Talker 25

Debut author Joshua McCunes gritty and heart-pounding novel is a masterful reimagining of popular dragon fantasy set in a militant future reminiscent of Paolo Bacigalupis Ship Breaker and Ann Aguirres Outpost. The Horn Book called it absolutely gripping and absolutely horrifying.Its a high-school prank gone horribly wrongsneaking onto the rez to pose next to a sleeping dragonand now senior Melissa Callahan has become an unsuspecting pawn in a war between Man and Monster, between family and friends and the dragons she has despised her whole life. Chilling, epic, and wholly original, this debut novel imagines a North America where dragons are kept on reservations, where strict blackout rules are obeyed no matter the cost, where the highly weaponized military operates in secret, and where a gruesome television show called Kissing Dragons unites the population. Joshua McCunes debut novel offers action, adventure, fantasy, and a reimagining of popular dragon lore. The story packs significant punch.Publishers Weekly