First published 2016
A painter finds success unbearable, his newfound recognition twisting him into someone he despises. Nearby, a writer frantically buries proof of his own creative failures. In another corner of these interconnected worlds, metamorphosis tears apart a marriage while innocent animals pay for human mistakes. Living beings claw their way through supernatural encounters as gossip ignites and spreads. Magical creatures take physical form while humans wage battles that promise honor but deliver corruption instead. Across twelve complete stories, ordinary people discover their lives upended by forces both mystical and mundane. Obsession drives their choices. Deception colors their relationships. The boundary between human and animal blurs as characters face an ancient question that defies simple answers. Martin crafts tales that are both darkly comic and unnervingly strange, exploring what separates us from beasts and what connects us to them.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: blurred-lines, ordinary-people, supernatural-elements
330 pages · Kindle Edition · Serpent's Tail
Content warnings: animal-death, body-horror, gore, violence