Traditional or cultural fiction and true stories, tales and retellings
Luath Press Ltd Tales of the Picts
Book SynopsisFor many centuries the people of Scotland have told stories of their ancestors, a mysterious tribe called the Picts. This ancient Celtic-speaking people, who fought off the might of the Roman Empire, are perhaps best known for their Symbol Stones – images carved into standing stones left scattered across Scotland, many of which have their own stories. Here for the first time these tales are gathered together with folk memories of bloody battles, chronicles of warriors and priestesses, saints and supernatural beings. From Shetland to the border with England, these ancient memories of Scotland’s original inhabitants have flourished since the nation’s earliest days and now are told afresh, shedding new light on our ancient past.Trade Review.
£5.99
September Publishing Foxfire, Wolfskin: and Other Stories of
Book SynopsisDrawing on myth and fairy tales found across Europe - from Croatia to Sweden, Ireland to Russia - Sharon Blackie brings to life women's remarkable ability to transform themselves in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances. These stories are about coming to terms with our animal natures, exploring the ways in which we might renegotiate our fractured relationship with the natural world, and uncovering the wildness - and wilderness - within. Beautifully illustrated by Helen Nicholson, Foxfire, Wolfskin and Other Stories of Shapeshifting Women is Blackie's first collection of short stories.Trade Review'A book for all the wild women ... Foxfire, Wolfskin is simply the most perfect thing. I love each and every placement of each word. Love the wildness, the shapeshifting, the fearsomeness of it.' - Jackie Morris | `A deeply evocative and haunting collection . . . Part rally cry, part warning, part manifesto and all parts enchanting, Sharon Blackie's Foxfire, Wolfskin is a deeply evocative and haunting collection. I want to press this powerful book into the hands of everyone I know and say listen.' Holly Ringland | `Sharon Blackie has wrought a new-old magic for our times: glorious, beautiful, passionate myths. They show who we could have been, and they give us a glimpse of a world-that-could-be.' Manda Scott
£14.99
Country Books Land of Hope & Story: A celebration of rural
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£7.59
Letterpress Publishing The Fragrant Concubine
£15.73
Carn Publishing ltd Folk Tales of Ayrshire
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£13.30
Triarchy Press The Pilgrimage of Piltdown Man
Book Synopsis“Once upon a time…there was the Weald. Much of the Weald was smoke and flame – a place of blast furnaces and molten iron – and the mine pits; still, deep, dark cooling pools, from which would come the hiss of steam when white hot iron was plunged in.And scattered throughout the Wealden forest there were those charcoal burners’ enclosures – the hut and the kiln, the piles of cut limbs and branches, and the solitary, wrinkled charcoal burner.And when the charcoal burner died, as often as not his body rotted away in solitude and there was no-one to miss him, as the forest retook the enclosure – and the hut and the kiln subsided back into the ground. Sometimes bits of body were collected – no-one knew by whom. Someone dark. Someone with a book. Bits of body were fixed together – bits of this, that and the other. Higgledy piggledy wiggledy. A brain animated by a spark of fire from a bloomer – an ancient blast furnace; a clay chimney – or fluxed into awareness and motion by an organism usually associated with rot and decay – the body jerked into some sort of life...”Here begins the story of Link, a cryptid, a knitted-together Piltdown Man, whose pilgrimage takes him up the South Downs, staggering along the A27 and the M27, through Southampton, through Amesbury, past Porton Down, to Glastonbury, Dartmoor, the west of Cornwall and Brittany.Mike O’Leary has been a professional storyteller for 25 years and his post-fairy tale vividly knits together the knuckers, hags, wisht hounds and dragons of folklore with more contemporary concerns of roadkill, hitch-hiking, migration and abuse. The result is a very adult story that investigates the whole idea of story in our lives and in our search for meaning.
