The Sorcerer of Pyongyang

'A compulsively readable tale . . . Theroux captures the extraordinary atmosphere of North Korean life with wit and insight' Michael Palin



Growing up in the most isolated country on earth, 10-year-old Cho Jun-su stumbles upon a mysterious game that will change his life forever.



As Jun-su painstakingly deciphers the rules of the game in secret, he unlocks an inner world that is at first an antidote and then a threat to the political cult that surrounds him. Over time, the game leads Jun-su on a spellbinding and unexpected journey through the hidden layers of his country, towards precocious success, glory, love, betrayal, prison, a spell at the pinnacle of the North Korean elite and an extraordinary kind of redemption.



Warm, uplifting, and deeply researched, The Sorcerer of Pyongyang is a love story and a tale of survival against the odds.



'Theroux writes with intelligence, compassion and an occasional quiet lyricism . . . [The Sorcerer of Pyongyang] powerfully embodies the plight of North Koreans in the state's vast shadow' Guardian



'Expert, engrossing . . . A cleverly imagined tale of psychic repression and escape from it' Kirkus, starred review