Brown Girl in the Ring

In this "impressive debut" from award-winning speculative fiction author, a young woman must bargain with the gods to save her city and herself ( The Washington Post ).

The rich and privileged have fled the city, barricaded it behind roadblocks, and left it to crumble. The inner city has had to rediscover old ways—farming, barter, herb lore. But now the monied need a harvest of bodies, and so they prey upon the helpless of the streets. With nowhere to turn, a young woman must open herself to ancient truths, eternal powers, and the tragic mystery surrounding her mother and grandmother. She must bargain with gods, and give birth to new legends.

"Excellent . . . a bright, original mix of future urban decay and West Indian magic . . . strongly rooted in character and place." ― The Denver Post

"A wonderful sense of narrative and a finely tuned ear for dialogue . . . balances a well-crafted and imaginative story with incisive social critique and a vivid sense of place." ― Emerge

"Hopkinson lives up to her advance billing." ― The New York Times Book Review

"Hopkinson's writing is smooth and assured, and her characters lively and believable. She has created a vivid world of urban decay and startling, dangerous magic, where the human heart is both a physical and metaphorical key." ― Publishers Weekly

"Splendid . . . Superbly plotted and redolent of the rhythms of Afro-Caribbean speech." ― Kirkus Review

"Utterly original . . . the debut of a major talent. Gripping, memorable, and beautiful." ―Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times –bestselling author