Boys, Beasts & Men
Sam J Miller
(Author)
Amal El-Mohtar
(Introduction by)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
2023 LOCUS AWARD WINNER, BEST COLLECTION In Nebula Award-winning author Sam J. Miller's devastating debut short-fiction collection, featuring an introduction by Amal El-Mohtar, queer infatuation, inevitable heartbreak, and brutal revenge seamlessly intertwine. Whether innocent, guilty, or not even human, the boys, beasts, and men roaming through Miller's gorgeously crafted worlds can destroy readers, yet leave them wanting more. "Miller's sheer talent shines through in abundance . . . Boys, Beasts & Men is an outrageous journey which skillfully blends genres and will haunt you with its original, poetic voices as much as its victims, villains, and treasure trove of leading actors."--Grimdark Magazine Despite his ability to control the ambient digital cloud, a foster teen falls for a clever con-man. Luring bullies to a quarry, a boy takes clearly enumerated revenge through unnatural powers of suggestion. In the aftermath of a shapeshifting alien invasion, a survivor fears that he brought something out of the Arctic to infect the rest of the world. A rebellious group of queer artists create a new identity that transcends even the anonymity of death. Sam J. Miller (Blackfish City, The Art of Starving) shows his savage wit, unrelenting candor, and lush imagery in this essential career retrospective collection, taking his place alongside legends of the short-fiction form such as Carmen Maria Machado, Carson McCullers, and Jeff VanderMeer.
Product Details
Price
$17.95
$16.69
Publisher
Tachyon Publications
Publish Date
June 14, 2022
Pages
330
Dimensions
5.53 X 8.48 X 0.88 inches | 0.78 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781616963729
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Sam J. Miller is the Nebula-Award-winning author whose debut, The Art of Starving, which was an NPR Best of the Year; his second novel, Blackfish City, was a Best Book of the Year for Vulture, The Washington Post, Barnes & Noble, and more, as well as a "Must Read" in Entertainment Weekly and O: The Oprah Winfrey Magazine. A recipient of the Shirley Jackson Award and a graduate of the Clarion Writers' Workshop, Miller's work has been nominated for the World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon, John W. Campbell, and Locus Awards, and reprinted in dozens of anthologies. The last in a long line of butchers, he lives in New York City and at samjmiller.com. Amal El-Mohtar (Introduction) is an award-winning writer of fiction, poetry, and criticism. Her short story "Seasons of Glass and Iron" won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards and was a finalist for the World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Aurora, and Eugie Awards in the same year. El-Mohtar is the author, with Max Gladstone, of This Is How You Lose the Time War, a queer, epistolary, spy-vs-spy love story, and The Honey Month, a collection of poetry and prose written to the taste of twenty-eight different kinds of honey. She reviews books for NPR and is the science-fiction and fantasy columnist for the New York Times Book Review. El-Mohtar lives in Ottawa with her spouse and two cats.
Reviews
Advance Praise for Boys, Beasts, and Men "Even in the darkest of these perfectly crafted stories, Sam Miller's tragic boys yearn to be good instead of bad, strong instead of weak, whole instead of broken. May your heart ache with love for every doomed one of them; I know mine did."
--Andy Davidson, author of The Boatman's Daughter "The stories in this collection offer a nuanced and beautiful exploration of masculinity and the many faces of love, touching on romance, desire, family, and friendship, all presented through the lens of the fantastic--with literally mind-altering drugs, resurrected dinosaurs, near-future worlds in post environmental collapse, and of course, monsters."
--A. C. Wise, author of The Kissing Booth Girl and Other Stories "Miller's sheer talent shines through in abundance . . . Boys, Beasts & Men is an outrageous journey which skillfully blends genres and will haunt you with its original, poetic voices as much as its victims, villains, and treasure trove of leading actors.
--Grimdark Magazine "In these stories Sam J. Miller writes about people on the margins and in transition, both capturing a sense of uncertainty and horror while immersing us in these worlds with sensitivity and care."
--Carrie Vaughn, author of The Immortal Conquistador "The very best horror in all its ghoulish, glorious humanity."
--Deborah Miller, two-time winner of the PEN Syndicated Fiction Award "Loneliness, manhood, and ferocious queer joy . . . thick with both the tenderness and ugliness of imperfect relationships."
--Publishers Weekly "Sam Miller is my hero: a fearless visionary whose stories are at once vivid, electrifying, brutal, and full of heart. Oh, the heat of them."
--Sarah Pinsker, author of Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea Praise for Sam J. Miller "[Miller] will tear your heart in two and then gently place the pieces back inside your chest--while reminding you to have a sandwich and love yourself."
--NPR "Sam J. Miller has proven himself a force to be reckoned with."
--Barnes & Noble "Sam J. Miller has cemented his status as one of the most visionary fiction writers of his generation."
--Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of The 100 "Like Clive Barker, Miller has a great talent for creating interesting characters and building up quiet dread."
--San Francisco Chronicle Praise for The Art of Starving [STARRED REVIEW] "A dark and lovely tale of supernatural vengeance and self-destruction."
--Kirkus [STARRED REVIEW]"Miller's creative portrait of a complex and sympathetic individual will provide a welcome mirror for kindred spirits."
--Booklist [STARRED REVIEW] "Matt is a master at suppressing his urges, but there is nothing romantic about debut novelist Miller's portrayal of anorexia . . . brutally honest."
