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Mongrels

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Mongrels

By: Stephen Graham Jones
Narrated by: Chris Patton, Jonathan Yen
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About this listen

A spellbinding and surreal coming-of-age story about a young boy living on the fringe with his family – who are secretly werewolves – and struggling to survive in a contemporary America that shuns them.

A spellbinding and darkly humorous coming-of-age story about an unusual boy, whose family lives on the fringe of society and struggles to survive in a hostile world that shuns and fears them.

He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixed blood, neither this nor that. The boy at the centre of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks.

For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will finally know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast now. Everything is about to change.

A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world.

Coming of Age Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Paranormal Werewolf Wolf Mythology Shifter

Critic reviews

“Mongrels isn’t just a coming-of-age story or a horror story. It looks at the world through a disturbing, uncomfortable lens, and offers up a brutal mythology of werewolves. I’ve never seen anything quite like it and I won’t forget it anytime soon.” Carrie Vaughn, New York Times bestselling author of the Kitty Norville series

“Mongrels exists somewhere in the borderlands of literary and genre fiction, full of horror and humor and heart, at once a nightmarish road trip and a moving story about a broken family leashed together by their fierce love and loyalty. A bloody great read.”
Benjamin Percy, author of The Dead Lands, Red Moon, and The Wilding

“Stephen Graham Jones is as powerful as the monsters herein.”
Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box

“With lupine tongue tucked well into cheek, Mongrels is at once an adolescent romp through the tangled woods of family history and a rich compendium of werewolf lore old and new.” Christopher Buehlman, author of Those Across the River and The Lesser Dead

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🐺 𝕺𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕽𝖔𝖆𝖉 𝕬𝖌𝖆𝖎𝖓 🚧

𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖘, by 𝕾𝖙𝖊𝖕𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕲𝖗𝖆𝖍𝖆𝖒 𝕵𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘 🐺🚧🚚⛺️🥃 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌-𝖔𝖋-𝖆𝖌𝖊 𝕹𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖂𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖔𝖑𝖋 𝕳𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖗🌙

𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖘, by 𝕾𝖙𝖊𝖕𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕲𝖗𝖆𝖍𝖆𝖒 𝕵𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘, is a 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖌-𝖔𝖋-𝖆𝖌𝖊 𝕹𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖂𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖔𝖑𝖋 𝕳𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖗 novel following an unnamed narrator being raised by his 𝖂𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖔𝖑𝖋 aunt and uncle, Libby and Darren, in the American South. The episodic story chronicles his life from age eight to sixteen, longing to "wolf out" while living on the fringes of society, facing poverty, and fleeing the authorities 🐾🦴🚚

I loved this novel. 𝖂𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖔𝖑𝖛𝖊𝖘 are my bread and butter in 𝕳𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖗. They are the focal point of my upcoming novel 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖔𝖑𝖋 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖗𝖊 🐺🎻🎭 In 𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖘, 𝕾𝖙𝖊𝖕𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕲𝖗𝖆𝖍𝖆𝖒 𝕵𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘 reinvents the 𝖂𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖔𝖑𝖋 mythology and highlights the pinpoints and intricacies of living as a part-time animal. The on-the-road anti-western atmosphere was incredibly immersive and an adventurous romp across America. A howling good read 🐺 I highly recommend 𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖘 🌙🐾🚚

🐺 𝕺𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕽𝖔𝖆𝖉 𝕬𝖌𝖆𝖎𝖓 🚧

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beautiful story wonderfully heart breaking warming story. werewolf wolf wolf wolf wolf wolf wolf werewolf.

loved it want more!

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I hadn't encountered this author before but very much intend to seek out their other work. Here he combines a genuinely interesting take on werewolves with a coming of age yarn that I very quickly became fully invested in. something that I especially appreciated was how it didn't fall prey to the kind of cringey power fantasies that you often get in stories where the main characters are supernatural.

The narration was top notch and felt like a perfect fit.

Excellent

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A delightfully fresh take on werewolves that tells the story of transient outsiders more than it attempts to horrify.

A brilliantly fresh story uniquely told

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If you could sum up Mongrels in three words, what would they be?

Werewolf coming-of-age story.

What other book might you compare Mongrels to, and why?

I'm not sure it can be compared to another book. You can try comparing it to your favourite coming-of-age story, only with werewolves. Or you can compare it to a werewolf book, only told from the point-of-view of a young boy as he transforms into a young man. But I think there is definitely something very unique and very special about Mongrels.

Which character – as performed by Chris Patton and Jonathan Yen – was your favourite?

The unnamed protagonist. As a young boy and as a teenager. So both, I guess.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There are many emotive scenes in the book but the most powerful is probably the finale.

My favourite book of 2016

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