£9.50
Quercus Publishing Of Men and Angels
Book Synopsis'Arditti is a master storyteller who uses his theological literacy sparingly to deliver a challenging but enthralling read' GuardianAward-winning, bestselling author Michael Arditti's tenth novel, documenting the history of homophobia and religion.God's vengeance on the wicked city of Sodom is a perennial source of fascination and horror. Michael Arditti's passionate and enthralling new novel explores the enduring power of the myth in five momentous epochs.A young Judean exile transcribes the Acts of Abraham and Lot in ancient Babylon; the Guild of Salters presents a mystery play of Lot's Wife in medieval York; Botticelli paints the Destruction of Sodom for a court in Renaissance Florence; a bereaved rector searches for the Cities of the Plain in nineteenth century Palestine; a closeted gay movie star portrays Lot in a controversial biblical epic in 1980s Hollywood. With its interrelated narratives and interwoven documents, Of Men and Angels is both formally inventive and imaginatively rich. Abounding in characters as vivid as they are varied, from temple prostitutes and palace eunuchs, through fanatical friars and humanist poets, to Bedouin tribesmen, Russian exiles and, of course, angels, this is a novel of breathtaking scope, penetrating insight and profound human sympathy.Trade ReviewAnyone who is afraid that the English novel is sliding into a backwater of domestic anecdote should find their anxieties assuaged by the writing of Michael Arditti * The Times *A Graham Greene for our time * Spectator *Arditti succeeds in creating fiction that is morally serious, moving and intense * Times Literary Supplement *Arditti is a master storyteller who uses his theological literacy sparingly to deliver a challenging but enthralling read * Guardian *
£9.49
Black Wolf Edition & Publishing Ltd ELAZAR
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£12.34
Black Wolf Edition & Publishing Ltd THE MYSTERIES OF THE ISLAND OF THARA: 2020
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£5.94
The Indigo Press Pearl: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023
Book SynopsisMarianne is eight years old when her mother goes missing. Left behind with her baby brother and grieving father in a ramshackle house on the edge of a small village, she clings to the fragmented memories of her mother’s love; the smell of fresh herbs, the games they played, and the songs and stories of her childhood. As time passes, Marianne struggles to adjust, fixated on her mother’s disappearance and the secrets she’s sure her father is keeping from her. Discovering a medieval poem called Pearl and trusting in its promise of consolation, Marianne sets out to make a visual illustration of it, a task that she returns to over and over but somehow never manages to complete. Tormented by an unmarked gravestone in an abandoned chapel and the tidal pull of the river, her childhood home begins to crumble as the past leads her down a path of self-destruction. But can art heal Marianne? And will her own future as a mother help her find peace?Trade ReviewAn interview with author Siân Hughes: ‘the heart of the mystery is this dangerous ground of motherhood’ – Lucy Writers Platform -- Rym Kechacha * Lucy Writers *
£10.79
Fairlight Books The Piano Room
Book SynopsisSandor Esterhazy is descended from a long line of talented pianists, but has no desire to play. So, one snowy afternoon, he promises his soul to the devil in exchange for a life of his own choosing. Afterwards, he laughs it off as a joke, but that night the devil arrives dragging someone - or something - with him. Uncertain what to do with the bewildered creature, Sandor locks it in the basement, allowing it out only once a night to visit the piano room - the creature, who he names Ferdi, is desperate to play. Sandor slips easily into his new role of captor, but as Ferdi learns what it is to be human, tensions between the two escalate, and Ferdi escapes into the world...Trade Review'Like a beautiful melody played on the very edge of hearing, The Piano Room demands your attention while remaining elusive. Utterly captivating' —Lynda Clark, author of 'Dreaming in Quantum and Other Stories'; 'A dark and beautifully written tale, seeped in music, yearning and breathless intrigue' —Edward Vass, author of 'Milton in Purgatory'
£13.49
Design For Today Hansel and Gretel: A Nightmare in Eight Scenes
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£23.75
Design For Today Beauty & Beast
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£36.00
Luath Press Ltd Sgiath: Amazon Queen of Skye
Book SynopsisHaving heard and learned stories of Sgiath over the past many years, I felt that the time was right to put them down in print lest they be lost. GEORGE MACPHERSON Long ago in ancient Skye, a queen is born in a storm… From the depths of Scottish folklore emerges Sgiath, an ancient warrior queen of Skye. Also known as Scáthach or Sgathaich, Skye and Dunscaith Castle – her home on the island all those years ago – are said to have been named after her. Follow her incredible journey as she turns from ordinary village girl to leader of a great army of warriors, conquering her opponents and bringing education to all. Magic and myth interweave with history in this epic tale of ancient oral storytelling that is inspirational for our modern times.
