The Farm

Somewhere in South Africa, a farm comes under heavy attack. No shooters in sight. Only one thing is certain: The attackers are savagely resolute. A diverse group of people barricade themselves inside the farmhouse: women, men, and children; bosses and workers; black and white; a police officer; random visitors. Who is the target of the attack? What has motivated it? Politics? Revenge? Greed? Drugs? Weapons? But do the people outside know more than those indoors? The snipers who are trying to operate in the dark of night? Who will die, who will survive? Who is pulling the strings? Who will be the winners, who will be the losers? And how long can eight hours actually be?

Winner of the 2015 German Crime Writing Prize, Max Annas’ taut, terse novel is based on the foundational premise behind John Carpenter’s iconic film Assault on Precinct 13. The resulting work is a highly concentrated piece of literature. Constant changes in perspective, piercing precision. An explosive mixture of psychological thriller and Neo-western with a political subtext. Translated by Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds.

184 pages
Release Date: 2020

Before writing novels, Max Annas worked as a journalist. A renowned film critic, his first novel, The Farm, is currently under film production in South Africa.

Reviews:

“On a remote farm, in what reads like a South African crime novel version of Night of the Living Dead, a diverse group of strangers with little in common are under siege by violent attackers. Those inside must work together not only to survive, but to understand why they’re being targeted in the first place.” — CrimeReads “Five International Novels You Should Read This September”

“Tension and intriguing characters make this a book you shouldn’t start until you have enough time to finish it. It’s hard to put down!” — MIchael Sears, The Big Thrill

“A subtle, intelligent crime novel that leads with action and judiciously drip feeds character and meaning into the story along the way.”—Crime Time