--Publishers Weekly Praise for Blackfish City "Immersive sci-fi with a poetic edge. . . . The book thrills with its meticulous world-building while also providing great characters, inclusive representation, and hard-hitting themes."
--Entertainment Weekly [A] gripping novel full of vivid descriptions, compelling characters, timely urgency, and thrilling action. An immediate page-turner."
--The Advocate "Blackfish City feels like a place I've never seen in a story before, but I came away feeling as though I'd lived there forever. One of the most intriguing future cities in years."
--Charlie Jane Anders, award-winning author of All the Birds in The Sky "A timeless story of rebellion against a corrupt master, giving it a kind of Hunger Games resonance that reaches beyond any genre boundaries."
--Booklist Praise for Destroy All Monsters "Laini Taylor meets John Green in this poignant young adult tale of parallel worlds and deep magic where trauma breaks but friendship heals."
--Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Trail of Lightning "In this beautiful book are visions of what we might look like as victims, as villains, but, most importantly, as heroes."
--Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Beasts Made of Night "Explosively beautiful, wild, and fresh, Destroy All Monsters is uplifting and challenging and painful and still somehow joyous all the way through."
--Daniel Jose Older, author of the Shadowshaper series Praise for The Blade Between "One of the best books I've read in 2020. Miller's prose is phenomenal."
--Tor.com [STARRED REVIEW] "Raw and volatile. . . . Highly recommended for anyone looking for a queer-themed, sea salt-laced dark fantasy."
--Booklist "A successful 'influencer' photographer returns to the gentrifying hometown that nearly broke him, and all hell breaks loose. The Blade Between is as addictive and brutal as it is smart and challenging!"
--Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World
--Andy Davidson, author of The Boatman's Daughter "The stories in this collection offer a nuanced and beautiful exploration of masculinity and the many faces of love, touching on romance, desire, family, and friendship, all presented through the lens of the fantastic--with literally mind-altering drugs, resurrected dinosaurs, near-future worlds in post environmental collapse, and of course, monsters."
--A. C. Wise, author of The Kissing Booth Girl and Other Stories "Miller's sheer talent shines through in abundance . . . Boys, Beasts & Men is an outrageous journey which skillfully blends genres and will haunt you with its original, poetic voices as much as its victims, villains, and treasure trove of leading actors.
--Grimdark Magazine "In these stories Sam J. Miller writes about people on the margins and in transition, both capturing a sense of uncertainty and horror while immersing us in these worlds with sensitivity and care."
--Carrie Vaughn, author of The Immortal Conquistador "The very best horror in all its ghoulish, glorious humanity."
--Deborah Miller, two-time winner of the PEN Syndicated Fiction Award "Loneliness, manhood, and ferocious queer joy . . . thick with both the tenderness and ugliness of imperfect relationships."
--Publishers Weekly "Sam Miller is my hero: a fearless visionary whose stories are at once vivid, electrifying, brutal, and full of heart. Oh, the heat of them."
--Sarah Pinsker, author of Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea Praise for Sam J. Miller "[Miller] will tear your heart in two and then gently place the pieces back inside your chest--while reminding you to have a sandwich and love yourself."
--NPR "Sam J. Miller has proven himself a force to be reckoned with."
--Barnes & Noble "Sam J. Miller has cemented his status as one of the most visionary fiction writers of his generation."
--Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of The 100 "Like Clive Barker, Miller has a great talent for creating interesting characters and building up quiet dread."
--San Francisco Chronicle Praise for The Art of Starving [STARRED REVIEW] "A dark and lovely tale of supernatural vengeance and self-destruction."
--Kirkus [STARRED REVIEW]"Miller's creative portrait of a complex and sympathetic individual will provide a welcome mirror for kindred spirits."
--Booklist [STARRED REVIEW] "Matt is a master at suppressing his urges, but there is nothing romantic about debut novelist Miller's portrayal of anorexia . . . brutally honest."
--Publishers Weekly Praise for Blackfish City "Immersive sci-fi with a poetic edge. . . . The book thrills with its meticulous world-building while also providing great characters, inclusive representation, and hard-hitting themes."
--Entertainment Weekly [A] gripping novel full of vivid descriptions, compelling characters, timely urgency, and thrilling action. An immediate page-turner."
--The Advocate "Blackfish City feels like a place I've never seen in a story before, but I came away feeling as though I'd lived there forever. One of the most intriguing future cities in years."
--Charlie Jane Anders, award-winning author of All the Birds in The Sky "A timeless story of rebellion against a corrupt master, giving it a kind of Hunger Games resonance that reaches beyond any genre boundaries."
--Booklist Praise for Destroy All Monsters "Laini Taylor meets John Green in this poignant young adult tale of parallel worlds and deep magic where trauma breaks but friendship heals."
--Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Trail of Lightning "In this beautiful book are visions of what we might look like as victims, as villains, but, most importantly, as heroes."
--Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Beasts Made of Night "Explosively beautiful, wild, and fresh, Destroy All Monsters is uplifting and challenging and painful and still somehow joyous all the way through."
--Daniel Jose Older, author of the Shadowshaper series Praise for The Blade Between "One of the best books I've read in 2020. Miller's prose is phenomenal."
--Tor.com [STARRED REVIEW] "Raw and volatile. . . . Highly recommended for anyone looking for a queer-themed, sea salt-laced dark fantasy."
--Booklist "A successful 'influencer' photographer returns to the gentrifying hometown that nearly broke him, and all hell breaks loose. The Blade Between is as addictive and brutal as it is smart and challenging!"
--Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World