£7.59
Aurora Metro Publications Sleeping Beauty
Book Synopsis• Can be performed by schools, colleges, youth theatres etc. • Challenges gender stereotypes, with role reversal. The world spins and the cycle of seasons turns as the Guardians of the Year gather to tell each other stories. As a new Winter begins it is time to tell another tale… A kingdom is in peril, its people driven to flee their homes as a dark forest covers the land. The King and Queen are missing and Prince Roland, only heir to the kingdom, lies sleeping, cursed never to awaken… All seems lost, and it falls to one young woman with a strong heart, aided by strange companions, to find her way to the castle at the heart of the enchanted forest. Once there, it will take a genuine act of love to break the curse and free the kingdom. A story about friendship, drawing on myth and folklore, Sleeping Beauty is an exciting and enchanting new adaptation of the well-loved story. • Large cast playTrade Review“A HEARTWARMING tale of friendship and the power of storytelling... Matt Beames has taken the traditional story of Sleeping Beauty and adapted it for a modern audience.” Southern Daily Echo
£10.44
Scribe Publications Lux: a novel
Book SynopsisKing David spies on beautiful Bathsheba as she bathes and his desire drives him to acts of such callousness that even his god turns away from him. Only through searching penitence and the psalms that express this can he find him way back into the light. A world and centuries away, King Henry VIII looks up at his prized tapestries of David and Bathsheba and sees in David a mighty predecessor, defender of the faith. Henry’s courtier-poet, Sir Thomas Wyatt, sees instead two kings who take what they want, careless of the lives they destroy in the process — David’s lust led him to murder, while Henry is ruthless in his pursuit of Ann Boleyn and the son she has promised him … more ruthless still when she fails to provide an heir. Wyatt too, once dangerously close to Ann himself, is caught in the slipstream of wilful power. David’s psalms of penitence reach across the years to touch and speak to him directly. Shackled in a cell in the Tower of London, not expecting to get out alive, he thinks of his beloved falcon Lukkes, and wishes he too could fly. Lux weaves past and present into a story of love and its reach, fidelity and faith, power and poetry, for readers of Marilynne Robinson, Anne Carson, and Hilary Mantel.Trade Review‘This book is a spell. Cook’s retelling of these old stories is masterful, immersive, lyrical, and psychologically profound. With the deftest of touches, she illuminates these well-known figures, David, Bathsheba, Thomas Wyatt, and makes them shine anew.’ -- Madeline Miller, author of Circe‘Hugely ambitious and very beautiful.’ * BBC Radio 4’s, Saturday Review *‘Cook writes with impressive empathy … There is both a painterly eye and a physicality about her prose.’ -- Diana Hendry * The Spectator *‘Cook’s account of an Old Testament repentance is a full-throated one.’ -- Elizabeth Buchan * Daily Mail *‘Intelligence, originality, and poetic grace … Ms. Cook reflects on the momentous change by tenderly humanising all of these larger-than-life characters. Her portrayal of Bathsheba is both more compassionate and more convincing than the usual caricature of a power-hungry seductress. Her David, too, is remarkably approachable … Again and again in this discerning novel, sin and suffering culminate in a majestic work of humility and praise.’ -- Sam Sacks * The Wall Street Journal *‘Lux emerges as an unusual and accomplished page turner. It’s ambitious, incredibly detailed … the clarity and beauty of the prose is a joy. An overwhelming sense of destiny is palpable and defining.’ -- Kevin O’Sullivan * Irish Examiner *‘Elizabeth Cook’s visual imagination is as sharp and gorgeous as any Pre-Raphaelite painter’s. Her psychological penetration is deep and compassionate. They are both unfailing as she weaves together the stories of King David and Bathsheba and of Thomas Wyatt and Ann Boleyn. If this is, in a way, a tour de force, it doesn’t read like that: the connections are organic and realistic, gripping the reader and integral to the rapid movement of the narrative.’ -- John Drury, author of Music at Midnight‘Almost two decades in the making, Lux is well worth the wait. Like its predecessor Achilles, it’s an ambitious and compelling novel, equally vivid in its conjuring of myth and history, particularly striking in its portrayal of religious belief under pressure, the nature of holiness and the sacred. It’s a remarkable book.’ -- Michael Symmons Roberts, author of Drysalter‘Cook’s multilayered prose is rich, luminous, and pays particular attention to the perspectives of women, all but ignored in the original David story.’ -- Alastair Mabbott * The Herald *‘Cook’s quietly masterful prose builds a huge world, unsentimental, numinous and deeply moving. Longing, appetite, love, grief, regret, and their consequences: Lux, Wyatt's falcon, is named for the luxury of courts and concupiscence but also the light of the desert, of song, of David’s Yahweh. This novel is a joy to read.’ -- Susan Hitch‘An ambitious attempt to yoke together two narratives separated in time but not in their timeless resonances.’ -- Howard Cooper * Jewish Chronicle *‘A well-told thinker of a read.’ -- Jon Wise * Weekend Sport *‘In her second novel, Elizabeth Cook has followed her own passions … to good effect. Her command of language, and of her material, makes this an extremely satisfying read.’ * Anne Goodwin *‘Lux is a remarkable interweaving of one ancient king’s story and his place as redeemer within and beyond Judaism.’ -- Rabbi Dr Aviva Kipen * J-Wire *‘Cook writes beautiful and complicated prose, befitting of the subjects she chooses … Informed by the Judeo-Christian spiritual tradition without being subject to it, here is the rare book that functions on multiple levels, inspiring new ideas and insights with each re-reading … The most powerful chapters of Lux are those spent with women … Cook plucks these hollowed-out characters from Samuel and imbues them with souls. She circles the Bible story of David and Bathsheba, plumbs its depths and breathes life into it, creating the type of mannered, academic leaning novel that the English seem to adore … But press down firmly on the cover and the words, regardless of how beautiful they are, will flow out its sides like water from a sponge.’ -- Tara Cheesman * On the Seawall *
£9.49
Greatness University Publishers Dinosaurs in Love
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£11.25
Clive Gilson Pot-Likker: Folklore, Fairy Tales and Settler
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£26.25
BOTH Press The Dust Of The Red Rose Knight
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£9.49
Graffeg Limited The Lightbringers
Book SynopsisThe first in a series of four titles based on the seasons, nature and folklore, The Lightbringers is a story of hope centring on the notion that the light will always return, even in the darkest of days.
