The Carpet Makers

The Carpet Makers

Andreas Eschbach

#6980 of 8,085 books · #1798 in Science Fiction

Shortlisted for the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (2006).

Since the time of pre-history, carpetmakers tie intricate knots to form carpets for the court of the Emperor. These carpets are made from the hairs of wives and daughters; they are so detailed and fragile that each carpetmaker finishes only one single carpet in his entire lifetime. This art descends from father to son, since the beginning of time itself. But one day the empire of the God Emperor vanishes, and strangers begin to arrive from the stars to follow the trace of the hair carpets. What these strangers discover is beyond all belief, more than anything they could have ever imagined.