Exclusive Pre-Order & Sales Campaign
Pre-order the paperback edition of Desert Creatures by Kay Chronister to receive three exclusive in-world prayer cards from artist, Sander Berg!
The debut novel from World Fantasy Award- and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Kay Chronister, Desert Creatures takes place in a near-future American Southwest where the land has become strange and blighted, and humanity struggles for survival. Young Magdala, born with a clubfoot, seeks healing and salvation from the touch of the vigilante saints in their holy neon city of Las Vegas.
To celebrate the paperback release of Desert Creatures, we’re giving away prayer cards with original art and writing: in-world artifacts written by Kay Chronister and illustrated by artist Sander Berg. These are small, detailed pieces of art that each depict a saint from Desert Creatures in all their glory along with writing from the author. You will receive each prayer card; they depict the following: Saint Rosalinda, Patron Saint of the Incurably Sick; Saint Araceli, Patron Saint of Transformations; and Saint Elkanah, Patron Saint of Amputees and Runners.
We’re so excited for you all to have these, and hope these vigilante saints answer your prayers, should they be listening.
To receive your prints:
Please fill out the form here with your name, mailing address, email address, and proof of preorder.
Offer valid for all preorders and purchases from now through the first month of publication, (December 1, 2023).
BEWARE THE VIGILANTE SAINTS.
This “genre-shredding” (Tor.com) feminist dystopian eco-horror, perfect for fans of The Last of Us, traces a girl’s coming-of-age on a post-apocalyptic trek through the Southwest.
In a bleak, desiccated future, eleven-year-old Magdala and her father are forced to flee through the desolate landscape of the American Southwest, searching for shelter and peace. Pursued by horrors both unnatural and all-too-human, they join a pilgrimage to the holy city of Las Vegas, where it is said that vigilante saints reside, bright with neon power. Magdala, born with a clubfoot, is determined to be healed there. But one by one, the pilgrims and her father fall victim to an eerie, all-consuming sickness—leaving Magdala to fend for herself in the wilderness.
After surviving for years on her own, Magdala grows tired of waiting for her miracle. She turns her gaze to Las Vegas once more, taking an exiled Vegas priest hostage to guide her as she navigates the unsettling expanse of the desert and the hungry, dark ambitions of men. Even as she nears the holy land, Magdala must choose: survival or salvation?
In this moving debut novel, acclaimed short fiction writer Kay Chronister twines the strange, terrible beauty of the desert into a haunting exploration of faith and hope. Bold and disquieting, Desert Creatures is a surreal examination of humanity and the myths we tell ourselves to survive.
“Chronister’s futuristic, dog-eat-dog Sonoran and Mojave deserts are as devastating as they are inventive. . . . Chronister cleverly deploys and subverts horror, dystopian and western genres alike in this razor-sharp novel.” —Shelf Awareness ★
“Chronister pierces with her prose…. Desert Creatures is not a comfort read — it is rife with horror, betrayal, and a landscape that will burn itself on your consciousness. But in the end, this book will comfort you.” —Book Riot, Best Books of 2022
“Genre-shredding . . . Stunning . . . A story of both creation and apocalypse, where characters struggle with both belief and heresy.” —Tobias Carroll, Tor.com