Strange Telescopes : Following the Apocalypse From Moscow to Siberia

The acclaimed author of Lost Cosmonaut “takes us into a world of exorcism, cults and oddballs” living in Ukraine, Siberia, and the catacombs beneath Moscow ( The Guardian ). In Lost Cosmonaut , travel writer and anti-tourist Daniel Kalder ventured into the most distant republics of the former Soviet Union. Now Kalder is back in Russia to explore some of its strangest communities and hidden places on a year-long odyssey from Moscow to the Arctic Circle. The trek begins in the sewers of Moscow, where Kalder encounters a lost city inhabited by people known as “the Diggers.” After exploring the depths of this underground planet and meeting the eccentric Utopians who call it home, Kalder journeys to Ukraine, where exorcists chase down demons in the dubious afterglow of the Orange Revolution. In Siberia, he meets a man called Vissarion—a former traffic cop who is now known at the Jesus of Siberia, and to his thousands of followers, the true messiah. Salvation and damnation collide in this colorful account of a truly unique adventure that “provides rare glimpses into the odd afterlife of a collapsed superpower” ( Publishers Weekly ). A mind-bending voyage into the underground realms of Russia and beyond by the author of Lost Cosmonaut.When Daniel Kalder descended into the sewers of Moscow in pursuit of the mythical lost city of tramps, he didn't realize that he was embarking on a bizarre, year-long odyssey that would lead him thousands of miles across Russia to the Arctic Circle via the heart of Asia. After exploring the depths of Moscow's "Underground Planet," Kalder journeyed to the Ukraine to chase down demons and exorcists in the dubious afterglow of the Orange Revolution, before meeting a man called Vissarion Christ—a one-time traffic cop, he is now messiah to thousands of followers in Siberia. Salvation and damnation collide as Daniel Kalder expertly guides us through this unique account of a modern day quest that reveals the astonishing lengths people will go to when they view the world through a "strange telescope." TRV000000, TRV023000 More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA