The Merry Dredgers

""Jeremy C. Shipp's boldness, daring, originality, and sheer smarts make him one of the most vital younger writers who have colonized horror literature in the past decade. Shipp's modernist clarity, plus his willingness to risk damn near everything, put him up at the head of the pack with the very best."" --Peter Straub ""Shipp's clear, insistent voice pulls you down into the rabbit hole and doesn't let go."" --Jack Ketchum ""I'm convinced Jeremy Shipp is a little bit crazy, in the best possible way. This is one of those books that alters your brain in a way similar to Philip K. Dick."" --Jeff VanderMeer ""Told with the razor-sharp kaleidoscopic eye that only Shipp can deliver, The Merry Dredgers creates an environment that will both perplex but also compel readers to be completely involved."" --Steve Stred, Splatterpunk-nominated author of Sacrament, Mastodon, and Churn the Soil ""Whimsical and emotional, The Merry Dredgers is written with Shipp's signature wit and lyrical prose. Seraphina's journey into the heart of a mysterious cult has everything you're craving; suspense, humor, intrigue, goblins, and even a dash of romance."" --Meg Hafdahl, co-author of The Science of Women in Horror ""Like Brian Evenson's Last Days and Will Elliott's The Pilo Family Circus, The Merry Dredgers immerses the reader in a world of playful dread, grim laughter, and grotesque fun. What sets Shipp's novel apart, however, is its anxious tenderness. Shipp's sharp prose forces us to engage with the pain of alienation, the yearning for connection, the risks of intimacy, and the vertigo one suffers in a world in which everyone (and everything) can't be taken at face value. What a ride!"" --Nicole Cushing, author of Mothwoman and A Sick Gray Laugh ""A sharp and self-aware voice brings this wonderfully weird tale to life-full of brilliant visuals and bizarro set pieces, The Merry Dredgers is a work of immeasurable imagination and heart."" --Premee Mohamed, author of the Beneath the Rising trilogy ""Immediately intriguing and written in a fun, amusing and quirky tone, The Merry Dredgers brings readers along for a ride not unlike those in the magical, goblin-filled kingdom Seraphina must infiltrate to seek justice for her sister. Shipp's use of the setting is second to none, making the most of the creepy animatronics, still and fetid waters, dilapidated rides and arcades. Prepare to be entertained in the best possible ways."" --Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads and Below ""A story of sibling love, powerful friendship, terrible tragedy, and suspicious cultists, all delivered with Shipp's signature dreadful whimsy. Do you dare enter the mouth of the goblin? It'll change you..."" --Alan Baxter, award-winning author of The Gulp and Sallow Bend ""Shipp skillfully skewers the cult qualities of self-actualization programs in this spooky, satirical send-up of a mind and body retreat with a shady side. ... The details of the Dredgers' regimen of new age rituals, which appear all the more absurd for being enacted against a landscape of dilapidated rides and still functioning animatronic goblins, are consistently amusing. Readers who like their weird fiction with a dash of wry humor will eat this up."" --Publishers Weekly ""A woman's attempt to avenge her sister leads to a fantastical adventure in Jeremy C. Shipp's novel The Merry Dredgers. ... The Merry Dredgers is a fun, offbeat mystery novel set in an unforgettable location."" --Eileen Gonzalez, Foreword Reviews ""THE MERRY DREDGERS is a bizarro, atmospheric fever dream given horrifying shape--a story of love for a sibling and the search for belonging wrapped in a culty mystery wrapped in a psychedelic goblin carnival with teeth. It'll chew you up and spit you out, and by the end, you won't be sure if you're laughing or screaming. Shipp knows how to entertain, and they've made sure this is one amusement park ride you'll sure as hell never forget."" --Kelsea Yu, author of Bound Feet and The Bones Beneath Paris ""A kaleidoscopic nightmare assembled with the fractured pieces of a funhouse mirror. A screaming merry-go-round into the psyche of a woman trying to make sense of the senseless, and finding that answers don't always bring peace. This carnival-colored mystery leads us further into the dark where animatronic goblins wage war against a Wolf King, and we discover that ghosts are just bad memories we can't let go of. Shipp's most terrifying and compassionate work by far."" -- Tyler Jones, author of Burn the Plans and Midas ""Shipp's imagination is on full display in this paranoid, claustrophobic little tale that somehow balances suspense, folk horror, and a unique brand of cult noir that is every bit as unique as its author. You'll read this in one sitting, I promise."" --Ronald Malfi, bestselling author of Come with Me and Black Mouth ""Shipp paints their labyrinthine world in a stylish, snappy voice that immediately has you rooting for this underdog princess. The Merry Dredgers swirls a quirky outlook, strange secrets, and dark fantasy into a treat of shadow-flavored cotton candy."" --Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author ""A feast for fans of the bizarre told with such verve and originality, Jeremy C. Shipp's The Merry Dredgers is an experience unlike any other and proves Shipp to be a fearless and masterful storyteller."" --Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke ""A delicious Molotov cocktail of grief, paranoia, sisterhood, and bizarre dreams wrapped in a beautiful cloak of dark-as-midnight noir. The Merry Dredgers is unique, haunting, and weird in the best sense of the word. This is Shipp at their very best."" --Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home and Coyote Songs ""Jeremy C. Shipp is one of contemporary horror's most original and unnerving voices. Their latest, The Merry Dredgers, offers up a seemingly straightforward mystery that quickly evolves into a delightfully odd and eerie tale involving a rent-a-princess, a goblin-themed amusement park, and the dark secret at the heart of a cult. "" -Joseph Mallozzi, showrunner for Stargate and Dark Matter ""Under the veneer of a weird mystery, Jeremy Shipp has written a work that explores deep questions about authenticity, identity, and relationships. You might not think a book about cults, attempted murder, and animatronic goblins could be gentle and kind, but this one? It's a warm cup of tea for the strange soul."" -Wendy N. Wagner, author of The Secret Skin and The Deer Kings ""A unique blend of mystery, dark fantasy, and horror, Jeremy C. Shipp's The Merry Dredgers is equal parts amusing and thrilling. Its pages drip with whimsy and style, and with this new novel, Shipp is further carving out their own space within the horror world."" - Shane Hawk, author of Anoka and co-editor of Never Whistle At Night