Winner of the North Street Book Prize World Fantasy Award Finalist
L.S. Johnson's provocative first collection brings together dwarves and golems, Fates and minotaurs, murder, metamorphosis, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau in eight richly-written stories.
An infertile witch constructs a golem-baby to fulfill her dying mother's wish. A cafeteria worker forms an uneasy alliance with a group of possibly imaginary but nonetheless dangerous little men. An 18th century prostitute finds herself unwillingly immortalized and responds in kind.
Survival, identity, and family are all explored in these poetic tales that mingle terror and sentiment, fear and love. These are stories that dance on the edge of the abyss, that lead you through darkness in search of that single gleam of hope. This is Vacui Magia.
"I can say without hesitation, reservation or exception that this is a collection full of brilliantly written and powerfully affecting stories, each of which profoundly impressed me in different ways . . . Johnson's Vacui Magia is a book that never goes quietly, and it is wonderful for it." - The Future Fire Reviews
This deluxe ebook includes extended story notes and new cover art by renowned illustrator Jana Heidersdorf. A hardcover edition can be purchased exclusively on the author's website.
Klappentext
World Fantasy Award Finalist Winner of the 2016 North Street Book Prize Dwarves and golems, Fates and minotaurs, metamorphoses, murder, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. L.S. Johnson delivers a provocative and original short story collection that ingeniously blends myth and nightmare. Whether it concerns an infertile witch constructing a golem-baby, a daughter struggling to understand her mother's supernatural infidelities, or a cafeteria worker forming an uneasy alliance with a group of possibly imaginary but nonetheless dangerous little men, each story in this remarkable collection demonstrates the limitless capacity of intelligent speculative fiction to enthrall, inspire, and amaze. "I can say without hesitation, reservation or exception that this is a collection full of brilliantly written and powerfully affecting stories, each of which profoundly impressed me in different ways . . . Johnson's Vacui Magia is a book that never goes quietly, and it is wonderful for it." - The Future Fire Reviews