Bunyan and Henry; Or, the Beautiful Destiny: A Novel

(Hardback)

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A large-hearted reimagining of beloved all-American legends, this epic debut novel brings men of myth Paul Bunyan and John Henry alive like never before, teaming up for an adventure quest with deeper interrogations of race, class, and industrialization. When we first meet Paul Bunyan-legendary larger-than-life lumberjack and classic figure from American mythology-he is still just a man, and one down on his luck. With a load of family debts on his broad back, Bunyan is eking out a miserable miner's life in the bleak hamlet of Lump Town, a perpetually grey walled city controlled by famed industrialist El Boffo (author of the bestselling book, Awaken the Capitalist Within!). When Bunyan's beloved wife Lucette falls gravely ill with a disease caused by the mysterious mineral Lump, he sets off on a quest to save her, aided only by a mythical creature known as the Chilali, who commands that Bunyan follow the Twisty Path to meet his destiny. That path leads to The Windy City-and to John Henry. Like Bunyan, Henry is not yet the "steel-driving" hammer man who raced the steam drill and won. Instead, we find him on the run from the chain gang in which he was falsely imprisoned. In order to escape to freedom with his genius wife Polly and brilliant young son, Henry and Bunyan are going to have to work together. As an unlikely team, these massive mythic men must solve riddles, forge weapons, plumb labyrinths, brawl with behemoths, and do battle with the bombastic El Boffo, on a journey that will not only make them into the men they are meant to be, but reshape the landscape of their country forever. A richly imaginative reinvention of myth, Paul Bunyan and the Beautiful Destiny is both an old-fashioned American yarn and a clever modern fable that wrestles with reconciling both the wild idealism and dark underbelly of the American dream.

Reviews

"With the might of a hammer and the slice of an axe, Bunyan and Henry takes aim at a host of societal blights, from capitalism to climate change, and smashes them all to smithereens. Mark Cecil has crafted an unforgettable cast of characters who will make you shout with joy and rage in anger, and a plot so romping and rollicking you'll feel like you're there. Cecil's debut is an undeniably bright light to behold in a world sometimes full of so much dark, inspiring all of us to follow our own beautiful destinies. What a marvel."
Mateo Askaripour, New York Times bestselling author of Black Buck

A hopeful Twainian nod to brotherhood that puts the fun in profundity, even as it remixes American myth to the most sobering beats of our modern times.
Matthew Quick, New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook and We Are the Light

"This fresh, energizing, big-hearted take on the mythic past feels all too relevant to the right now. An American epic that will make you square your jaw, squint your eye, and take a swing at claiming the future."
Benjamin Percy, author of The Sky Vault

Mark Cecil takes the Paul Bunyan legend, turns it on its head, and makes it do somersaults.
Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and With or Without You

A quintessentially American story that reflects us in all our generosity and grotesqueness, with unflinching honesty and hope.
Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us and The Lost Family

Author Bio

MARK CECIL is host of The Thoughtful Bro show, for which he conducts interviews with an eclectic roster of award-winning, debut and bestselling writers. Formerly a journalist for Reuters, he is Head of Strategy for literary social media startup A Mighty Blaze. He has taught writing at Grub Street and The Writers Loft. Originally from Worcester, MA, he lives outside of Boston with his family. This is his first book.