£11.69
Triarchy Press Bonelines
Book SynopsisIn their 'Guidebook for an Armchair Pilgrimage', authors Phil Smith, Tony Whitehead and photographer John Schott lead us on a ‘virtual’ journey to explore difference and change on their way to an unknown destination. They create a pilgrimage that any of us can follow, even if we are confined to our homes. To research the 'Guidebook' the authors went on an actual journey. 'Bonelines' is the secret story of that journey. Given the present circumstances it now appears prophetic, prescient and helpful, so they have decided to bring it into the light. It is written as a novel.
£12.50
Hobeck Books Limited Wayland Babes
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£7.48
Graffeg Limited Bachgen, Y Wahadden, Y Llwynog Ar Ceffyl, Y
Book SynopsisFull of beautiful text and illustrations, this lively story, originally created by Charlie Mackesy and now in a Welsh translation by Mererid Hopwood, will certainly strike a chord with readers. Its tender life lessons will remind us of friendship in the midst of a topsy-turvy world.
£15.29
Hajar Press Pearls from Their Mouth
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£12.50
Sparsile Books Ltd Beelzebub's Bible: An Unholy Allegory
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£10.44
Unicorn Publishing Group Star Fish
Book SynopsisLegend has it that if a star leaps from the sky to the earth, and if it can accurately leap into the sea, it will turn into a very large fish. There is such a pair of twin stars in the sky and younger brother wanted to embark the journey to oceans on earth. During the journey Crossbow realised that true dreams and freedom also contain love and responsibility...
£14.99
Chronos Publishing Poison Arrow
New York magazine columnist Joy Gibson was searching for the answer to the eternal question: why are all the wrong people falling in love? After all, love is a choice surely… but what if it wasn’t your choice? Unbeknown to Joy, hers and other mortals choice is not an act of free will, but a will of the Gods. Or more importantly, one very vengeful God… Cupid. Trapped in a prison in the bowels of Hades for thousands of years by an ancient curse, Cupid remains captive until one special broken-hearted mortal shall set him free. Unfortunately, when Joy is dumped by her fiancée and has her heart broken… Joy becomes the very key to unlocking Cupid’s prison. On the rampage now, Cupid vows merciless vengeance upon mankind whom he blames for his incarceration and sets out to not only cleanse their hearts from the scourge of love with his poison arrows but to destroy their entire world they live on by turning the most powerful arrows that humans possess against themselves… nuclear weapons. Armed with only a bow and arrows borrowed from Cupid’s brother Eros, Joy hunts Cupid through the riot-torn city of New York whilst hunted herself by gangs of armed Hells Angels who are all baying for her blood. The fate of all mankind’s happiness and the lives of millions about to be incinerated by nuclear Armageddon all lie in Joy's hands, as she races against the clock to recapture a demon before he turns Earth into Hades. On her nightmare quest to unlock the alchemy of love, Joy encounters obese reality T.V. stars, psychotic Soviet Majors, randy royals in sex clubs and she finally finds out what the Hokey Cokey is really all about.
£9.49
Skein Press Twiggy Woman: 2023
Book SynopsisA collection of ghost stories rooted in the oral tradition of the Irish Traveller community which will appeal to a wide range of readers of all ages, backgrounds and interests.
