If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe

May 1, 2022

In Jackal, a debut from Haitian American author Adams, a Black woman named Liz has returned to her predominantly white town for a wedding shattered by the disappearance of the bride's daughter--one of several Black girls who have vanished recently in the town's creepy woods. From Bram Stoker finalist Davidson, The Hollow Kind sends Nellie Gardner fleeing from an abusive marriage to a crumbling house in a Georgia forest, where son Max hears whisperings in the uncommon stillness and realizes that they're still in danger, this time from an ancient evil connected to his mother's family (35,000-copy first printing). Such Sharp Teeth, mutters Rory Morris when she is attacked by something in Bram Stoker finalist Harrison's latest; then, stronger and suddenly captivated by the moon, she starts transforming--but is she in danger or getting in touch with her true, wild self? With If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe, Pargin adds to his terrifying but funny "John Dies at the End" series as John, Dave, and Amy tremblingly face supernatural threats in a town rife with interdimensional parasites, paranormal cults, and a plastic egg that encourages the unwary to commit murder and feed it the body parts (75,000-copy first printing). YA novelist Thorne set her first adult effort on Lute, an island where the residents experience unusual peace and prosperity--but every seven years comes the Day when seven people die (100,000-copy first printing). Unlike friend Dinah, Little Eve loves the gloomy Scottish isle where they're raised among the Children by spooky and controlling Uncle, and they offer very different accounts of a massacre there (250,000-copy first printing). From Shirley Jackson/August Derleth honoree Ward.

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August 8, 2022
Reintroducing readers to catchers of cosmic chaos Dave, John, and Amy, Pargin (Zoe Punches the Future in the Dick) once again delights with scathing social commentary thinly disguised as an outrageous action novel. The trio of heroes have been keeping busyish in their work as investigators and streamers of the possibly paranormal phenomena in the American city of Undisclosed. Their latest job leads them to the Galveston family, whose nine-year-old daughter, Gracie, is being strangely affected by her trendy new toy, Magpie, an egg players have to feed, via app, until it “hatches” into a stuffed animal. Of course, things go sideways, fast, as the intrepid heroes begin experiencing déjà vu and missing time in the search for the demonic suspect, Xarcrax. Pargin delivers his signature bizarre and vivid visuals (“Into view stepped a man playing a guitar that was covered in thick black fur, wearing a mask of chiseled black stone, a vest of human foreskins, a winged speedo like the one Sting wore in Dune, thigh-high leather boots, and nothing else”) alongside a bold, frank examination of societal norms that perpetuate cycles of poverty, helplessness, and generational trauma. This is a feast. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media.

September 15, 2022
This time, it starts with an alien bug eating a man's brain. Then there's a specter that manifests inside of John's wall and gets sliced up. So begins an ouroboros of a tale involving cults, alternate time lines, the end of the world, and a possessed plastic toy. This fourth entry in Pargin's John Dies at the End series is less frenetic than its predecessor, What the Hell Did I Just Read (2017, as David Wong). Within the snarky humor is an incisive commentary on social media and the state of our connected world, and a story about trauma and how people lash out when they're hurt. It's a story about love and how people can be better. It's rewarding to witness how Pargin has grown as a writer. He's less interested in the gimmick and more focused on his characters. His compassion runs deep. This isn't just a funny tale of inept supernatural investigators; it's a story of people struggling through pain to find a better path. Pargin offers us a welcome note of hope.

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