Ashes to Ashes

by Thomas Maltman

Small-town Minnesota teenager Basil “The Brute” Thorson—a shy, reluctant wrestling star and “special” tracked into special education classes—vows to make his family whole again in the wake of multiple tragedies, during a year in which his community is roiled by strange religious and mythological events.

Another perceptive and empathetic novel from the author of Indie Next and All Iowa Reads selection Little Wolves, blending myth, history, and religion with a nuanced look at contemporary rural life, perfect for fans of Marilynne Robinson and Paul Harding.

In the prairie town of Andwhen, Minnesota, a small congregation doesn’t know if they’ve been blessed or cursed when the ashes administered during an Ash Wednesday service won’t wash off. This event leads Basil, a “gentle giant” of a teen, to make a secret vow to save his family through prayer and fasting. His family is in a difficult place, stricken by a recent farming accident and his mother’s decade-long confinement to a state mental hospital. Basil keeps his struggles secret from his two outsider friends, Lukas and Morgan (the three self-identifying as “a gay, a goth, and a giant”). When the trio discovers what may be the centuries-old remains of a Viking explorer in a local meadow, the find brings its own complications, as folk history clashes with the agendas of online racists. Meanwhile, Basil’s unrelenting commitment to his fast erodes the life he thought he knew, and the world around him sharpens with razor-edged clarity.

Ashes to Ashes explores the stories we tell ourselves about our families and our larger histories, blending elements of Norse saga with a fine-grained examination of rural Midwestern life at the start of the pandemic. This is Thomas Maltman’s most ambitious novel yet, mixing forms and eras to reveal the lives and struggles of the teens and adults of Andwhen, Minnesota.

Genres: Adult Fiction, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2025

About the author

I am the oldest of twenty-six cousins and the child of an Air Force pilot. Our family lived everywhere from Lubbock, Texas to Stuttgart Air Force Base in Germany. I learned to love travel and love the stories of these places, their history and lore. These loves would serve me well when it came time to write a novel.

I am married to a Lutheran pastor and live in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. I have three young daughters, who are the center of my life. I am fortunate to be teaching composition and creative writing at Normandale Community College.

Reviews

[Richard Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This started out slowly, but grew into a remarkable story. It is a tale about 3 rag-tag teens living in rural Minnesota in the days before and during the COVID-19 epidemic. They prop each other up in their troubled lives. The story includes finding an old skeleton which may be a Viking woman warrior, a woman divorcing her Sheriff husband. She is also opening a massage business. There are dogs that need homes, ashes from Ash Wednesday that won't go away, and much more. The story moves along, keeping the reader interested.

The characters make the story, the setting provides the backbone of the story and the plot winds its way along bringing an interesting tale forward. The story is very sympathetic to the young people at the heart of the story who are brave and strong beyond their years. I ended up loving it.

[Amber Kingsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashes to Ashes (Thomas Maltman) is an unfeingd and imaginative story that, as a Minnesotan girl myself, I was very eager to start reading. This book is gripping, a prime of life rype novel that blends small-town life, riddled with Norse myth and spiritual mystery. Based in a small rural town in MN, Thomas explores many themes through Basil and his two seemingly misfit friends; faith, friendship, and resilience with unique perspectives. lyrical prose. relatable moments, and empathy. A unique and moving read for those who enjoy literary fiction with a mythic twist. I sincerely hope to see more novels by this author!

[Lisa Percy · Rating 5 out of 5]

MN author and friend, Thomas Maltman, writes with heart, love of small town, rural community, and legend/lore.

