The Changeling

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By Victor LaValle

Publisher Description

“Mesmerizing . . . a dark fairy tale of New York, full of magic and loss, myth and mystery, love and madness.”—Marlon James, author of the Dark Star trilogy

NOW AN APPLE TV+ SERIES STARRING LAKEITH STANFIELD • ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF ALL TIME

Winner of an American Book Award, a Locus Award for Best Horror Novel, a British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel, a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel • Nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award, an International Dublin Literary Award, a Mythopoeic Award for Literature

When Apollo Kagwa’s father disappeared, he left his son a box of books and strange recurring dreams. Now Apollo is a father himself—and as he and his wife, Emma, settle into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Apollo’s old dreams return and Emma begins acting odd. At first Emma seems to be exhibiting signs of postpartum depression. But before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act and vanishes. Thus begins Apollo’s quest to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His odyssey takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever.

NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST HORROR BOOKS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times • USA Today • The New York Public Library • NPR • BuzzFeed • Kirkus Reviews • Book Riot

“The thriller you won’t be able to put down.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

“Intense, riveting . . . The story is a long, slow burn with a lingering sizzle.”—Los Angeles Review of Books

“A modern-day tale of terror rooted in ancient myth and folklore, brimming with magical revelation and emotional truth.”—San Francisco Chronicle

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Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.

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Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

108 Reviews

3.5

Created 21 days ago

Kailey

Created about 1 month ago

Amtl73

Created about 1 month ago

“2nd time reading and I liked it better! Original rating was 3 but this time I am bumping up to a 4. I still do think it meandered but I have a deeper appreciation for this horror fairy tale. Now to watch the show! ________________ This book started out so good...and then it seemed to drag and got weird. I wanted to finish to see what happened but I dreaded the last 25%. It ended up being ok.”

Bailey Cummings

Created about 2 months ago

“I’ve read a million changeling stories and kind of expected this to just be another one but I was extremely wrong. Brilliant odyssey with a super complex and original but cohesive plot, poignant humanness commentary, great balance of myth/humor/terror. I was hooked the whole time and basically read it in one sitting.”

Laura Deuerling

Created about 2 months ago

“I've had a hard time figuring out my feelings on this one. I feel like this book bounced back and forth between chaotic and boring quite a bit, and felt like it was three or more different stories smashed into one, and was just barely able to make sense. I enjoyed the whimsical, dark fairytale aspects of the story, and can't deny that it was super original. I think it had a lot of potential to be amazing, but missed the mark for me. The more boring sections of the story seemed to drag on for way too long, then when finally something more exciting was happening, just seemed chaotic and I don't feel the author did a good job at writing through those scenes and it was hard to understand what exactly was happening. That being said, there were a few good scenes where something really creepy was going on, and created a great ominous atmosphere. But then, those moments, where there was so much potential for something crazy to happen, just kinda fizzled and didn't end up going anywhere. The ending also was kind of lame in my opinion and left a lot of unanswered questions. I also didn't particularly like Apollo (the main character) and so it was hard to really connect with any part of the story with him being at the center of it all. And what little bit Emma was in it, can't really say she did anything for me either. The "Wise Ones" were kind of an interesting group, and would have enjoyed more explanation there and more story around them. The "villain" was also super hyped up one minute, but then once again just ended up being a weak development. I haven't watched the Apple series show adaptation for this yet, but the preview looked good and I'm hopeful that this story will translate to on screen well.”

About Victor LaValle

Victor LaValle is the author of six previous works of fiction: three novels, two novellas, and a collection of short stories. His novels have been included in best-of-the-year lists by The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, The Nation, and Publishers Weekly, among others. He has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an American Book Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the Key to Southeast Queens. He lives in New York City with his wife and kids and teaches at Columbia University.