Description:
1. Fierce Pretty Things is a powerful, beautifully written collection of short stories that is stylistically or thematically similar to: Tenth of December (George Saunders); Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned (Wells Tower); Magic for Beginners (Kelly Link); The Color Master (Aimee Bender); Dark Lies the Island (Kevin Barry)
2. It was the winner of the third Blue Light Books Prize, and was selected by judge Samrat Upadhyay, who commented: Each sentence, tight and beautiful, reads like a proof of what powerful fiction can do.
3. The stories center around grief, loss, and violence, and have perfect balance of tragedy and dark comedy. Theyre extremely relatable and compelling, hard to put down, and almost guaranteed to move readers to tears in one paragraph, and laughter the next.
Review Quotes:
"The stories in Howard's debut collection blend raw emotions with surreal forays into the supernatural and metaphysical. . . . Howard's fiction follows an unexpected logic, but at its best it achieves a deep emotional resonance. "--Kirkus Reviews
"Though not for the faint of heart, Howards stories depict his characters ruminations on abandonment, neglect, teen angst, and gun violence, making for an intense and effective collection."--Publishers Weekly
"The title of Tom Howard's collection says everything you need to know: these stories are fierce, and they are pretty (though I'd call them beautiful instead). These shards of life offer up a strange and gorgeous and mind-clearing punch, and I look forward to the career in words Howard has in store for us all."--Bret Lott, author of Letters and Life and Jewel
"Fierce Pretty Things won me over, fiercely, with characters who demonstrate unyielding love and pizzazz even as life comes at them hard. The collection features mostly young protagonists, but they exude ancient wisdom as they traverse the landscapes of boardwalks and school playgrounds and drive-in movie theaters and basement magic chests. Each sentence, tight and beautiful, reads like a proof of what powerful fiction can do. And the humor--my god!--when was the last time I laughed so unashamedly while reading a book?"--Samrat Upadhyay, author of Mad Country