Publishers Weekly
05/15/2023
The idyllic portrait of family life presented at the start of Coney’s intimate and eerie debut novella is far too good to last, and it doesn’t. Coney introduces a happy South Carolina family—mother, father, and boy, as they are known throughout—whose numbers grow first through the addition of a dog and then the arrival of the boy’s mysterious grandfather. While the dog, Teach, named for the pirate Blackbeard (real name: Edward Teach), immediately becomes the boy’s best friend, the grandfather’s arrival throws the so-far perfect family out of alignment, as tensions mount between all members. A vivid backdrop of marshes, caves, and storm-swept beaches lends an air of the uncanny to the proceedings as the boy, on the brink of turning 12, discovers alarming, and perhaps supernatural, similarities developing between himself and his grandfather, alienating him from his parents. The result is both wrenching family drama and fantastical monster story, and though the climax feels a bit rushed, the exploration of blood ties and the nature of monstrosity resonate. Coney is a writer to watch. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
"Without question, one of the most beautifully written books I’ve read this year."—The Wall Street Journal
"[A] Lovecraftian gem."—Esquire
"Coney's talent for writing is evident as this rich story develops in 128 short pages. . .Even the most hardened fans will have a difficult time not falling in love with this novella."—Rue Morgue
"Possesses a rare type of beauty. . . . Wild Spaces is undoubtedly one of the most captivating releases of 2023."—Ginger Nuts of Horror
"Idyll to nightmare—a beautifully written horror tale that ensnares the reader without as grippingly as it does those trapped within."—Lavender Magazine
"Can a horror story be beautiful? Wild Spaces tells a terrible truth in the most achingly beautiful way."—Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor
"Wild Spaces is an eldritch coming-of-age-story done right. It's lyrical, emotionally complex, creepy, and there's not a drop of poisonous nostalgia. I loved it and I can't stop thinking about it."—Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and The Pallbearers Club
"If you mix Flannery O’Connor’s sense of Southern grotesquerie with Shirley Jackson’s tales of every day horror, you get Shaw Coney. What a stellar debut."—Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author and creator of the V. I. Warshawski crime novels
"Monstrous and elegant. Sensual and transformative. Wild Spaces left me aching to know what infernal wonders might follow its final, dazzling image. Coney has the vision of a once-in-a-generation writer. This is how it’s done, people!"—Laura Benedict, Edgar and Thriller-nominated author of When I Make Love to the Bug Man
"Wildly imaginative and gorgeously written. I was hooked from the first word to the last."—Kelley Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author
"S.L. Coney's innate understanding of both people and monsters makes Wild Spaces a sublime read."—Priya Sharma, Shirley Jackson Award and British Fantasy Award-winning author of Ormeshadow and All the Fabulous Beasts.
"Wild Spaces is reminiscent of Ray Bradbury and Robert McCammon, full of equal parts wonder and horror. Tense, atmospheric and visceral."—A.C. Wise, Bram Stoker Award and World Fantasy Award finalist of The Ghost Sequences
"Painfully human in the way that only the best fiction manages, and beautifully written with not a wasted word."—Brian Evenson, award-winning author of The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell
"Wild Spaces is a horrifying fever-dream that captures all the intensity and power of youth."—Kelly Robson, Nebula Award—winning author
“A coming-of-age story, but the change in store for the boy is wonderfully unpredictable and so originally weird. Pacing is key to this piece, and the author is brilliant at it."—Jeffrey Ford, author of Ahab's Return
“Wild Spaces is a visceral, haunting, original story that takes the best of cosmic horror and pairs it with familial love in a way that tugs at your heart strings as it continuously raises the levels of horror. It’s Hereditary meets The Fisherman with a dash of The Dark Tower. One of my favorite authors writing today.”—Richard Thomas, Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, and Thriller Award nominee
"Atmospheric, humming with menace, heartbreaking, beautifully written."—Glen Hirshberg, author of Infinity Dreams and the Motherless Children trilogy
"Both wrenching family drama and fantastical monster story. . .Coney is a writer to watch."—Publishers Weekly
"Truly terrifying."—Booklist
"Beautiful and searing."—Library Journal
Library Journal
07/01/2023
DEBUT Coney makes their debut with this coming-of-age eldritch horror story. A boy lives happily on the South Carolina coast with his parents and loyal, fiercely protective dog Teach—until his grandfather, whom he's never met before, arrives one day and invites himself to stay. Teach makes his dislike of the grandfather clear from the beginning, and the sense of dread slowly increases. Tension also grows between the adults, and the boy tries to puzzle out what has happened to his family and why no one will answer his questions. Once cohesive, their family is now being driven apart, and the boy is also changing in confusing and horrifying ways as he grows. Ultimately, the boy will come face-to-face with the horror of his family's secrets and realize his own inheritance. The novel's often beautiful and searing descriptions capture the boy's experiences, even as his world is upended. This is a quick read, but the ending will linger. VERDICT Coney fills this affecting novella with evocative prose that perceptively conveys the coastal landscape and all of its inhabitants, human and not.—Melissa DeWild
SEPTEMBER 2023 -- AudioFile
With his deep, gentle voice and careful pacing, Nick Mondelli delivers this coming-of-age horror story. A boy leads a pleasant life with his parents and dog until the day his estranged grandfather arrives. Listeners can hear the boy's parents' anxiety, but they're unwilling to say why. The grandfather's intense clipped voice and sinister smile create palpable tension. As the situation spirals out of control, Mondelli's increased pace will keep listeners on edge. The grandfather sees the change that is coming in the boy, and the horror can't be contained for long. Mondelli's narration skillfully immerses listeners in the chilling atmosphere, making this short audiobook an unforgettable spine-tingling experience. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
