Snake-Eater
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- USD 12.99
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- USD 12.99
Publisher Description
In this witty fantasy horror from New York Times bestselling, Nebula and Hugo award-winning author T. Kingfisher, a young woman seeking a fresh start is confronted by ancient gods, malevolent supernatural forces, and eccentric neighbours in an isolated desert town.
Perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Chuck Tingle, and Rachel Harrison.
When Selena travels to the remote desert town of Quartz Creek in search of her estranged Aunt Amelia, she is desperate and short of options. Fleeing an unhappy marriage, she has exactly twenty-seven dollars to her name, and her only friend in the world is her dog, Copper.
On arrival, Selena learns Amelia is dead. But the inhabitants of Quartz Creek are only too happy to have a new resident. Out of money and ideas, Selena sees no harm staying in her aunt's lovely house for a few weeks, tending to her garden and enjoying the strange, desolate beauty of the desert. The people are odd, but friendly, and eager to help Selena settle into her new home.
But Quartz Creek's inhabitants share their town with others, old gods and spirits whose claim to the land long predates their human neighbours. Selena finds herself pursued by disturbing apparitions, visitations that come in the night and seem to want something from her.
Aunt Amelia owed a debt. Now her god has come to collect.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hugo and Nebula Award winner Kingfisher (Hemlock & Silver) provides all the chills, thrills, and laughs she's known for in this dextrous dark fantasy. In heroine Selena's "last thrash toward self-preservation," she takes her dog and flees her emotionally abusive fiancé, Walter, for her aunt Amelia's house in the tiny Western town of Quartz Creek, only to find that Amelia died a year ago. Selena is broke and out of options, so she stays in her aunt's abandoned home, slowly learning about Amelia through her travel journals—including the dark truth about her literally draining relationship with the mysterious "S," who now wants Selena to take her aunt's place. This time out, Kingfisher's prose is as stark as the desert setting, but still preserves all the usual charming creativity of her worldbuilding, including a host of supernatural spirits, like the friendly little squash gods in Selena's garden. The quirky townsfolk similarly delight (Selena's Grandma Billy is particularly hilarious) and "S"—eventually revealed to be the eponymous Snake-Eater, another desert deity—makes for a particularly sinister villain: amoral, vicious, and terrifying. Kingfisher remains extremely good at what she does.