£11.69
Crumps Barn Studio My Very Tree: a stunning debut, full of humour
Book Synopsis"Eyes like blue diamonds, a smile that captivates the heart Floating on the clouds I have no wings I am not a bird but I watch from a distance Listen can you hear it, the whisper of the wind Circling around me" My Very Tree is Beverley Gordon's brilliant and original debut poetry collection. Personal and full of the unexpected, this is a lively expression of identity and freedom.Trade Review'I wanted to saviour every word and pace my way through, but I couldn’t put it down ... this collection is relevant and thought provoking, I laughed I smiled and I thought it was deep ... what a great little read' ~ 5 stars
£7.59
Crumps Barn Studio Love Covers All Things: a beautiful study in
Book Synopsis"You see me at my worst, you see me at my best I have been used, I have been abused I have been broken, I have been mended, I have been lied to. I have been called all sort of names I have been the cause of everything broken, so they claim Who am I? I am the one that catches you when you fall" Love has many layers. This heartfelt collection of original poetry explores the ups and downs of life's relationships. A beautiful study of the power of personal connection.Trade ReviewPraise for Beverley Gordon: "I wanted to saviour every word and pace my way through, but I couldn’t put it down ... this collection is relevant and thought provoking, I laughed I smiled and I thought it was deep ... what a great little read" ~ 5 stars
£7.59
Crumps Barn Studio Some things to laugh, cry or talk about
Book Synopsis"We are told there was a time when men were men and women were women You know men dressed in bowler hats or whatever hats of their choice And fine suits And the ladies too, along with their fine modest dresses No hair out of place ..." From genteel ladies and gentlemen sipping tea, to defiant expressions of independence, this is a complete and entertaining examination of one woman's search for the perfect relationship The fifth brilliant prose poetry collection from Beverley GordonTrade Review'I wanted to savour every word and pace my way through, but I couldn't put it down' -- READER REVIEW; 'Finds a way to the deepest corner of the heart' -- READER REVIEW; 'Could not put it down the poems are beautifully written ... really touched me. 5 stars this is a poetry book I will keep for life' -- Emma Fitzgerald, book reviewer
£7.59
Watkins Media Limited The Bone Roots
Book SynopsisIt’s been 40 years since the Fox took Kada’s brother. Though she ran and kept herself hidden, she fears it may be stalking her again, this time to steal her daughter. Every year, Vedma Kada gives thanks to the bone roots – those that belong to the child-bearing tree who gave Kada her desperately-wanted baby, Secha. Kada lives her life in service of the bone roots and the goddess Zemya, but they cannot keep her daughter safe. Not when Secha's emerging powers, both mysterious and brutish, threaten to out her for who she truly is… Meanwhile Sladyana, a rich noblewoman, has spent the last fifteen years searching for her missing daughter, Luba. She was snatched from their home by the Fox thief and Sladyana has heard nothing from her since. But the one who gave Sladyana her daughter has come within her grasp once again, and so has the secret of her daughter’s fate. File Under: Fantasy [ Tree of Life Mother Issues Out Foxed Unravelling Secrets ]Trade Review"Gabriela Houston's The Bone Roots is an exuberantly told story that weaves together the lives of two mothers and their daughters. This enthralling tale is filled with dark magic, intriguing monsters, and a tension that holds until the very end." - Chris Panatier, author of The Phlebotomist "As twisted and intricate as the bone roots themselves, an intimate portrait of what it means to become a mother and the fight to protect - at any cost. Be prepared to be gripped, chilled, and lulled deep into this mythic world with Houston's lyrical prose." - Caroline Hardaker, author of Composite Creatures "Gabriela Houston's writing is both economical and evocative - a rare skill." - SFX Magazine "[Gabriela Houston] truly is a writer to look out for, and one that I think will go far." - Libri Draconis
£9.49
Bell Jar Books Solstice: Newcastle witch trials historical
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£8.99
Susana Imaginario Nephilim's Hex
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£14.40
Sparsile Books Ltd Pignut and Nuncle
Book SynopsisWhen we are born, we cry that we have come to this stage of fools William Shakespeare, King Lear In this extraordinary novel, Des Dillon mixes familiar with surreal to explore the dark side of humanity''s soul. Jane Eyre, beloved heroine of Charlotte Bronte''s novel, finds herself alone and lost on a stormbound moor. Her only hope comes when she finally stumbles across two men trying to find shelter. There''s only one problem, they claim to be King Lear and his faithful fool. Thinking the old man insane, Jane tries to convince him that King Lear is a fictional character while, in turn, Lear thinks Jane is a madwoman. But there''s more to Fool than first appears. Using his powers, he catapults them through the play of King Lear at terrifying speed. Frightened and bewildered, Jane assumes she is caught up in some kind of nightmare or psychological fugue and sets about trying to avert the tragedy of Cordelia''s death. At every turn, their every plan goes horribly wrong causing Cordelia''s character to darken more and more so that she degenerates into the foulest of Shakespearean tyrants. Forget saving Cordelia''s life! Can Jane, Lear and the Fool find a way to save Cordelia''s soul and thus their own?
