Blacktail

A Novel

Ebook (EPUB)
On sale Sep 01, 2026 | 288 Pages | 9798217089970
Grades 9-12 + AP/IB

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“A tale of lupine vengeance—at first—whose stakes escalate to degrees I never saw coming. Unexpected, blood-soaked, and vividly told.”—qntm, author of There Is No Antimemetics Division

The long-awaited second novel from the author of the cult hit The Library at Mount Char, a one-of-a-kind dark fantasy in which a wolf sets out on an epic journey of revenge.


The wolf Blacktail is faithful to his Forest God, but in these times, faith is not enough. His world is besieged by men. Soon his territory will be overrun, and then there will be nowhere left to go. When his mate, a house dog, is killed, Blacktail rebels. He invades the house of her owners, seeking vengeance.

Blacktail’s fury catches the notice of an ancient and terrible feline witch, who makes an offer. What if Blacktail could end the human race responsible for the death of his family and for the destruction of the natural world, altogether? To do so, Blacktail must find and wake the Forest God. Only He might stand against the plague of men. Blacktail knows that his north woods are dwindling to nothing. He sees no other choice.

As Blacktail journeys farther from his wild home and deeper into the world of man, he encounters strangers—animal, mortal, and otherworldly—who, for their own reasons, want to help Blacktail rid the world of humans. Along the way, it becomes clear that he is more than just a wolf. The Forest God is sleeping, yes. But what will be the price of waking him?
“Transportive. A magnificent, bloody saga that will change the way you look at the world.”—Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary

Blacktail is a serious, wild, trippy, and gory flight of imagination. It’s also an angry romp through our current wasteland. No one is spared the fang.”—Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie and A Head Full of Ghosts

“Mesmerizing and strange, like the headiest of folklore. Blacktail is one to savor; one to delight in the eccentricities of; one to sit with long after it ends.”—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Girl Dinner

“A mad, feral fable—this is beautiful, brutal fantasy, red in tooth in claw. Funny, heartbreaking, violent. All hail Blacktail. Down with the two-legs.”—Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents and The Staircase in the Woods

“Reader, be warned. This is not a gentle book, and those who cannot bear to see an animal hurt should guard their hearts. But persist, and you will be rewarded. Blacktail is as glorious as it is gruesome.”—V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

“Touching, horrifying, and entertaining. In many places it’s impossible—as with any well-written account of animals suffering because of our deeds—to not be moved. . . . You should all get excited for this book and hope that Mr. Hawkins doesn’t keep us waiting ten years for another one.”—Mark Lawrence, Sunday Times bestselling author of Prince of Thorns and The Book That Wouldn’t Burn

“Wickedly sharp, unflinchingly brutal, and nothing short of a modern masterpiece. Blacktail will consume you.”—Marcus Kliewer, New York Times bestselling author of The Caretaker

Blacktail is a journey through a universe simultaneously surreal and familiar, a tale that will leave claw marks on your brain that won’t quickly fade. You simply won’t read another book like it this year.”—Jason Pargin, author of John Dies at the End

“With a deeply rooted point of view inside an animal’s mind, Hawkins delivers a rich mythology laced with both humor and tragedy that will have you reconsidering your own place in the natural order.”—Max Doty, author of The House That Eats the Dead

“A tale of lupine vengeance—at first—whose stakes escalate to degrees I never saw coming. Unexpected, blood-soaked, and vividly told.”—qntm, author of There Is No Antimemetics Division

“This is eco-horror at its most primal and visceral—the various animal narrators make it very clear how horrible humans are, and also show how far the animals are all willing to go to get their revenge. Hawkins pulls no punches . . . Fans of the classic Watership Down who can handle the bloodthirsty vengeance in Josh Malerman’s Pearl (2021) will devour this one.”Booklist



© Heather Hawkins
Scott Hawkins is the author of The Library at Mount Char. He works as a Linux engineer focused on big data. He and his wife live in a woodsy area about an hour north of Atlanta. She keeps a nice garden. He's in his tenth year of failing to remodel the basement. Blacktail is his second novel. View titles by Scott Hawkins

About

“A tale of lupine vengeance—at first—whose stakes escalate to degrees I never saw coming. Unexpected, blood-soaked, and vividly told.”—qntm, author of There Is No Antimemetics Division

The long-awaited second novel from the author of the cult hit The Library at Mount Char, a one-of-a-kind dark fantasy in which a wolf sets out on an epic journey of revenge.


