There are no everyday elements to Kerstin Hall's debut novella. . . . A phantasmagorical picaresque through a lushly realised underworld, populated by a grotesque bestiary of fantastical creatures, with danger dogging our protagonists' every step. This twisty example of the new weird genre examines love, loss and loyalty, packing skilful world-building and a powerful emotional punch into a little over 200 pages.--The Guardian
Beautifully and vividly imagined. Eerie, lovely, and surreal.--Ann Leckie
"A labyrinth of demons, dead gods, cranky psychopomps, and broken all-too-human lives. Hall is by turns wry and lush, genuine and venomous. So can I have the next one already?"--Max Gladstone
Quite but intricate, shored up by rich prose. . . . The tangle of love, loss, grief, and regret that is gradually exposed as the book's emotional core feels tender and profound. Readers more interested in the journey than the destination will savor this venture into the underworld.--
Publishers Weekly
A fantasy forged in the belly of dreams, blurring the lines between gods, demons, and humans as they grapple for control of a slippery narrative that keeps them moving through different realms, bodies and states of waking and death. A singular debut with no easy answers and beauty to spare.--Indrapramit Das
Lush prose weaves around a dark heart in this twisty debut from Kerstin Hall. A fantastical wonder on every page, but one coated in blood, death and suffering."--Neon Yang
Hall combines a sharp observational descriptive talent with brilliantly realised characters.
The Border Keeper draws you deeply into every world it explores and keeps you on edge the whole way through. The story is dreamlike in the way of the most powerful dreams--vividly bright and crystal clear.--Emily Tesh
The underworld created here is rich and strange, populated with children transformed into translucent crabs, armored, cloven-hooved bird-faced creatures carrying masked riders, and glittering parties where the wrong word can kill.--
Kirkus Reviews The mysterious, dark, and often violent worlds envelop readers in a cacophony of mystery and fantasy.--
Library Journal
"With parallels to a range of mythologies, Hall's elegant descriptive language evokes a vivid world of lost souls and revenge in this fast-paced fantasy debut."--
Booklist The Dark Tower meets Ursula Vernon's 'The Tomato Thief' in a journey through abyssal realms as vivid and strange as
Pan's Labyrinth,
The Border Keeper is a captivating and moving read from a bright new voice.--Scott H. Andrews, Editor-in Chief of
Beneath Ceaseless Skies
The Border Keeper is Hall's debut into novella-length works, following on from her successful short story releases. Her poetic and crisp prose take the reader on a brisk-paced journey through a chilling landscape."--
Aurealis
