Industry Reviews
PRAISE FOR THE CASS NEARY SERIES
"Nerve-jangling and addictive.... With Cass--relentless in her dangerous curiosity, her ruthless art of survival--Hand has created an anti-hero for the ages. We'd follow her anywhere, into any glittery abyss, and do."--Megan Abbott, author of Dare Me
"Elizabeth Hand's Cass Neary novels, rightly praised for their icy tension and remarkable darkness, are threaded, like the best of punk in any medium, on a bloodied yet admirably stubborn humanism."
--William Gibson, author of Neuromancer
"Fiercely frightening yet hauntingly beautiful, with a startling heroine you'll never forget.... I've long been a fan of Elizabeth Hand's amazing books, and once again she proves why she is truly a writer's writer, her prose so glowing it makes all the rest of us jealous."--Tess Gerritsen, author of the Rizzoli & Isles series
"I love Elizabeth Hand's Cass Neary novels -- they're tough-minded, beautifully written, and unique. One of the best series out there."--Jeff VanderMeer, author of Dead Astronauts
"If Dan Brown wrote TheGirl With the Dragon Tattoo, you'd have something like Elizabeth Hand'sThe Book of Lamps and Banners. A tight, gritty page-turner that gnaws at your fingertips and gets under your skin -- the best kind of addiction."
--Peter Clines, New York Times bestselling author of Paradox Bound
"It's hard to imagine a more perfect novel than The Book of Lamps and Banners. In her fourth Cass Neary outing, Elizabeth Hand has delivered a startling book that is dirty, wise, aching, and almost magical. Hand expertly marries muscular prose to sophisticated detail, resulting in an enviably smart, fearless novel that conjures demons, evokes an immediate sense of place, and summons the surreal."--Ivy Pochoda, author of These Women
"The ancient manuscript at the center of The Book of Lamps and Banners is as kaleidoscopic, dark, and mysterious as Hand's amateur sleuth. This novel is a jaw-punch, written with a snarling grace. Cass Neary--the aging punk photographer living within darkest edges of our broken civilization-is my hero. And so is Liz Hand."--Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin atthe End of the World
"With each new book, Elizabeth Hand's great creation Cass Neary grows more complex, and fascinating. She's tough, smart, f*cked up. And I love her. If you've been following her since Generation Loss, you already know all this. If you haven't, read this book."--Ellen Datlow, winner of the HorrorWriters' Association and World Fantasy Life Achievement Awards
"Intense and hard to put down... Elizabeth Hand's writing is crisp and vividly imagined."
--Mystery Scene
"A hair-raising, mind-bending trip... Exquisitely suspenseful, and the paranoia suffusing the story is very much of our present moment. The idea that any single source can make sense of everything happening around us is as alluring as it is dangerous [and] half of the mystery in The Book of Lamps and Banners is wondering whether Cass Neary will save us or take us down with her."--BookPage (starred review)
"A propulsive exploration of obsession and addiction."--Sarah Weinman, The Crime Lady
"A wild ride that defies comparison: pill-popping idealist Cass Neary's obsessive hunt piles on teeth-grinding, story-propelling tension, and Hand's gifted portrayal of subcultures seamlessly
links Cass' past in New York's '80s punk scene, London's rare-book dealers, and Odinist neo-Nazis." --Booklist (starred review)
"Brilliantly entertaining and surprisingly heart-wrenching . . . Pure triumph, from end to end."--Gemma Files, author of Experimental Film
"Cass Neary is a remarkable heroine. As with Sherlock Holmes, her power lies in the act of seeing what ordinary people cannot, only where Holmes brings clues to light, Neary is content to linger in the dark. Her eye catches the liminal spaces between clarity and shadow so well I found myself rereading passages for the beauty of her way of seeing."--New York Times Book Review
"Cass Neary is a tough, self-destructive character who still exudes compassion, courage, and love for the beauty and the pain of life--even more so because she recognizes its impermanence. Part The Club Dumas, part The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, all punk attitude and beautiful ache." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Enjoyable . . . The action hurtles toward an exciting climax on an island off the Swedish coast. That this adventure ends for once on a positive note for Cass, who so far has been living on an addict's ragged edge, will please series fans. Newcomers will find this a good entry point."--Publishers Weekly
"I love Cass Neary, the smart, messy, substance-abusing, death-marked ghost of punk. Her latest misadventure is vivid and haunting, braiding the ancient and occult with the unholy frights of the modern world. A thrill ride crackling with sulfurous brilliance."--Steph Cha, author of Your House Will Pay
"If The Book of Lamps and Banners had a playlist, it would feature Patti Smith and the Ramones...The high-speed narrative, jittery and swift, mirrors Cass's addiction. . . . Fans of Scandinavian crime fiction will enjoy this excellent series offering an intelligent puzzle along with gritty reality."--Shelf Awareness
"Intense and atmospheric.... An inventive brew of postpunk attitude and dark mystery. Elizabeth Hand writes with craftsmanship and passion." --George Pelecanos, author of The Man Who Came Uptown
"Picture The Maltese Falcon, but instead of a black bird, there's an ancient and mystic manuscript, and instead of a private eye with a code, there's an aging punk photographer amped up on booze and speed. Elizabeth Hand's genre mash-up is a dizzying ride."--Peter Swanson, author of Eight Perfect Murders
"What a story! Powered by pure adrenaline and excitement, engrossing and yet human to the core--Elizabeth Hand has written a barn burner of a thriller. What a delight." --Rene Denfeld, author of The Child Finder
