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cover image The Heads of Cerberus

The Heads of Cerberus

Francis Stevens. Modern Library, $15 trade paper (224p) ISBN 978-1-984854-20-9

This rediscovered 1919 classic by Stevens (the pseudonym of Gertrude Barrows Bennett, 1884–1948, who arguably invented dark fantasy) is an intriguing and political time-travel adventure. Clever teen Viola Trenmore is hanging out in 1918 Philadelphia in the company of her brother, Terence Trenmore, a wealthy, burly Irishman; his friend Robert Drayton, a lawyer; and Arnold Bertram, a hapless burglar. After Drayton breaks open a crystal vial, the dust inside it propels the foursome to a strange limbo called Ulithia, where they meet dancing shadow people. Then they’re sent 200 years into the future. The capricious regime of 2118 uses murderous public competitions to keep the population subjugated, and the oppressed are forced to wear large yellow buttons; though the text predates Nazi Germany by decades, modern readers will find those connotations inescapable. Viola is as logical as she is petite, and easily holds her own alongside the men as they explore weird Ulithia and interact with corrupt government officials. This work, set in the birthplace of America, proclaims that democracy is tenuous, and its themes will be deeply resonant for those concerned by present-day politics. Agent: Jennifer Carlson, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (May)
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Reviewed on: 01/31/2019

Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror

Hardcover - 174 pages - 978-1-5154-2006-4

Hardcover - 218 pages - 978-1-329-02543-1

Hardcover - 174 pages - 978-1-5154-2006-4

Hardcover - 218 pages - 978-1-329-02543-1

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Paperback - 182 pages - 978-1-5177-3036-9

Paperback - 192 pages - 978-0-486-79026-8

Paperback - 360 pages - 978-1-0933-1942-2

Paperback - 160 pages - 978-1-6724-2329-8

Paperback - 174 pages - 978-1-61720-939-0

Paperback - 214 pages - 978-1-4953-0391-3

Paperback - 144 pages - 978-93-5342-993-5

Paperback - 184 pages - 978-1-60872-140-5

Paperback - 192 pages - 978-0-486-79026-8

Paperback - 100 pages - 978-1-5168-1190-8

Paperback - 182 pages - 978-1-5177-3036-9

Paperback - 228 pages - 978-1-5350-6972-4

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Paperback - 226 pages - 978-0-88184-090-2

Paperback - 178 pages - 978-1-7194-6239-6

Paperback - 360 pages - 978-1-7224-6513-1

Paperback - 188 pages - 978-1-365-83151-5

Paperback - 166 pages - 979-8-5624-9683-6

Paperback - 176 pages - 979-8-5865-6587-7

Paperback - 360 pages - 978-1-7313-4826-5

Paperback - 360 pages - 978-1-0933-1942-2

Paperback - 160 pages - 978-1-6724-2329-8

Paperback - 360 pages - 978-1-7915-3232-1