Dark Shadows Flies Off the Shelves

Since its publication in October, Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan has been snapped up by readers so eagerly that it is nearly sold out – so hurry up if you have yet to get your hands on a copy of the first edition!

A second print run from Bloomsbury owned publishing house I.B. Tauris is in the works and will be out very soon.

Here you can see a sneak preview of the cover of the second edition with an endorsement from a Spectator review by Peter Frankopan, historian and best-selling author of The Silk Roads and The New Silk Roads, who describes Dark Shadows as “astute, refreshing and revelatory”.

Dark Shadows has also been given a rave review in the Times Literary Supplement recently (subscribers only), and a write-up in Literary Review, which found that author Joanna Lillis “refreshes our knowledge of important events in Kazakhstan’s history, such as the evaporation of the Aral Sea and the establishment of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test facility, the operations of which condemned the surrounding population to radiation poisoning”, and “provides a vivid, interview-led report of Kazakhstan’s stunted human rights record”.

Check out also the author’s wide-ranging interview on Dark Shadows and where Kazakhstan is heading after Nazarbayev’s resignation with the excellent Geopolitics and Empire podcast.

You can find Dark Shadows in all good bookshops in the UK and US, or order online from Bloomsbury or Amazon’s UK and US websites, including in Kindle format (or e-book pdf format on the publisher’s site).

Now is a great time to read this compelling portrait of Kazakhstan, with its deep dive into contemporary politics, history, culture and identity told through the voices of ordinary people.

Following the resignation of strongman leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, whose 30 years at the helm of Kazakhstan is recounted in Dark Shadows, the country is in the grip of its first political transition in more than a generation and is heading for a presidential election in June – so the book provides essential background reading on how Kazakhstan got where it is today and where it’s going.

As Dark Shadows enters its second print run, we thank readers past, present and future for their interest!

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Dark Shadows US Tour Recap

Joanna Lillis, the author of the best-selling Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan , has completed her successful tour of the USA following the book's North American publication on 30 January. Dark Shadows arrives in the Big Apple! Here we publish links to videos of two events, so you can watch on catch-up if you missed them on the day. Joanna Lillis in conversation with Alex Cooley at the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, New York Here’s a link to video of a Q and A with Alex Cooley about Dark Shadows at the Harriman Institute at Columbia University in New York, where you can hear how the book came about and learn more about the diverse, from-the-ground reportage that it contains, if you missed the event on the day. Kazakhstan’s Quest for Identity at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University And here’s a link to the author’s presentation on Kazakhstan’s Quest for Identity at the Davis Cent

Dark Shadows: In the Press 5: Here Come the Reviews...

Check out the latest reviews of Dark Shadows in the international media! The book has recently been reviewed by two renowned historians, Peter Frankopan and Alexander Morrison, both of Oxford University. Dark Shadows meets The Silk Roads - Joanna Lillis meets Peter Frankopan in Oxford in November 2018 Writing in The Spectator , Peter Frankopan described Dark Shadows as “ astute, refreshing and revelatory”, and also “surprisingly tender, showing not only [Lillis’s] affection but her care in trying to make sense of a country that needs to be understood warts and all”. “She introduces a cast of characters one could not make up, from an Old Believer living in the north of the country to a militant atheist, whose grim convictions are not entirely appealing,” he continues. “We meet those suffering from the effects of Soviet-era nuclear experiments and children infected with HIV in a blood scandal, whose dignity in the face of injustice and tragedy is particularly moving. W

Dark Shadows on talkRADIO on the Late Late Early Early Show with Paul Ross

Joanna Lillis has been interviewed on talkRADIO about Dark Shadows, which the presenter of the station’s Late Late Early Early Show, Paul Ross described as a “jaw-droppingly good” book that is both “informative” and “heart-breaking”– so if you haven’t got your copy, buy it now! Tell us all about Dark Shadows... You can tune in to the interview at this link – make sure you access the 26 th February episode, click on the 0300-0330 slot and the interview with the author is 14 minutes in.

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