Wonderblood

(Hardback)

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"A richly imagined broken world, one whose land, customs, history, and people are so sharply conveyed that they seem almost to have been incised into the page. I admire Wonderblood for its absorbing and unsettling story, for the uncanny beauty of its prose, but above all else for the daring of its tone, which begins in pitch darkness and brightens not to white but to a more lustrous black." - Kevin Brockmeier, New York Times bestselling author A post-apocalyptic fantasy about religious war, a perverse faith, and waiting for the space shuttles to return. In the city of Cape Canaveral, the royal establishment is steeped in excess, and science has been corrupted into a blood-soaked religion. When an outcast girl is captured by a self-styled prophet and warlord, she is thrust into his violent designs on the throne. As war nears, Aurora must decide, is she willing to become her captor's queen And just how far will she go to protect herself Then two strange lights appear in the sky. Have the shuttles of their forebears returned, or have their beliefs led them all to ruin

Reviews

Whicker has imagined a fierce future...Dense, dark, haunting. --Booklist

Whicker's debut sets the stage for a possible series full of bloodlust, court intrigue, and unforgettable characters. For fans of Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven, N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth series, and George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books. --Library Journal

Told in rich, dense prose, Whicker's fantasy feels like a blood-steeped dream: there are mummified heads and a religion based on astronauts. The story's voice is vibrant and warm as the Florida heat --Publishers Weekly

In a novel marked with heart-stopping violence, brutal ritual, surreal courtly intrigue, and moments of piercing beauty, Julia Whicker imagines a clash of religions in a broken future. The characters, and their world, are unforgettable. --Vivien Shotwell, author of Vienna Nocturne

Visceral and intense... a fully built-out world, rich with color and detail. --Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

Wonderblood is a richly imagined, otherworldly tale about the power - and danger - of faith and belief. I loved this book's beautiful prose and its startling, brutal, and poetic images; I loved its unique premise and masterful worldbuilding; I loved its complicated, passionate, and mesmerizing characters. Julia Whicker is a genius. This is a strange, daring, and masterful first novel. --Edan Lepucki, New York Times bestselling author of California

A richly imagined broken world, one whose land, customs, history, and people are so sharply conveyed that they seem almost to have been incised into the page. I admire Wonderblood for its absorbing and unsettling story, for the uncanny beauty of its prose, but above all else for the daring of its tone, which begins in pitch darkness and brightens not to white but to a more lustrous black. --Kevin Brockmeier, New York Times bestselling author

In fiercely glittering prose Julia Whicker evokes an apocalyptic America where medicine is illegal, everyone is searching for portents and only a severed head can offer protection. I love how richly imagined this novel is and I love how relentlessly it moves towards its amazing climax. Wonderblood is a stunning debut. --Margot Livesey, New York Times bestselling author

Author Bio

Julia Whicker received her MFA at the Iowa Writers Workshop in 2006, where she won both the prestigious Capote Fellowship and the Teaching-Writing Fellowship. She's had her poetry published in the Iowa Review, Word Riot, and The Millions, among others, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. A version of the first chapter of Wonderblood was published in the literary journal, Unstuck.