Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author Kelly Link presents a “dazzling” (Entertainment Weekly) collection of nine short stories that explore the complexity of loss, identity, and the absurdity that is life.
“Flat-out genius.”—Holly Black, internationally bestselling author of The Cruel Prince
“Kelly Link is a sorceress to be reckoned with.”—The New York Times Book Review
Through the lens of Kelly Link’s vivid imagination, nothing is what it seems, and everything deserves a second look. These nine stories are full of unexpected insights, skewed perspectives on the world, and . . .
• A phone booth in Las Vegas • Aliens • Unhelpful wizards • Possibly carnivorous sofas • A handbag with a village inside it • Tennessee Fainting Goats • Dueling librarians • A statue of George Washington • A boy named Orion • Pirates • An undead babysitter • A nationally ranked soccer player • Shapeshifters • An unexpected campfire guest
“Kelly Link is the literary descendant of Jorge Luis Borges and Franz Kafka.”—Audrey Niffenegger, bestselling author of The Time Traveler’s Wife “Flat-out genius.”—Holly Black, internationally bestselling author of The Cruel Prince
“Kelly Link is a sorceress to be reckoned with.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Other stories have more overtly magical or intertextual themes; in each, Link’s peppering of her prose with random associations dislocates readers from the ordinary. The author mingles the grotesque and the ethereal to make magic on the page.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The humor is dry and the characters are easy to relate to, even in alien (literally and figuratively) settings. Fantasy readers used to long, single tomes may hesitate at the short-story format, but once they see these, they will want more.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Link defies expectations with such terrific turnarounds that you are left precipitously wondering not only ‘What’s going to happen now?’ but also ‘Wait, what just happened?’ Her conception of fantasy is so unique that when she uses words like ghost or magic, they mean something very different than they do anywhere else.”—Booklist, starred review
“Awkward adolescence, uncomfortable first love, frustrating parents, and complicated friendships surface quietly amid wonderfully knotty, twisted plots and incandescent imagery. This compilation of intricate, transfixing selections succeeds in making the weird wonderful and the grotesque absolutely gorgeous.”—School Library Journal
Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author Kelly Link presents a “dazzling” (Entertainment Weekly) collection of nine short stories that explore the complexity of loss, identity, and the absurdity that is life.
“Flat-out genius.”—Holly Black, internationally bestselling author of The Cruel Prince
“Kelly Link is a sorceress to be reckoned with.”—The New York Times Book Review
Through the lens of Kelly Link’s vivid imagination, nothing is what it seems, and everything deserves a second look. These nine stories are full of unexpected insights, skewed perspectives on the world, and . . .
• A phone booth in Las Vegas • Aliens • Unhelpful wizards • Possibly carnivorous sofas • A handbag with a village inside it • Tennessee Fainting Goats • Dueling librarians • A statue of George Washington • A boy named Orion • Pirates • An undead babysitter • A nationally ranked soccer player • Shapeshifters • An unexpected campfire guest
Praise
“Kelly Link is the literary descendant of Jorge Luis Borges and Franz Kafka.”—Audrey Niffenegger, bestselling author of The Time Traveler’s Wife “Flat-out genius.”—Holly Black, internationally bestselling author of The Cruel Prince
“Kelly Link is a sorceress to be reckoned with.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Other stories have more overtly magical or intertextual themes; in each, Link’s peppering of her prose with random associations dislocates readers from the ordinary. The author mingles the grotesque and the ethereal to make magic on the page.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The humor is dry and the characters are easy to relate to, even in alien (literally and figuratively) settings. Fantasy readers used to long, single tomes may hesitate at the short-story format, but once they see these, they will want more.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Link defies expectations with such terrific turnarounds that you are left precipitously wondering not only ‘What’s going to happen now?’ but also ‘Wait, what just happened?’ Her conception of fantasy is so unique that when she uses words like ghost or magic, they mean something very different than they do anywhere else.”—Booklist, starred review
“Awkward adolescence, uncomfortable first love, frustrating parents, and complicated friendships surface quietly amid wonderfully knotty, twisted plots and incandescent imagery. This compilation of intricate, transfixing selections succeeds in making the weird wonderful and the grotesque absolutely gorgeous.”—School Library Journal
