In this powerful and original epic, a girl ventures from her remote Polynesian island to try to save her people from doom. After Norse invaders slaughter almost everyone on a small Scottish island, a mead wife, a monk and an elderly Norseman find themselves the only survivors. This mystery is filled with fascinating glimpses of mid-18th-century London, where the recently widowed Hannah Cole runs a confectionery shop.
Now, that's not to say that books are only good for a hit of escapism though to be clear, they can be terrific at that, as well. This week sees the release of several works of fiction that challenge or outright shrug off the hard rigors of the day-to-day, in pursuit of something far more out there: proof, at least in concept, that other worlds are possible.