Lavery has the sloe gin wit of Dorothy Parker and the soul of a Classics nerd. I don't know if these stories are for bedtimes, but they are for us.' - Alexander Chee, author of Edinburgh and The Queen of the Night

If fairy tales are ways to describe the rules we don't dare put down on paper, in his hands they become ways to challenge those, or even to write new rules. There are uncanny slivers of delight and recognition mixed here with the wit we all love Lavery for, but here that wit is wielded with new force. 'The secret to The Merry Spinster, I think, is that she never wanted to be your wicked stepmother -she was too busy. The Merry Spinster will ruin your most-loved fables, in the best possible way.' - Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky Lavery has a voracious appetite for poison apples, and a genius for finding the places in fairyland where all the bodies are buried. I’ve never read anything quite like them, and I bet, Dear Reader, that you haven’t either.' - Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties: Stories between Terry Pratchett’s satirical jocularity and Angela Carter’s sinister, shrewd storytelling, and the result is gorgeous, unsettling, splenic, cruel, and wickedly smart. Lavery has created a Frankenstein’s monster of familiar narratives. 'Dear Reader: It would, truthfully, be simplest to call the stories in The Merry Spinster ‘retellings,’ but that word does not adequately capture their dark alchemy. Lavery is without peer.' -Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble

As a fantasist and short story writer, Daniel M.

'A collection of stories delectable, formidable, and nimble. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Carry On Lavery bloodily turns familiar tales inside out.' - Rainbow Rowell, No. 'Dark and dreadful and persistently clever. The book brings the shock of the new and the shock of recognition into play at the same time it’s a tour de force of skill, daring, and hard-earned bravura.' - Publishers Weekly (starred review) 'A wholly satisfying blend of silliness, feminist critique, and deft prose makes this a collection of bedtime stories that will keep you up at night for all the right reasons.' - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Vulture's 6 Books You Should Read This March Publishers Weekly: The Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2018 Ms Magazine: '6 Feminist Reads for Winter' The Millions: 'Most Anticipated: The Great 2018 Book Preview'īuzzFeed: 'The 33 Most Exciting New Books Of 2018'īookRiot: '101 Books Coming Out in 2018.'īustle: '35 Most Anticipated Books of 2018' The Huffington Post: “60 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2018”īustle: “35 Most Anticipated Books of 2018”ĪV Club: '10 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2018' NYLON: “50 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2018” The Rumpus: “What to Read When 2018 is Right Around the Corner”

The Merry Spinster by Daniel M. Lavery