The Rib from Which I Remake the World

“A smart, deep, black magic carnie noir existential bloodbath” from the acclaimed author of Boon (Gemma Files, Shirley Jackson Award–winning author).   In the shadow of World War II, the barren, dusty streets of Litchfield, Arkansas, are even quieter than usual, leaving hotel detective George “Jojo” Walker with too much time to struggle with his own personal demons.   But everything changes when a traveling picture show comes to town. The film’s purveyors check into the hotel where Jojo works and set up a special midnight screening at the local theater. The curtain rises on a surreal carnival of dark magic and waking nightmares, starring Jojo and the residents of Litchfield, as madness, murder, and mayhem threaten to engulf them all . . .   “A stunner of a story . . . Flat-out brilliant . . . Unfolds like petals of an exotic and scandalous black flower—each one gently opening to give the reader a distressing revelation . . . Powerful ideas, wrapped in a dark mantle of horror.” —My Haunted Library “If you like pulpy noir with a dose of existentialism mixed with some utterly bizarre horror, this book is for you.” —Fangoria “Genre mash-ups like this one are difficult to execute, but Kurtz navigates it deftly, with writing so visceral and evocative it feels less like reading a book and more like watching a film in real time.” —Literary Hub “While it echoes with the shadowy threatening of Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes and the religious dread of Hjortsberg’s Falling Angel, the clearest voice here is Kurtz’s own cry into the existential abyss.” —Bracken MacLeod, author of Mountain Home

Cassidy Faust, Literary Hub

“The Rib From Which I Remake the World begins with the façade of a hard-boiled noir: a grizzled old ex-cop with a complicated past is sucked back into the world of crime when a travelling picture show comes to town. At a special midnight viewing, each member of the audience finds themselves watching a film of their deepest fears. From there, the book takes a sharp turn into a supernatural, rattling along at a breakneck pace until its shocking conclusion. Genre mash-ups like this one are difficult to execute, but Kurtz navigates it deftly, with writing so visceral and evocative it feels less like reading a book and more like watching a film in real time.”

Bracken MacLeod, author of Mountain Home and Stranded

“The Rib From Which I Remake the World isn’t only the best book I’ve read this year, it is Ed Kurtz’s best book yet. While it echoes with the shadowy threatening of Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes and the religious dread of Hjortsberg’s Falling Angel, the clearest voice here is Kurtz’s own cry into the existential abyss. This is a haunting story of seeing through illusion and the terrifying reality of what it means to meet your maker.”

Lee Thomas, Bram Stoker Award and Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The German and Ash Street

“A Wind of Knives dusts off the classic western’s most enduring motifs and gives them a shine. With no lack of gunplay and bloodshed, the book also has heart and intelligence. In short, Kurtz delivers an intense, gritty, and moving story that takes a new look at the Old West.”

Terrence McCauley, author of Sympathy for the Devil, Prohibition, and Slow Burn

“[Nausea is] a gritty, hard-edged tale with just the right amount of feeling, making this one hell of a story. All of Ed’s gifts are on display here: fast pacing, memorable characters and brutal action that aren’t easy to forget, but make for great reading.”

Crimespree Magazine

“Ed Kurtz proved to me that not all horror novels have to be blood and guts and gore. Don’t get me wrong, those elements are in The Rib From Which I Remake the World, but Kurtz balances them with engaging characters and a captivating story.”

Teleread

“Ingenious and disorienting.”

Ginger Nuts of Horror

“The Rib From Which I Remake the World starts out as a smart and literate hardcore noir, before gradually descending into a bleak supernatural nightmare, which explodes in the final act into a maelstrom of violence and horror.”

Unnerving Magazine

“Ed Kurtz writes with a strong voice and imagination befitting the calling. . . . Come one, come all, this show is vivid, textured, colorful and worth the price of admission. It’s fun, strange and quick to engage.”

The Grim Reader

“The Rib From Which I Remake the World is a mix-up of noir and horror that works very, very well, thanks in part to Kurtz’s smooth, easy writing style and some great characters and settings. . . . Kurtz has produced an excellent book, one that I believe will feature in a number of top read lists come the end of the year.”

From the Inside Flap

In a small, rural Arkansas town in the midst of World War II, hotel house detective George “Jojo” Walker wearily maintains the status quo in the wake of personal devastation. That status quo is disrupted when a “hygiene picture” roadshow rolls into town with a controversial program on display and curious motives in mind. What begins with a gruesome and impossible murder soon spirals into hallucinatory waking nightmares for Jojo—nightmares that converge with his reality and dredge up his painful, secret past. Black magic and a terrifying Luciferian carnival boil up to a surreal finale for the town of Litchfield, when truth itself unfurls and Jojo Walker is forced to face his own identity in ways he could never have expected.

From the Back Cover

In a small, rural Arkansas town in the midst of World War II, hotel house detective George “Jojo” Walker wearily maintains the status quo in the wake of personal devastation. That status quo is disrupted when a “hygiene picture” roadshow rolls into town with a controversial program on display and curious motives in mind. What begins with a gruesome and impossible murder soon spirals into hallucinatory waking nightmares for Jojo―nightmares that converge with his reality and dredge up his painful, secret past. Black magic and a terrifying Luciferian carnival boil up to a surreal finale for the town of Litchfield, when truth itself unfurls and Jojo Walker is forced to face his own identity in ways he could never have expected.

About the Author

Ed Kurtz is the author of more than a dozen novels and novellas, including The Rib from Which I Remake the World, Bleed, Nausea, Sawbones, and Boon. His short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, and has been honored with inclusion in both Best American Mystery Stories and Best Gay Stories. Kurtz lives in New England, where he is at work on his next project.

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