The Destroyer of Worlds - by Matt Ruff (Paperback)

About the Book

"Summer, 1957. Atticus Turner and his father, Montrose, travel to North Carolina, where they plan to mark the centennial of their ancestor's escape from slavery by retracing the route he took into the Great Dismal Swamp. But an encounter with an old nemesis turns their historical reenactment into a real life-and-death pursuit. Back in Chicago, George Berry fights for his own life. Diagnosed with cancer, he strikes a devil's bargain with the ghost of Hiram Winthrop, who promises a miracle cure--but to receive it, George will first have to bring Winthrop back from the dead. Meanwhile, fifteen-year-old Horace Berry, reeling from the killing of a close friend, joins his mother, Hippolyta, and her friend Letitia Dandridge on a research trip to Nevada for The Safe Negro Travel Guide. But Hippolyta has a secret--and far more dangerous--agenda that will take her and Horace to the far end of the universe and bring a new threat home to Letitia's doorstep. Hippolyta isn't the only one keeping secrets. Letitia's sister, Ruby, has been leading a double life as her white alter ego, Hillary Hyde. Now, the supply of magic potion she needs to transform herself is nearly gone, and a surprise visitor throws her already tenuous situation into complete chaos. Yet these troubles are soon eclipsed by the return of Caleb Braithwhite. Stripped of his magic and banished from Chicago at the end of Lovecraft Country, he's found a way back into power and is ready to pick up where he left off. But first he has a score to settle..."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"Another virtuoso blend of horror, action, and humor. . . . Fans will find this a worthy sequel."--Publishers Weekly

In this thrilling African American family saga, a blend of enthralling historical fiction and supernatural horror, Matt Ruff returns to the world of Lovecraft Country and explores the meaning of death, the hold of the past on the present, and the power of hope in the face of uncertainty.

Summer, 1957. Atticus Turner and his father, Montrose, travel to North Carolina to mark the centennial of their ancestor's escape from slavery, but an encounter with an old nemesis leads to a life-and-death pursuit across the segregated roads of Jim Crow America.

Back in Chicago, George Berry is diagnosed with cancer and strikes a devil's bargain with the ghost of Hiram Winthrop, who promises a miracle cure--but only if George brings Winthrop back from the dead.

Fifteen-year-old Horace Berry, reeling from the killing of a close friend, joins his mother, Hippolyta, and her friend Letitia Dandridge on a cross-country road trip adventure for The Safe Negro Travel Guide. But Hippolyta has a secret--and far more dangerous--agenda that will take her and Horace to the far end of the universe and bring a new threat home to Letitia's doorstep.

Hippolyta isn't the only one keeping secrets. Letitia's sister, Ruby, has been leading a double life as her white alter ego, Hillary Hyde. Now, the supply of magic potion she needs to transform herself is nearly gone, and a surprise visitor throws her already tenuous situation into complete chaos.

Yet these troubles are soon eclipsed by the return of Caleb Braithwhite. Stripped of his magic and banished from Chicago at the end of Lovecraft Country, he's found a way back into power and is ready to pick up where he left off. But first he has a score to settle . . .

Review Quotes

"Immensely entertaining. The pacing is on point, the action set pieces are thrilling, and the stakes are high." - Locus

"Genuinely spooky. . . . But the real horror is the reality of life for African Americans in the Jim Crow era . . . sparks the imagination while also igniting the reader's empathy." - Library Journal on Lovecraft Country

"Ruff's sequel to 2016's Lovecraft Country delivers another virtuoso blend of horror, action, and humor. . . . Fans will find this a worthy sequel." - Publishers Weekly

"One ripping yarn with shocks and surprises at every turn. . . . Lots of fun--and, at times, historically enlightening." - Kirkus Reviews

"The same genre-blending, dark humor, and creepy atmosphere from the first book . . . readers will be held captive until the thrilling conclusion. This series excels in how it continues to draw parallels between its pulpy plot and the entire civil rights movement. The cosmic dilemmas make for a great read, but the unease is amplified by readers' knowledge that these Black characters are about to be thrust into a very real fight for freedom." - Library Journal

"A spectacular follow-up to Lovecraft Country . . . Few writers can manage a cast of characters this large with Ruff's deft hand--they are likeable, individual, and we root for all of them . . . It makes for an extremely fast-paced, high-stakes read as we ping-pong around the Jim Crow south and all the way to the end of the universe." - Cory Doctorow

"Another 'only Matt Ruff could do this' production. Lovecraft Country takes the unlikeliest of premises and spins it into a funny, fast, exciting and affecting read." - Neal Stephenson on LOVECRAFT COUNTRY

"Lovecraft Country rubs the pervasive, eldritch dread of Lovecraft's universe against the very real, historical dread of Jim Crow America and sparks fly. . . . Ruff renders a very high-concept, imaginary world with such vividness that you can't help but feel it's disturbingly real." - Christopher Moore on LOVECRAFT COUNTRY

"Nonstop adventure that includes time-shifting, shape-shifting, and Lovecraft-like horrors. . . . Ruff, a cult favorite for his mind-bending fiction, vividly portrays racism as a horror worse than anything conceived by Lovecraft in this provocative, chimerical novel." - Booklist (starred review) on LOVECRAFT COUNTRY