Blacktail

A wolf sets out on an epic journey of revenge in this one-of-a-kind dark fantasy—the long-awaited second novel from the author of The Library at Mount Char.

The wolf Blacktail is faithful to his Forest God, but in these times, faith is not enough. His world is besieged by men. Soon his territory will be overrun, and then there will be nowhere left to go. When his mate, a house dog, is killed, Blacktail rebels. He invades the house of her owners, seeking vengeance.

Blacktail’s fury catches the notice of an ancient and terrible feline witch, who makes an offer. What if Blacktail could end the human race responsible for the death of his family and for the destruction of the natural world, altogether? To do so, Blacktail must find and wake the Forest God. Only He might stand against the plague of men. Blacktail knows that his north woods are dwindling to nothing. He sees no other choice.

As Blacktail journeys farther from his wild home and deeper into the world of man, he encounters strangers—animal, mortal, and otherworldly—who, for their own reasons, want to help Blacktail rid the world of humans. Along the way, it becomes clear that he is more than just a wolf. The Forest God is sleeping, yes. But what will be the price of waking him?

‘A modern masterpiece. Blacktail will consume you’ – Marcus Kliewer, bestselling author of We Used to Live Here

‘Blacktail is as glorious as it is gruesome’ – V. E. Schwab, Sunday Times bestselling author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

A wolf embarks on a primal hunt for revenge. Blacktail is a dark work of animal fiction from Scott Hawkins, the critically acclaimed author of The Library at Mount Char.

‘Touching, horrifying, and entertaining . . . You should all get excited for this book’ – Mark Lawrence, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book That Wouldn't Burn

‘Blacktail is one to savor; one to delight in the eccentricities of; one to sit with long after it ends’ – Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Girl Dinner

‘Beautiful, brutal fantasy, red in tooth and claw’ – Chuck Wendig, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Staircase in the Woods

MEDIA REVIEWS

Reader, be warned. This is not a gentle book, and those who cannot bear to see an animal hurt should guard their hearts. But persist, and you will be rewarded. Blacktail is as glorious as it is gruesome - V. E. Schwab, Sunday Times bestselling author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Blacktail is a serious, wild, trippy, and gory flight of imagination . . . No one is spared the fang - Paul Tremblay, Bram Stoker Award winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts and Horror Movie

Wickedly sharp, unflinchingly brutal, and nothing short of a modern masterpiece. Blacktail will consume you - Marcus Kliewer, bestselling author of We Used to Live Here and The Caretaker

Mesmerizing and strange, like the headiest of folklore. Blacktail is one to savour; one to delight in the eccentricities of; one to sit with long after it ends - Olivie Blake, Sunday Times bestselling author of Girl Dinner and The Atlas Six

A mad, feral fable – this is beautiful, brutal fantasy, red in tooth and claw. Funny, heartbreaking, violent. All hail Blacktail. Down with the two-legs - Chuck Wendig, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Staircase in the Woods and The Book of Accidents

A tale of lupine vengeance – at first – whose stakes escalate to degrees I never saw coming. Unexpected, blood-soaked and vividly told - qntm, author of There is No Antimemetics Division

Scott Hawkins’ Blacktail can be described in so many ways. Strange, beautiful, surreal, brutal, fantastic, fantastical. It evokes Richard Adams at his most bloodthirsty, Tolkien at his most apocalyptic. But, above all, it’s simply transcendent. Transportive. A magnificent, bloody saga that will change the way you look at the world. - Nat Cassidy, bestselling author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary

Blacktail is a journey through a universe simultaneously surreal and familiar, a tale that will leave claw marks on your brain that won't quickly fade. You simply won't read another book like it - Jason Pargin, author of John Dies at the End

Blacktail is a wild, wholly engrossing ride that puts you in the brain of a wolf hellbent on destroying all of us . . . Hawkins delivers a rich mythology laced with both humor and tragedy that will have you reconsidering your own place in the natural order - Max Doty, author of The House that Eats the Dead