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Tom’s Crossing, the eagerly anticipated new narrative by House of Leaves writer Mark Z. Danielewski, is currently available at an incredible price just two weeks post-release. Amazon is offering a limited-time discount on the hardcover edition of Tom’s Crossing that reduces the cost to only $23.27 (originally $40). If that appears to be the cost you would expect initially, there’s a valid explanation for the $40 MSRP: Tom’s Crossing is a grand 1,232-page novel that is arguably best characterized as a horror-western—and a remarkably good one at that.

Mark Z. Danielewski – Tom’s Crossing: A Novel

$23.27 (originally $40)

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Set in 1982, Tom’s Crossing unfolds in a quaint Utah county and the adjacent mountain ranges. Kalin March, the 15-year-old lead character and fresh inhabitant of the town, assures his terminally ill friend that he will rescue two horses from being killed. The friend, Tom Gatestone, follows Kalin from beyond the grave as a spectral presence.

Tom’s Crossing is exquisitely crafted in a unique style that resembles listening to a remarkably witty companion recount ghost tales by a campfire.

If you’ve explored Danielewski’s House of Leaves, The Familiar, or any of his other pieces, you might anticipate encountering a variety of fonts, reversed text, random illustrations, scholarly references, and other unusual formatting traits. However, you will not discover any of those peculiarities in this work.

Tom’s Crossing is arranged and delivered like a traditional novel, with paragraphs succeeding one another—though Danielewski opts to italicize dialogue instead of using quotation marks. The conventional formatting ensures the absence of large stretches of blank space, making Tom’s Crossing by far his most extensive novel by word count. However, if you aren’t deterred by the impressive page number, you may find Tom’s Crossing to be Danielewski’s most accessible piece of fiction. I surpassed the halfway point this week and am thoroughly reveling in it.

But if you prefer not to take this Steven’s opinion; the singular blurb on the reverse of the dust jacket originates from Stephen King:

“This is a remarkable piece of fiction. I genuinely adored it. At its core lies a blood-soaked tale of pursuit and two courageous and resourceful youths. Yet, there is immensely more. I became engrossed. I have never encountered anything like it.”

Tom’s Crossing’s stands as Danielewski’s initial book following the bizarre and unsettling 2019 illustrated book The Little Blue Kite. Furthermore, it is his first novel since 2017’s Redwood, Volume 5 of what was originally intended as a 27-volume series titled The Familiar. Unfortunately, The Familiar was discontinued by Danielewski’s publisher after the fifth volume due to insufficient sales and elevated printing expenses, but now devoted fans have a new hefty novel to spend numerous hours with.

If you haven’t engaged with House of Leaves or wish to gift a copy to a friend who delights in enigmas this holiday season, the 709-page paperback edition is available for $15.43 (originally $29), and the 736-page hardcover edition is $31 (previously $55). Both versions qualify for Amazon’s Buy Two, Get One Free Book Sale. The last two installments of The Familiar also qualify for the promotion.

Mark Z. Danielewski – House of Leaves: A Novel

$15.43 (originally $29)

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Danielewski’s breakout inaugural novel House of Leaves received abundant acclaim from reviewers and swiftly ascended to bestseller status. It expanded the limitations of the novel as a medium, both from a storytelling angle and the physical book itself. Some pages necessitate readers to rotate the volume as they engage. A narrative within a narrative within yet another narrative, House of Leaves stands as a disorienting piece of literature featuring numerous footnotes, handwritten sections, and academic presentation. It’s akin to a maze in book format, and although frequently categorized as a horror tale, some individuals who delve into it interpret House of Leaves as a romantic narrative. The less foreknowledge you possess beforehand, the more beneficial. Yet in truth, you can’t fully grasp what House of Leaves represents unless you experience it.

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