A History of Glitter and Blood

Blending a faux-historical recounting with avant garde sensibilities in the form of rapid shifts in tense and perspective, this coming-of-age fantasy is set against the backdrop of a war-torn city where little hope remains. Amid a war fought between gnomes and fairies, Beckan, Scraps, Cricket, and Josha are the only four fairies left in the city of Ferrum. The self-styled pack ekes out a living thanks to prostitution, secure in the knowledge that the war won't touch them more than it already has%E2%80%94until Cricket is killed, eaten by gnomes. They are joined in the search for the remaining pieces of Cricket's body by Rig and Tier, both gnomes, and Piccolo, a "tightroper" who fights for the fairies. Despite the horrors of the adult war being fought around them, they attempt to forge a new pack and try to make sense of the massive changes. The abrupt changes in tense and point of view lend the narrative the chaotic feeling of a fever dream, while the edgier elements of this survival story (prostitution, cannibalism, etc.) feel glossed over. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: John Cusick, Greenhouse Literary Agency. (Aug.)