An intergalactic odyssey of love, ambition, and self-discovery, "Spaceman of Bohemia "is one of the most impressive debuts in recent American fiction. Orphaned as a boy, raised in the Czech countryside by his doting grandparents, Jakub Prochazka has risen from small-time scientist to become the country's first astronaut. When a dangerous solo mission to Venus offers him both the chance at heroism he's dreamt of, and a way to atone for his father's sins as a Communist informer, he ventures boldly into the vast unknown. But in so doing, he leaves behind his devoted wife, Lenka, whose love, he realizes too late, he has sacrificed on the altar of his ambitions. Alone in Deep Space, Jakub's only companion is a possibly imaginary giant alien spider. Over philosophical conversations about the nature of love, life and death, and the deliciousness of bacon, the pair forms a bond every bit as intense and affectionate as it is unlikely. Will it be enough to see him through a clash with secret Russian rivals, and return him safely to Earth for a second chance with Lenka? In exhilarating passages that delight us with their warmth and exuberance, astonish us with their endless capacity to surprise, and enrapture us with the nail-biting fate of an astronaut who wins our hearts, "Spaceman of Bohemia" show us that no matter how far we travel, the things that will always matter to us most are love and home. Very seldom has a novel this profound taken the reader on a journey of such boundless entertainment and sheer fun.

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