First published to wide acclaim in Russia in 1996, the intriguing first Labyrinths of Echo novel introduces readers to protagonist, narrator and pseudonymous author Max Frei. Max, a self-described classic loser, stays up all night and sleeps during the day. His erratic sleeping habits turn out to be a blessing when a dream brings him to Echo, an otherworldly city inhabited by magicians, where he is named the Nocturnal Representative of the Most Venerable Head of the Minor Secret Investigative Force. After training to shed his terrestrial habits, Max's investigative intuition quickly makes him one of the city's most revered—and feared—men, and soon he's taking on midget murderers and rescuing bewitched sea captains. Gannon's translation preserves the book's quintessentially Russian wit and makes it easily accessible to English-speaking fantasy mystery fans. (Apr.)
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Review

"The whole effect is like a collaboration between Raymond Chandler and Gilbert and Sullivan-cheerfully noirish and disturbingly satirical." - Library Journal

"I've never looked forward to the publication of a book more than I did Max Frei's The Stranger...a fantastic book."-_January Magazine_

"_The Stranger_ is a hugely enjoyable mix of madcap mirth and fantastical adventure." -_California Literary Review_



Max Frei, and the LABYRINTHS OF ECHO series, is a multi-million copy selling Russian literary sensation appearing in English for the first time. Intriguing, original, remarkable and wry... THE LABYRINTHS OF ECHO is a piece of absolute enchantment.

"Splash a bit of enchantment into my glass"... there is no better phrase to describe the state that a reader may find themselves in when exposed to this strong, absolutely legal, literary narcotic which goes by the name of Max Frei.' - Stolichniye Novosti.

If it weren't for bad luck, Max Frei wouldn't have any luck at all.

A self-described twenty-something `classic loser', an insomniac, hardened smoker, a glutton and a loafer, there's nothing much going for Max Frei... at least not until he arrives in the magical city of Echo. Summoned to the city by the head of the Department of Absolute Order, Sir Juffin Halli, Max's dreams are becoming a reality. But as with all dreams-come-true its not quite the reality Max expected; he's about to become a secret agent, tasked to solve extravagant, impossible crimes with nothing but his wits and a handful of unexplained magical abilities to recommend him.

Max is going to be thrown into the fray - and he can't even have a cigarette first...

About the Author

Max Frei is the author of the internationally bestselling Labyrinths of Echo series starring a character called Max Frei, as well as books on literature and art. She lives in Moscow.



Max Frei has discovered that the one place he really fits in is the parallel world of Echo. In our world he's a loser, an insomniac with dubious social skills and an addiction to cigarettes. But in Echo, the reality is far stranger. There he is Sir Max, a superb magician and one of the powerful few chosen to defend the land against all possible enemies. And he's finally happy.

But when one of his esteemed Knight colleagues tells Max of a strange dream - one that seems disturbingly familiar to Max - Max realises he will have to investigate.

The subsequent series of events will remind our hero - and the people he protects - just how tenuous happiness can be. It could be his most dangerous mission yet, but The Stranger's Magic may win him through.