Creatures of Want and Ruin - (Diabolist's Library) by Molly Tanzer (Paperback)

About the Book

This sequel to Creatures of Will and Temper picks up in 1927 Long Island, where Ellie West fishes by day and sells moonshine by night to the citizens of her home town. But after Ellie's father joins a church whose parishioners possess supernatural powers and a violent hatred for immigrants, Ellie finds she doesn't know her beloved island, or her father, as well as she thought.

Book Synopsis

"Profound and enthralling. This book is a delicate dream, mixing its own internal mythology with a brutal tale of prejudice and human frailty. I can't recommend it enough. Tanzer is absolutely one to watch."
--Seanan McGuire, bestselling, award-winning author of In an Absent Dream

Amityville baywoman Ellie West fishes by day and bootlegs moonshine by night. It's dangerous work under Prohibition--independent operators like her are despised by federal agents and mobsters alike--but Ellie's brother was accepted to college and Ellie's desperate to see him go. So desperate that when wealthy strangers ask her to procure libations for an extravagant party Ellie sells them everything she has, including some booze she acquired under unusual circumstances.

What Ellie doesn't know is that this booze is special. Distilled from foul mushrooms by a cult of diabolists, those who drink it see terrible things--like the destruction of Long Island in fire and flood. The cult is masquerading as a church promising salvation through temperance and a return to "the good old days," so it's hard for Ellie to take a stand against them, especially when her father joins, but Ellie loves Long Island, and she loves her family, and she'll do whatever it takes to ensure neither is torn apart.

Review Quotes

A Barnes & Noble Best Science Fiction Fantasy Book of November 2018 --

"Molly Tanzer writes human darkness, intimacy, and joy with equal skill and fervor. Her characters blaze with life, straining against the bonds of society. Creatures of Want and Ruin is horrific fantasy that races along at a breathless clip, with family drama as the revving engine. If you haven't read Molly Tanzer yet, this is the perfect time to start!" -- Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Ararat

About the Author

MOLLY TANZER is the author of Creatures of Will and Temper, Vermilion, and The Pleasure Merchant. She is also the co-editor of Mixed Up: Cocktail Recipes (and Flash Fiction) for the Discerning Drinker (and Reader).