility for what’s going on around us as well as about the idea of openness and the power of illusions.

339 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 15, 2019

Reviews

[Dimitris Politis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the premise and the concept of the novel: the battle between reason and irrationality, between openness and fear, between truth and fantasy, between love and intolerance/hatred examined in the most suitable and interesting light/context/background of our unstable humanity of today. "Cosmopolitans" versus "anti-cosmopolitans", light versus darkness in a crazy world. Love the deliberate question mark of the ending re. who is who and what is what and the fact the Od finally finds love no matter what. Amazing philosophical analyses of human existence and human relations and emotions, reason versus blind fanaticism, insanity/madness induced by pure emotions. I have encountered across the text COUNTLESS deeply philosophical statements and references which could become classic quotes included in a separate book. In fact this what astounded me more, for me the book is a most elaborate and excruciatingly accurate philosophical analysis/diatribe of life and humans in our society rather than a "thriller" or a work of pure fiction. I particularly enjoyed the "cosmopolitan" US-Africa-Europe aspect of the novel, the colouring of the seasons, the descriptions of places which it seems the author knows very well. This is a work of a highly intellectual and highly philosophical human being. For me as I said and given the current circumstances of our planet (which worry me terribly I have to admit!) it is the most accurate philosophical analysis of our reality and everybody should read it.

[Dora Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If a book is a conversation by other means, Chimera is sure one worth having. I felt captured by each look, each thought, each doubt and each feeling of the characters, constantly mixing them up with those of my own. “You will only be offended if you want to be offended”. I felt more human and more alive after having this wonderful conversation, with Bo, with Od, with myself.

[Ingrid Magnusson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling and thoughtful road adventure about love in a dystopian future in which proponents for an open world are pitched against aggressive, violent nationalism. Very relevant book for our times, hard to put down.