£8.54
Chiselbury Publishing Monk: Step 1: Into the shadows
Book SynopsisEarly in its history, the Roman Catholic Church established a secret sect of elite spies and killers, tasked with protecting the Church's treasures and secrets. This sect is called the Mystiko Kataskopos. One of their team is searching for the 'real' Shroud of Turn
£8.99
Cascade Publishing Norse Mythology: Tales of Norse Myth, Gods,
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£17.99
Living Book Press Viking Tales
Book SynopsisViking Tales is the thrilling story of Harald Fairhair. Starting at his birth it follows through his many adventures until he unites Norway as its King.As the Viking population grows their lust for adventure takes them on many brave journeys, discovering and settling foreign lands, even setting foot in America.This edition features a large font for easy reading by younger readers, and all the original images, a pronunciation guide, and teachers notes.
£16.14
Bluemere Books The Guardian's Vigil: A Short Storty
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£5.90
Lost Plot Press Float: Enchanted Horse Retold
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£11.19
Lost Plot Press Cobble: Elves and the Shoemaker Retold
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£11.19
Lost Plot Press Call: Pied Piper Retold
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£11.19
Lost Plot Press Once Upon a Time
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£28.79
Birch Tree Publishing The Tale of Peter Rabbit
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£12.29
Bellevue Literary Press Invisible Beasts
Book SynopsisInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist Orion Book Award Finalist O, The Oprah Magazine Title to Pick Up Now” An amazing feat of imagination.” Publishers Weekly (starred review) Invisible Beasts is a strange and beautiful meditation on love and seeing, a hybrid of fantasy and field guide, novel and essay, treatise and fable. With one hand it offers a sad commentary on environmental degradation, while with the other it presents a bright, whimsical, and funny exploration of what it means to be human. It’s wonderfully written, crazily imagined, and absolutely original.” ANTHONY DOERR, author of All the Light We Cannot See and The Shell Collector Sophie is an amateur naturalist with a rare genetic gift: the ability to see a marvelous kingdom of invisible, sentient creatures that share a vital relationship with humankind. To record her observations, Sophie creates a personal bestiary and, as she relates the strange abilities of these endangered beings, her tales become extraordinary meditations on love, sex, evolution, extinction, truth, and self-knowledge. In the tradition of E.O. Wilson’s Anthill, Invisible Beasts is inspiring, philosophical, and richly detailed fiction grounded by scientific fact and a profound insight into nature. The fantastic creations within its pagesan ancient animal that uses natural cold fusion for energy, a species of vampire bat that can hear when their human host is lying, a continent-sized sponge living under the ice of Antarcticailluminate the role that all living creatures play in the environment and remind us of what we stand to lose if we fail to recognize our entwined destinies. Sharona Muir is the author of The Book of Telling: Tracing the Secrets of My Father’s Lives. The recipient of a Hodder Fellowship and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, her writing has appeared in Granta, Orion magazine, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. She is a Professor of Creative Writing and English at Bowling Green State University. Invisible Beasts is her first novel.Trade ReviewInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist Orion Book Award Finalist O, The Oprah Magazine Title to Pick Up Now” BuzzFeed Book To Dive Into” Brooklyn Book Festival Most Impressive Debut Novelist” Kenyon Review Holiday Reading Recommendation” Publishers Weekly First Fiction” & Book of the Week” selection Library Journal Top Indie Fiction” selection This environmental fableas if Where the Wild Things Are had been written by Rachel Carsonis a lyrical field guide . . . as well as a commentary on extinction and being alive.” O, The Oprah Magazine Muir astounded this reader. Liltingly physical, metaphorically sound, elusively knowing, her language is paint and clay and vibration.” International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist citation, Hartford Public Library [An] imaginative menagerie comes to life in [Muir’s] novel Invisible Beasts.” Sentinel-Tribune Wonderful and unusual.” Orion Magazine Vividly portrayed.” Locus A wild and woolly hybrid that refreshingly defies classification. . . . Compelling throughout . . . it’s the literary lovechild of Lewis Carroll and Rachel Carson filtered through the lens of zoology’s godfather, Darwin himself.” Bostonia An imaginative, delightful field guide to animals that seem to be visible to only a few peopleincluding amateur naturalist and narrator Sophie. As her detailed descriptions of the fantastic creatures unfold, Sophie reveals a bit about human nature.” Stanford Magazine At once a celebration of the power of imagination and a requiem for the species we’re losing every day. Both moving and often surprisingly funny, it’s a seductive