Named a Best Graphic Novel of The Year by the Washington Post
Named a Book We Loved by NPR
A young Black girl finds herself trapped between desperation and her family's dark history in this horror graphic novel
Aisha has suffered a devastating loss. Her parents were killed in a car crash, and now she must move to decrepit and derelict Detroit to live with her ailing grandmother. However, shortly after moving in, Aisha's grandmother's health rapidly deteriorates. With her dying breath, she summons the dark spirit that has protected their family for generations to watch over Aisha.
At first it seems that this spirit, whom Aisha refers to as the Keeper, is truly doing as her grandmother asked, caring for Aisha and keeping her safe; however, it soon becomes clear that this being can only sustain itself by stealing life from others. As the Keeper begins to prey on the apartment building's other residents, Aisha and her friends must come together to destroy it . . . or die trying.
Written by masters of horror Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes and illustrated by Marco Finnegan, The Keeper reflects on the horror Black Americans face every day, while still staying true to the genre.
About the Authors
Tananarive Due (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is an award-winning author who teaches Black horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA. She is an executive producer on Shudder’s groundbreaking documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror.
A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in multiple best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, coauthored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights.
Due is married to author Steven Barnes, with whom she collaborates on screenplays. They live in Los Angeles with their son Jason and two cats.
Steven Barnes is a New York Times bestselling, NAACP Image Award–winning author of more than 30 novels. Nominated for Nebula and Hugo awards, writer of the Emmy Award–winning "A Stitch In Time" episode of The Outer Limits and winner of the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Award, he is a pioneering Afrofuturist and one of the most honored voices in the field. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, British Fantasy Award–winning novelist Tananarive Due.
Barnes has taught or lectured at UCLA, USC, University of Washington (Seattle), Mensa, Pasadena JPL, the Smithsonian Museum, University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), and many other institutions. His most recent publication is Twelve Days (Tor, 2017).
About the Illustrator
Marco Finnegan is a storyboard and comic book artist known for his work with 12-Gauge, Vault, Boom, Image Comics, and Lerner Books. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in art from California State University, Fullerton, and teaches graphic novel and art classes for high school students. He lives in Southern California with his wife and four children.