The wolf Blacktail is faithful to his Forest God, but in these times, faith is not enough. His world is besieged by men. Soon his territory will be overrun, and then there will be nowhere left to go. When his mate, a house dog, is killed, Blacktail rebels. He invades the house of her owners, seeking vengeance.

Blacktail’s fury catches the notice of an ancient and terrible feline witch, who makes an offer. What if Blacktail could end the human race responsible for the death of his family and for the destruction of the natural world, altogether? To do so, Blacktail must find and wake the Forest God. Only He might stand against the plague of men. Blacktail knows that his north woods are dwindling to nothing. He sees no other choice.

As Blacktail journeys farther from his wild home and deeper into the world of man, he encounters strangers—animal, mortal, and otherworldly—who, for their own reasons, want to help Blacktail rid the world of humans. Along the way, it becomes clear that he is more than just a wolf. The Forest God is sleeping, yes. But what will be the price of waking him?

Reviews

“Transportive. A magnificent, bloody saga that will change the way you look at the world.”—Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary

Blacktail is a serious, wild, trippy, and gory flight of imagination. It’s also an angry romp through our current wasteland. No one is spared the fang.”—Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie and A Head Full of Ghosts

“Mesmerizing and strange, like the headiest of folklore. Blacktail is one to savor; one to delight in the eccentricities of; one to sit with long after it ends.”—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Girl Dinner

“A mad, feral fable—this is beautiful, brutal fantasy, red in tooth in claw. Funny, heartbreaking, violent. All hail Blacktail. Down with the two-legs.”—Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents and The Staircase in the Woods

“Reader, be warned. This is not a gentle book, and those who cannot bear to see an animal hurt should guard their hearts. But persist, and you will be rewarded. Blacktail is as glorious as it is gruesome.”—V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

“Touching, horrifying, and entertaining. In many places it’s impossible—as with any well-written account of animals suffering because of our deeds—to not be moved. . . . You should all get excited for this book and hope that Mr. Hawkins doesn’t keep us waiting ten years for another one.”—Mark Lawrence, Sunday Times bestselling author of Prince of Thorns and The Book That Wouldn’t Burn

“Wickedly sharp, unflinchingly brutal, and nothing short of a modern masterpiece. Blacktail will consume you.”—Marcus Kliewer, New York Times bestselling author of The Caretaker

Blacktail is a journey through a universe simultaneously surreal and familiar, a tale that will leave claw marks on your brain that won’t quickly fade. You simply won’t read another book like it this year.”—Jason Pargin, author of John Dies at the End

“With a deeply rooted point of view inside an animal’s mind, Hawkins delivers a rich mythology laced with both humor and tragedy that will have you reconsidering your own place in the natural order.”—Max Doty, author of The House That Eats the Dead

“A tale of lupine vengeance—at first—whose stakes escalate to degrees I never saw coming. Unexpected, blood-soaked, and vividly told.”—qntm, author of There Is No Antimemetics Division

“This is eco-horror at its most primal and visceral—the various animal narrators make it very clear how horrible humans are, and also show how far the animals are all willing to go to get their revenge. Hawkins pulls no punches . . . Fans of the classic Watership Down who can handle the bloodthirsty vengeance in Josh Malerman’s Pearl (2021) will devour this one.”Booklist



Author

© Heather Hawkins
Scott Hawkins is the author of The Library at Mount Char. He works as a Linux engineer focused on big data. He and his wife live in a woodsy area about an hour north of Atlanta. She keeps a nice garden. He's in his tenth year of failing to remodel the basement. Blacktail is his second novel. View titles by Scott Hawkins
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