work of speculative naturalism that has its hands in the dirt and its head in the clouds.” Kenyon Review Brilliant. . . . With a light, witty, but heartwrenching touch, without preaching or hectoring in any form, Muir reveals, through the stories of her magnificent, funny, endearing invisible animals and their perils and extinctions, the anthropocentric obtuseness and mindless, casual as well as purposeful devastation of the environment and the mass slaughter of life forms, including ourselves, that puts all of usanimals, vegetables, and mineralsin dire peril.” Women’s Review of Books Sensitive and elegant . . . funny and tender. . . . Beasts, a category used here in all its expansiveness, includes everything from the human to the microbe. This book is a wondrous testament to those relationships, interdependencies, and affinities. Invisible Beasts makes the bestiary a document of profoundly human dimensions, and offers to all readers, whether devotees of science or of fantasy, very real pleasures.” io9 An absolute delight. . . . This smart, whimsical novel takes readers not only into a world of invisible beasts’ but into the mind of a charmingly quirky character.” EcoLit Books An erudite guidebook to the animals’ that walk unseen among us.” LitReactor Full of language that is at once passionate and precise, flowery and full of information, [Invisible Beasts] is bursting at the seams with a strange duality, a dizzying mash-up of romanticism and science.” Collagist Lines blur between the human and animal worlds in this richly detailed debut. . . . In Sophie’s struggles to find her footing in a world only she and a few others can see, Muir expertly pinpoints the frailty of the human condition. This is an amazing feat of imagination.” Publishers Weekly (starred review) Playfully and thoughtfully underlines the pain and loss of extinction . . . combin[ing] fact and imagination in 20 fables narrated by an amateur naturalist. . . . A marvelous capsule of natural history . . . not to mention crackling suspense.” Kirkus Reviews The various fantastical beings presented here are described in careful scientific detail with results that are weird, whimsical, and somewhat unsettling. Like very fractured Just So Stories.” Library Journal Invisible Beasts is a strange and beautiful meditation on love and seeing, a hybrid of fantasy and field guide, novel and essay, treatise and fable. With one hand it offers a sad commentary on environmental degradation, while with the other it presents a bright, whimsical, and funny exploration of what it means to be human. It’s wonderfully written, crazily imagined, and absolutely original.” ANTHONY DOERR, author of All the Light We Cannot See and The Shell Collector In this twenty-first century, there’s no one like Sharona Muir who can write, in bright accurate language, animals real or imaginary in an updated bestiary that riffs on evolution, extinction, and what it means to be human among other species. We need this view, and you’ll be right there with her on every page of Invisible Beasts.” JOHN FELSTINER, author of Can Poetry Save the Earth?: A Field Guide to Nature Poems Invisible Beasts is a delightful and stunning feat of environmental imagination, endlessly enjoyable and fascinating. With the deep inventiveness of Ursula Le Guin and the quirky vitality of Annie Dillard, Sharona Muir seduces us into a cautionary world full of creatures, at once fanciful and utterly convincing, who hold unexpected lessons for ourselves.” ROBERT FINCH, author of A Cape Cod Notebook and co-editor of The Norton Book of Nature Writing Many writers are inspired by symbiologythe interdependence of nature, culture, and technologybut Muir’s intelligence and breadth of knowledge are exceptional. You could not find a better little book of ethics, politics, and ecology for our time.” REGENIA GAGNIER, author of The Insatiability of Human Wants and Individualism, Decadence and Globalization If you’ve lost your capacity to wonder at the myriad forms of life swarming, burrowing, swooping, and gamboling around youand inside youthen look no further. Equal parts science and imagination, Invisible Beasts takes us on a journey to another world that turns out to be our world, as if seen and experienced for the first time. If you’re interested in what it means to be alive, and share life, then read this book.” CARY WOLFE, author of Before the Law: Humans and Other Animals in a Biopolitical Frame and What is Posthumanism?International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist Orion Book Award Finalist O, The Oprah Magazine “Title to Pick Up Now” BuzzFeed “Book To Dive Into” Brooklyn Book Festival “Most Impressive Debut Novelist” Kenyon Review “Holiday Reading Recommendation” Publishers Weekly “First Fiction” & “Book of the Week” selection Library Journal “Top Indie Fiction” selection “This environmental fable—as if Where the Wild Things Are had been written by Rachel Carson—is a lyrical field guide . . . as well as a commentary on extinction and being alive.” —O, The Oprah Magazine “Muir astounded this reader. Liltingly physical, metaphorically sound, elusively knowing, her language is paint and clay and vibration.” —International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Longlist citation, Hartford Public Library “[An] imaginative menagerie comes to life in [Muir’s] novel