BONUS: Ray Nayler's new novel feels made for Seattle readers

And that book was popular in Seattle.

Still is.

I still see it on staff recommendation shelves all around town.

But y'all, his new novel, which I just finished, might be even better, especially for Seattle readers.

Ray Naylor's new novel is about four young people caught between the Nazis and the Red Army in World War II.

Not ideal.

They're stuck in the woods midwinter, left to fend for themselves and each other against, well, a lot.

I mean, one of them is a young Jewish girl whose home is burned to the ground.

You've also got an underage Polish soldier.

There's also an abandoned boy and a Roma girl whose family is on the run from the Soviets and Nazis and pretty broad discrimination against her nomadic people when all of this unfolds.

There's a lot going on and it's hard.

So you might be asking yourself, why do I think this is going to be such a hit in Seattle? Well, because the kids aren't entirely alone in the woods.

They have the help of one of Seattle's favorite flyers, Crows.

Yes, a flock of highly intelligent crows, redundant, I know, help our human protagonists in really unique ways.

The book is called Palaces of the Crow.

I couldn't tell you that before because it would have ruined the reveal.

And it's perfect for fans of historical fiction, speculative fiction, Corvid fiction, which should totally be a genre of its own.

We're not doing spoilers in this episode, but I did have to talk to Ray while he was in town, touring with his next novel that I think is going to have Seattle talking.