Cool New Books from Madras Press

Once again we have some cool titles from the local publisher Madras Press,  from Kelly Link, Gregory Maguire, and Kevin Brockmeier. Madras Press publishes individually bound short stories and novella-length booklets and distributes the proceeds to a growing list of charitable organizations chosen by our authors. Here’s more about what we’ve got.

The Human Soul as a Rube Goldberg Machine by Kevin Brockmeier You are returning the milk to the refrigerator when your head begins to swim. Red shapes like semi-transparent scarves flare open in your vision, brimming over with light before they dwindle away. For a moment you think you are going to collapse. You put your hand on the counter to steady yourself. Your heart ticks down the seconds like a bomb. Then the sensation passes, and it is an ordinary day again. Where the story goes from here, and the fate of the characters, is up to you. Turn to page 21, or 89, where more choices await. Dan Chaon calls Kevin Brockmeier “One of the best short story writers in America.” Kevin Brockmeier is the author of the novels The Illumination, The Brief History of the Dead, and The Truth about Celia, as well as the story collections The View from the Seventh Layer and Things that Fall from the Sky.

Stone Animals by Kelly Link A family moves into a house, a possibly haunted house, and the rabbits on the front porch stir and come to life. This special edition of Kelly Link’s ‘Stone Animals’ comes with a letterpressed cover (in blue or brown) and interior illustrations by a number of authors, artists, critics, and fans, including Lisa Brown, Lilli Carré, Anthony Doerr, Lev Grossman, Daniel Handler, Paul Hornschemeier, Ursula K. Le Guin, Laura Miller, Audrey Niffenegger, Tao Nyeu, Arthur Phillips, and Lane Smith. Kelly Link is the author of the story collections Pretty Monsters, Magic for Beginners, and Stranger Things Happen and the co-editor of the anthologies Steampunk! and Trampoline.


Tales Told in Oz by Gregory Maguire In the days before Ozma Initiata, when wild beasts roamed the woodlands and few roads had yet been strung between villages, and peasants ate only potatoes served with gravy made of the dirt scraped off them, a farmer fell in love with a bishop’s daughter and proposed to marry her. The author of the bestselling The Wicked Years series returns to Oz with a final compendium of folktales. Gregory Maguire is the author of many books for adults and children, including The Wicked Years novels.