Invisible Beasts.” —Sentinel-Tribune “Wonderful and unusual.” —Orion Magazine “Vividly portrayed.” —Locus “A wild and woolly hybrid that refreshingly defies classification. . . . Compelling throughout . . . it’s the literary lovechild of Lewis Carroll and Rachel Carson filtered through the lens of zoology’s godfather, Darwin himself.” —Bostonia “An imaginative, delightful field guide to animals that seem to be visible to only a few people—including amateur naturalist and narrator Sophie. As her detailed descriptions of the fantastic creatures unfold, Sophie reveals a bit about human nature.” —Stanford Magazine “At once a celebration of the power of imagination and a requiem for the species we’re losing every day. Both moving and often surprisingly funny, it’s a seductive work of speculative naturalism that has its hands in the dirt and its head in the clouds.” —Kenyon Review “Brilliant. . . . With a light, witty, but heartwrenching touch, without preaching or hectoring in any form, Muir reveals, through the stories of her magnificent, funny, endearing invisible animals and their perils and extinctions, the anthropocentric obtuseness and mindless, casual as well as purposeful devastation of the environment and the mass slaughter of life forms, including ourselves, that puts all of us—animals, vegetables, and minerals—in dire peril.” —Women’s Review of Books “Sensitive and elegant . . . funny and tender. . . . Beasts, a category used here in all its expansiveness, includes everything from the human to the microbe. This book is a wondrous testament to those relationships, interdependencies, and affinities. Invisible Beasts makes the bestiary a document of profoundly human dimensions, and offers to all readers, whether devotees of science or of fantasy, very real pleasures.” —io9 “An absolute delight. . . . This smart, whimsical novel takes readers not only into a world of `invisible beasts’ but into the mind of a charmingly quirky character.” —EcoLit Books “An erudite guidebook to the `animals’ that walk unseen among us.” —LitReactor “Full of language that is at once passionate and precise, flowery and full of information, [Invisible Beasts] is bursting at the seams with a strange duality, a dizzying mash-up of romanticism and science.” —Collagist “Lines blur between the human and animal worlds in this richly detailed debut. . . . In Sophie’s struggles to find her footing in a world only she and a few others can see, Muir expertly pinpoints the frailty of the human condition. This is an amazing feat of imagination.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Playfully and thoughtfully underlines the pain and loss of extinction . . . combin[ing] fact and imagination in 20 fables narrated by an amateur naturalist. . . . A marvelous capsule of natural history . . . not to mention crackling suspense.” —Kirkus Reviews “The various fantastical beings presented here are described in careful scientific detail with results that are weird, whimsical, and somewhat unsettling. Like very fractured Just So Stories.” —Library Journal “Invisible Beasts is a strange and beautiful meditation on love and seeing, a hybrid of fantasy and field guide, novel and essay, treatise and fable. With one hand it offers a sad commentary on environmental degradation, while with the other it presents a bright, whimsical, and funny exploration of what it means to be human. It’s wonderfully written, crazily imagined, and absolutely original.” —ANTHONY DOERR, author of All the Light We Cannot See and The Shell Collector “In this twenty-first century, there’s no one like Sharona Muir who can write, in bright accurate language, animals real or imaginary in an updated bestiary that riffs on evolution, extinction, and what it means to be human among other species. We need this view, and you’ll be right there with her on every page of Invisible Beasts.” —JOHN FELSTINER, author of Can Poetry Save the Earth?: A Field Guide to Nature Poems “Invisible Beasts is a delightful and stunning feat of environmental imagination, endlessly enjoyable and fascinating. With the deep inventiveness of Ursula Le Guin and the quirky vitality of Annie Dillard, Sharona Muir seduces us into a cautionary world full of creatures, at once fanciful and utterly convincing, who hold unexpected lessons for ourselves.” —ROBERT FINCH, author of A Cape Cod Notebook and co-editor of The Norton Book of Nature Writing “Many writers are inspired by symbiology—the interdependence of nature, culture, and technology—but Muir’s intelligence and breadth of knowledge are exceptional. You could not find a better little book of ethics, politics, and ecology for our time.” —REGENIA GAGNIER, author of The Insatiability of Human Wants and Individualism, Decadence and Globalization “If you’ve lost your capacity to wonder at the myriad forms of life swarming, burrowing, swooping, and gamboling around you—and inside you—then look no further. Equal parts science and imagination, Invisible Beasts takes us on a journey to another world that turns out to be our world, as if seen and experienced for the first time. If you’re interested in what it means to be alive, and share life, then read this book.” —CARY WOLFE, author of Before the Law: Humans and Other Animals in a Biopolitical Frame and What is Posthumanism?
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