A mind-expanding space opera from one of Germany's most acclaimed science-fiction writers.

In a distant universe, since the beginning of time, workers have spent their lives weaving intricate carpets from the hair of women and girls. But why? Andreas Eschbach's mysterious, poignant space opera explores the absurdity of work and of life itself.

'A novel of ideas that evokes complex emotions through the working out of an intricate and ultimately satisfying plot, with echoes of Gene Wolfe, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Isaac Asimov' The New York Times Book Review

"A tale of empire, indoctrination, and extravagant revenge, that begins on a world where men dedicate their lives to weaving excruciatingly complicated carpets out of their wives' hair" - The White Review, Books of the Year

"A novel of ideas that evokes complex emotions through the working out of an intricate and ultimately satisfying plot, with echoes of Gene Wolfe, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Isaac Asimov" - The New York Times Book Review

"German SF has recently produced at least one new writer on the world stage: Andreas Eschbach" - The New York Review of Science Fiction

"A world-class SF voice" - Locus

"The Carpet Makers will blow you away ... clever, insightful, entertaining and satisfying" - Analog

"A magnum opus ... Even more astounding, it was Eschbach's debut" - Kirkus