{"title":"Matt Ruff","description":"Matt Ruff is the author of three novels, Fool on the Hill, Sewer, Gas \u0026amp; Electric: The Public Works Trilogy, and Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife, Lisa Gold.","products":[{"product_id":"set-this-house-in-order-a-romance-of-souls-paperback","title":"Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAndy Gage was born in 1965 and murdered not long after by his stepfather. . . . It was no ordinary murder. Though the torture and abuse that killed him were real, Andy Gage's death wasn't. Only his soul actually died, and when it died, it broke in pieces. Then the pieces became souls in their own right, coinheritors of Andy Gage's life. . . . \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Andy deals with the outside world, more than a hundred other souls share an imaginary house inside Andy's head, struggling to maintain an orderly coexistence: Aaron, the father figure; Adam, the mischievous teenager; Jake, the frightened little boy; Aunt Sam, the artist; Seferis, the defender; and Gideon, who wants to get rid of Andy and the others and run things on his own. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAndy's new coworker, Penny Driver, is also a multiple personality, a fact that Penny is only partially aware of. When several of Penny's other souls ask Andy for help, Andy reluctantly agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that threatens to destroy the stability of the house. Now Andy and Penny must work together to uncover a terrible secret that Andy has been keeping . . . from himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAndy Gage was born in 1965 and murdered not long after by his stepfather. . . . It was no ordinary murder. Though the torture and abuse that killed him were real, Andy Gage's death wasn't. Only his soul actually died, and when it died, it broke in pieces. Then the pieces became souls in their own right, coinheritors of Andy Gage's life. . . . \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Andy deals with the outside world, more than a hundred other souls share an imaginary house inside Andy's head, struggling to maintain an orderly coexistence: Aaron, the father figure; Adam, the mischievous teenager; Jake, the frightened little boy; Aunt Sam, the artist; Seferis, the defender; and Gideon, who wants to get rid of Andy and the others and run things on his own. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAndy's new coworker, Penny Driver, is also a multiple personality, a fact that Penny is only partially aware of. When several of Penny's other souls ask Andy for help, Andy reluctantly agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that threatens to destroy the stability of the house. Now Andy and Penny must work together to uncover a terrible secret that Andy has been keeping . . . from himself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51369124921567,"sku":"9780060954857","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/riOd4PjY609780060954857.webp?v=1789139204"},{"product_id":"bad-monkeys-paperback","title":"Bad Monkeys - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Bad Monkeys has wit and imagination by the bucketload. . . . Buy it, read it, memorize then destroy it. There are eyes everywhere.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e --Chris Moore, bestselling author of A Dirty Job and Lamb\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJane Charlotte has been arrested for murder. She tells police that she is a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil; her division is called the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons--“Bad Monkeys” for short. This confession earns Jane a trip to the jail's psychiatric wing, where a doctor attempts to determine whether she is lying, crazy, or playing a different game altogether. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Clever and gripping, full of unexpected twists and turns, teasing existential musings, and captivating prose, Bad Monkeys unfolds at lightning speed, taking readers to another realm of imagination.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJane Charlotte has been arrested for murder. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe says she's a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil. She says she's working with the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons--aka Bad Monkeys.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer confession lands her in the jail's psychiatric wing and earns her countless hours of poking, probing, and questioning by a professional. But is Jane crazy or lying?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOr is she playing a whole different game altogether? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJane Charlotte has been arrested for murder. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe says she's a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil. She says she's working with the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons--aka \"Bad Monkeys.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer confession lands her in the jail's psychiatric wing and earns her countless hours of poking, probing, and questioning by a professional. But is Jane crazy or lying?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOr is she playing a whole different game altogether? \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51369145630943,"sku":"9780061240423","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/Xsp9QqqqcF9780061240423.webp?v=1789139239"},{"product_id":"lovecraft-country-paperback","title":"Lovecraft Country - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow an HBO(R) Series from J.J. Abrams (Executive Producer of Westworld), Misha Green (Creator of Underground) and Jordan Peele (Director of Get Out)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe critically acclaimed cult novelist makes visceral the terrors of life in Jim Crow America and its lingering effects in this brilliant and wondrous work of the imagination that melds 1950s historical fiction, pulp noir, and Lovecraftian horror and fantasy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChicago, 1954. When his father Montrose goes missing, 22-year-old Army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his Uncle George--publisher of The Safe Negro Travel Guide--and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Mr. Braithwhite--heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus's ancestors--they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the cosmic horror tales George devours.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the manor, Atticus discovers his father in chains, held prisoner by a secret society named the Order of the Ancient Dawn--led by Samuel Braithwhite and his son Caleb--which has gathered to orchestrate a ritual that shockingly centers on Atticus. And his one hope of salvation may be the seed of his--and the whole Turner clan's--destruction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA chimerical blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two black families, \u003ci\u003eLovecraft Country\u003c\/i\u003e is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism--the terrifying specter that continues to haunt us today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChicago, 1954. When his father goes missing, twenty-two-year-old army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his uncle George--publisher of \u003cem\u003eThe Safe Negro Travel Guide\u003c\/em\u003e--and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Samuel Braithwhite--heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus's ancestors--they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales George devours.