Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Midweek Fiction: Holly Black, "The Dog King"

Holly Black is an absolutely tremendous writer. I've loved her fiction since reading Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, and she is also the creative force behind The Spiderwick Chronicles,  and the Eisner-nominated Good Neighbors series of graphic novels (which I also highly recommend). She has also edited a number of anthologies, including Welcome to Bordertown.

"The Dog King" (originally published in Black's short fiction collection The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, reprinted in the March 2011 issue of Fantasy Magazine) is a werewolf story. Please clear your mind of images of well-built young men in jean shorts. This story is stark, and haunting, and proof that there is always new life in old tropes.