Seattle native son Michael Byers, author of a much-praised first book of stories, The Coast of Good Intentions, and a terrific Seattle-set novel, Long for This World, is back in his hometown with a new novel, Percival's Planet (Henry Holt). "... a gloriously expansive view of Depression-era America, from the easy extravagance of the Boston Brahmins to hardscrabble rural life. At its core, this is the story of Clyde Tombaugh, an unassuming Kansas farm kid who achieves international fame for his discovery of Pluto ... Byers connects Clyde's story with a number of riveting and eventually interlinking subplots ... Between the faultless storytelling and the juicy historical hook, this looks like a hit." – Publishers Weekly. "Fascinating ... fresh and astonishing ... Brilliant observations about human nature—obsessiveness, laziness, duplicity, and violence, but also creativity, faithfulness, integrity, selflessness, and courage—are all illustrated by unique yet believable, likable characters ... This insightful, witty novel grabs the heart and tickles the mind." – Booklist.