A Cathedral of Myth and Bone
Stories
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
From the acclaimed author of Roses and Rot—a “Brothers Grimm tale for the contemporary reader” (School Library Journal, starred review)—Kat Howard’s exquisite shorter works, nominated for the World Fantasy Award, and performed on WNYC’s Selected Shorts—called “brilliant” (Library Journal, starred review).
Kat Howard’s “dark and enticing” (Publishers Weekly) debut novel, Roses and Rot, was beloved by critics and fans alike.
Now, you can experience her collected shorter works, including two new stories, in A Cathedral of Myth and Bone. In these stories, equally as beguiling and spellbinding as her novels, Howard expands into the enchanted territory of myths and saints, as well as an Arthurian novella set upon a college campus, “Once, Future,” which retells the story of King Arthur—through the women’s eyes.
Captivating and engrossing, and adorned in gorgeous prose, Kat Howard’s stories are a fresh and stylish take on fantasy. “Kat Howard seems to possess a magic of her own, of making characters come alive and scenery so vivid, you forget it exists only on the page” (Anton Bogomazov, Politics and Prose).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This dense collection of original and reprinted fantasy short stories and novellas is steeped in hagiography and storytelling, right from the introduction. Howard (An Unkindness of Magicians) states that "Writing for me is an act of faith"; the mythical tales that follow prove that, for Howard, faith and story come with a sacrifice. Again and again, characters who want to tell their myths must lose themselves. In the opening work, "A Life in Fictions," a woman's boyfriend uses her as inspiration to write. However, when he's writing, she is living the story, not her own life. The more he writes, the more of herself she loses. In the central novella, "Once, Future," college students take on the identities of Arthurian legend, and in order to break the tragic cycle, even more than identity must be given up. As the collection continues on, the themes begin to shift. Women are no longer required to sacrifice themselves, but they must sacrifice others to save themselves. In the final story, "Breaking the Frame," a photography model posing for illustrations of fairy tales begins to change the stories so that the characters have agency. This strong and satisfying set of stories will appeal to mythology and fantasy enthusiasts.
