The Ballad of Perilous Graves

WINNER OF THE 2023 COMPTON CROOK AWARD

“Wild, witty, and profound. . . a cosmic storm of talent”

-- Victor LaValle
A hallucinatory wonder of a debut' -- Walter Mosley
Jennings weaves a brilliant tapestry . . . The Ballad of Perilous Graves is a remarkable debut -- BOOKLIST
Hugely infectious fun -- SFX
The two worlds of this gripping and inventive fantasy are so vividly depicted that reading it is a bit like taking a fabulous city break -- GUARDIAN
An enchanting, energetic, wild ride of a story set to a staccato melody. The electric prose leaps off the page in a riot of colours and sounds -- Leslye Penelope
A wild, dark and joyful love song to New Orleans, the power of stories, and hope in the face of destruction -- H. G. Parry
His lyrical prose dances to a rhythm all its own -- Stina Leicht
An unforgettable story -- Rion Amilcar Scott
Scary, sweet, lyrical, and real -- Poppy Z. Brite
I ached to live in their world. A stunning debut that is sure to become a classic -- Elizabeth Hand
Alex Jennings writes with an energy and a profusion of imagination and vividness that carries you off. Brilliant! -- Katherine Addison
A beautiful song full of magic and rhythm, darkness and delight. A profoundly gorgeous debut -- Christina Henry
A slice of delightfully disorientating and whimsical magic -- CultureFly
The Ballad of Perilous Graves is not only an engrossing adventure but a potent homage to the beating heart of one of the world's most magical cities -- Ladee Hubbard
A beautiful song full of magic and rhythm, darkness and delight. A profoundly gorgeous debut -- Christina Henry

Alex Jennings was born in Wiesbaden (Germany) and raised in Gaborone (Botswana), Paramaribo (Surinam), and Tunis (Tunisia) as well as the United States. He is a graduate of Clarion West and the University of New Orleans. He is now a teacher, author, and performer living in New Orleans. His writing has appeared in strangehorizons.com, podcastle, The Peauxdunque Review, Obsidian Lit, the Locus- Award-winning Luminescent. He is an afternoon person.

'Wild, witty, and profound. . . a cosmic storm of talent' Victor LaValle Put on your dancing shoes and step into New Orleans as you've never seen it before in this vibrant and imaginative debut. Nola is a city of wonders. An alternate New Orleans made of music and magic, where spirits dance the night away and Wise Women help keep the order. To those from Away, Nola might seem strange. To failed magician Perilous Graves, it's simply home. Then the rhythm of the city stutters. Nine songs of power have escaped from the magical piano that maintains the city's beat, and without them, Nola will fail. Unwilling to watch his home be destroyed, Perry will sacrifice everything to save it. But a storm is brewing and even if they capture the songs, Nola's time might be coming to an end. Praise for The Ballad of Perilous Graves : ' A hallucinatory wonder of a debut ' Walter Mosley 'The two worlds of this gripping and inventive fantasy are so vividly depicted that reading it is a bit like taking a fabulous city break' Guardian 'An enchanting, energetic, wild ride of a story set to a staccato melody. The electric prose leaps off the page in a riot of colours and sounds' Leslye Penelope 'A slice of delightfully disorientating and whimsical magic' CultureFly 'A wild, dark and joyful love song to New Orleans, the power of stories, and hope in the face of destruction' H. G. Parry 'His lyrical prose dances to a rhythm all its own' Stina Leicht 'An unforgettable story' Rion Amilcar Scott ' The Ballad of Perilous Graves is not only an engrossing adventure but a potent homage to the beating heart of one of the world's most magical cities' Ladee Hubbard 'Scary, sweet, lyrical, and real' Poppy Z. Brite 'I ached to live in their world. A stunning debut that is sure to become a classic' Elizabeth Hand 'Alex Jennings writes with an energy and a profusion of imagination and vividness that carries you off. Brilliant!' Katherine Addison 'A beautiful song full of magic and rhythm, darkness and delight. A profoundly gorgeous debut' Christina Henry

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