An intriguing and singular setup ... At times strains credibility ... But this is a novel concerned more with the atmosphere of its setting than with narrative verisimilitude — it owes more to Jonathan Swift than to Émile Zola — and in this Walls succeeds admirably.
Poignant ... In the affecting, sardonic historical novel Field Notes from an Extinction, English prejudices are challenged by tumult and the humanity of the Irish.
While the conclusion is unsatisfyingly open-ended, readers will find much to admire, including a third-act twist. This blistering historical is worth a look.
