by Garth Stein
First published 2025
Tuck lies frozen in a mountain river until The Healer revives him with medicinal mushrooms. The most accomplished Cloven ever made, Tuck joins the Feral Herd in their underground world near abandoned mines. Willie, a human stray living among the Cloven, helps Tuck bond with his half-siblings. Tuck rises to lead the Herd toward freedom in the daylight world. Then he spots a People magazine cover showing pregnant Stella Goff with the headline "But Who's the Daddy?" Tuck recognizes the truth immediately. Stella carries his child, and her father ranks among the world's wealthiest men. Tuck abandons his new family and mission to hunt down Stella. The genetically modified James "Tuck" Tucker must choose between the Cloven community that accepted him and the human world that created him as an experiment.
Genres: adventure, fantasy, contemporary, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family, identity-crisis
Setting: Cloven, Feral Herd, People Magazine
Period: Present Day
180 pages · Hardcover · Fantagraphics