Strange Animals

About this book

An ordinary man discovers a hidden world of supernatural creatures--and an unexpected home--in this enchanting contemporary fantasy debut. "One of the most fun and original books I've read in years. Excellent storytelling. See for yourself."--Jim Butcher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files "A haunting and atmospheric urban fantasy populated by quirky human characters and fabulously weird mythical creatures . . . a wholly captivating tale of magic and nature."--Publishers Weekly Green trips on the curb, falls flat into the street, and sees the city bus speeding toward him. And then . . . blink. He's back on the curb, miraculously still alive. A five-foot-tall crow watches him from atop a nearby sign, somehow unseen by the rushing crowd of morning commuters. Desperate for answers and beset by more visions of impossible creatures, Green finds his way to a remote campsite in the Appalachian Mountains, where he meets a centuries-old teacher and begins an apprenticeship unlike anything he could imagine. Under his new mentor's grouchy tutelage, Green studies the time-bending rag moth, the glass fawn, and the menacing horned wolf. He begins to see past hidden nature's terrors and glimpse its beauty, all while befriending fellow misfits--and finding connection and community. Along the way come clues about the forces that set him on this path--and, most incredibly, a sense of purpose and fulfillment like nothing he's felt before. But Green's new happiness promises to be short-lived, because alongside these marvels lurks a deadly threat to this place he's already come to love. Creepy, cozy, and beautiful, Strange Animals is a fantasy about home, belonging, and the fearfully wonderous nature all around us.