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAtticus discovers his father in chains, held prisoner by a secret cabal, the Order of the Ancient Dawn--led by Braithwhite and his son, Caleb--which has gathered to perform a ritual that shockingly centers on Atticus. And his one hope of salvation may be the seed of his--and the whole Turner clan's destruction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA chimerical blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two black families, \u003cem\u003eLovecraft Country\u003c\/em\u003e is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism--the terrifying specter that still haunts us today.\u003c\/p\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLocus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChicago, 1954. When his father goes missing, twenty-two-year-old army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his uncle George--publisher of \u003cem\u003eThe Safe Negro Travel Guide\u003c\/em\u003e--and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Samuel Braithwhite--heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus's ancestors--they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales George devours.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAtticus discovers his father in chains, held prisoner by a secret cabal, the Order of the Ancient Dawn--led by Braithwhite and his son, Caleb--which has gathered to perform a ritual that shockingly centers on Atticus. And his one hope of salvation may be the seed of his--and the whole Turner clan's destruction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA chimerical blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two black families, \u003cem\u003eLovecraft Country\u003c\/em\u003e is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism--the terrifying specter that still haunts us today.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51369157853407,"sku":"9780062292070","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/EQLbydqNnH9780062292070.webp?v=1789139259"},{"product_id":"the-mirage-paperback","title":"The Mirage - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11\/9\/2001: Christian fundamentalists hijackfour jetliners. They fly two into theTigris \u0026amp; Euphrates World Trade Towersin Baghdad, and a third into the ArabDefense Ministry in Riyadh. The fourthplane, believed to be bound for Mecca, isbrought down by its passengers. The UnitedArab States declares a War on Terror. Arabianand Persian troops invade the EasternSeaboard and establish a Green Zone inWashington, D.C. . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSummer, 2009: Arab Homeland Securityagent Mustafa al Baghdadi interrogatesa captured suicide bomber. The prisonerclaims that the world they are living in isa mirage--in the real world, America is asuperpower, and the Arab states are just acollection of \"backward third-world countries.\"Other captured terrorists have beentelling the same story.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe gangster Saddam Hussein is conductinghis own investigation. And the headof the Senate Intelligence Committee--awar hero named Osama bin Laden--willstop at nothing to hide the truth. As Mustafaand his colleagues venture deeper into theunsettling world of terrorism, politics, andespionage, they are confronted with questionswithout any rational answers, andthe terrifying possibility that their world isnot what it seems.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11\/9\/2001: Christian fundamentalists hijackfour jetliners. They fly two into theTigris \u0026amp; Euphrates World Trade Towersin Baghdad, and a third into the ArabDefense Ministry in Riyadh. The fourthplane, believed to be bound for Mecca, isbrought down by its passengers. The UnitedArab States declares a War on Terror. Arabianand Persian troops invade the EasternSeaboard and establish a Green Zone inWashington, D.C. . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSummer, 2009: Arab Homeland Securityagent Mustafa al Baghdadi interrogatesa captured suicide bomber. The prisonerclaims that the world they are living in isa mirage--in the real world, America is asuperpower, and the Arab states are just acollection of \"backward third-world countries.\"Other captured terrorists have beentelling the same story.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe gangster Saddam Hussein is conductinghis own investigation. And the headof the Senate Intelligence Committee--awar hero named Osama bin Laden--willstop at nothing to hide the truth. As Mustafaand his colleagues venture deeper into theunsettling world of terrorism, politics, andespionage, they are confronted with questionswithout any rational answers, andthe terrifying possibility that their world isnot what it seems.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51369187868895,"sku":"9780061976230","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/392bG2aDOF9780061976230.webp?v=1789139310"},{"product_id":"fool-on-the-hill-paperback","title":"Fool on the Hill - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e Bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eLovecraft Country\u003c\/em\u003e, now an HBO series\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt is a literary event when a genuinely new fictional voice comes along. When that voice achieves its newness not through a certain formal facility but through the freshness of its vision, there is truly something to celebrate. Matt Ruff was only twenty-two when Fool on the Hill was first published, but with his novel he gave us a story that won over readers of every persuasion. Not your usual first effort, Fool on the Hill is a full-blown epic of life and death, good and evil, magic and love. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThink of the imaginative daring of Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale. The zany popism of Tom Robbins's Another Roadside Attraction. The gnomish fantasies of J.R. Tolkien. 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But it will not be a sword that fells the foe but the transforming power of the imagination.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51370076504287,"sku":"9780802135353","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/TdO-82NCXT9780802135353.webp?v=1789150309"},{"product_id":"sewer-gas-electric-paperback","title":"Sewer, Gas \u0026 Electric - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eLovecraft Country\u003c\/i\u003e, now an HBO series.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh above Manhattan android and human steelworkers are constructing a new Tower of Babel for billionaire Harry Gant, as a monument to humanity's power to dream. In the festering sewers below a darker game is afoot: a Wall Street takeover artist has been murdered, and Gant's crusading ex-wife, Joan Fine, has been hired to find out why. The year is 2023, and Ayn Rand has been resurrected and bottled in a hurricane lamp to serve as Joan's assistant; an eco-terrorist named Philo Dufrense travels in a pink-and-green submarine designed by Howard Hughes; a Volkswagen Beetle is possessed by the spirit of Abbey Hoffman; Meisterbrau, a mutant great white shark, is running loose in the sewers beneath Times Square; and a one-armed 181-year-old Civil War veteran joins Joan and Ayn in their quest for the truth. All of whom, and many more besides, are caught up in a vast conspiracy involving Walt Disney, J. Edgar Hoover, and a mob of homicidal robots.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA post-millennial spectacular-dizzyingly readable. -Thomas Pynchon\" A turbocharged neo-Dickensian hot rod [with] plenty of intellectual horsepower.\" -Neal Stephenson\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51370111729887,"sku":"9780802141552","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/lYLNVGgcy29780802141552.webp?v=1789150385"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/matt-ruff.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}