[James Hallmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is relatively new, released in July. Not sure why I bought it, but I did. It’s one of those books where nothing “big” happens but the shadowing is such that you feel like something is constantly lurking. You feel something big is going to happen. For example the book begins with Ash Wednesday and how the mark of the cross on their foreheads does not wash off afterward. The members of that church go through the book with that mark and it is integrated throughout the story. (Read the afterward by the author for the origin of this component of the story; kind of entertaining/interesting.) I won’t share beyond that, but it’s an example of the heavy shadowing in this book. At its core the book is a fairly ordinary story of ordinary life in the fictional town of “Andwhen, MN.” (I liked the name of the town.) The story centers around three high school kids, all three of whom are outsiders in some way and they support and love each other deeply (these are sweet relationships). One is a huge kid and suffers from learning disabilities, one is a female goth who is very creative and artistic, and one is a cowboy but also gay, which doesn’t go over well with his dad the sheriff. It is set in the spring of 2020, COVID is lurking in the story but hasn’t hit Andwhen yet (more shadowing). A storm blows over an old tree in a pasture, and the teenagers discover human remains from an earlier era in the roots of the fallen tree (are they Native American? Or early Norse settlers?) Ultimately the three kids put on a festival celebrating the norse/Viking legacy. It’s a well told story and has some elements of mysticism in it, starting with the Ash Wednesday story, but also the frequent interjection of a weird story of Viking explorers coming across the sea (I never got into that side story). Also, there are occasional nightmares and visions that may or may not be tied to any of this. The magical realism was lurking but nothing ever tied it together. Overall, the kids are likeable. Every character is believable and feels real and not contrived. Take away the shadowing and the mysticism and the story is pretty mundane, like a normal spring in Andwhen Minnesota. Not a bad book, not a great one, either.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Maltman's latest novel delivers the nuances of small-town life. Since I taught in a Minnesota rural high school for six years, I know the authenticity of the settings and characters in Ashes to Ashes. Maltman's writing coaxes the pulse of rural matters, including livelihoods, politics, and religion of both the noteworthy and hypocritical. I really admire the angles of his young adult characters, the outsiders who bond with each other from not fitting into their high school.
I commend Maltman for developing a special ed character. The sort of at-risk student who often gets overlooked in public education, if not for the work of sterling people who rescue and support those in need. All of small-town Minnesota is on display in this wonderful novel: the embraced music, a farm accident, and reactions both noble and misguided to interpretations of faith. Within this compelling narrative, the prose is clean and riveting. The plot and voice kept me enticed from start to finish.
I believe the appeal of Ashes to Ashes goes beyond Minnesota and even beyond the Midwest, for it is a marvelous yarn wherever a reader lives, just a great story!

[Andrea George · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ashes to Ashes" by Thomas Maltman, is an original and uniquely written fiction. The plot follows the lives of three diverse teen characters. Basil, Morgan, and Lukas, self-identified as a giant, a goth and a gay. They reside in the prairie town of Andwhen, Minnesota. All are members of a small congregation that attend services on Ash Wednesday. The congregation quickly realize that the ashes they received won't wash off. Is this a curse or a miracle? Each teen has their own cross to bear. They are also thrown into the mystery of a body being located of Lukas' mother's property. Is the body that of a long-ago settler, or that of an ancient Viking woman? The author does an amazing job of developing the characters, plot and setting. There are also several chapters that include the saga of Brynhild Poetta Fragment I - VIII from 1346-1362 AD that intermingles with the current day events nicely.
If you're looking for a unique novel to add to your tbr list, I would recommend "Ashes to Ashes". The book is available on July 15, 2025.

[Casey Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashes to Ashes by Thomas Maltman is a slow-burning literary thriller that blends psychological suspense with emotional depth. The story follows a war veteran and recovering addict caught in a series of mysterious deaths, blurring the lines between reality, trauma, and the supernatural.
Maltman’s writing is lyrical and atmospheric, with complex characters and a moody, almost gothic tone. While the pacing can lag at times and some elements remain intentionally ambiguous, the novel’s emotional weight and originality make it a rewarding read. A gripping story that lingers long after the final page.

[Maren Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maltman weaves a coming of age story of three unlikely good friends into a close observation of small town life on the eve of the pandemic.

[Lizzi Franck Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. I can see how some readers would find it slow, but to me the book feels like it’s more about the characters, which I almost always love.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know that the synopsis was accurate but this was good anyway

[Erica Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

All books are stories, but some books are art. This is one of those.

In the small town of Andwhen, Minnesota, the ash from Ash Wesnesday won’t wash off the members of the congregation. As three teenagers go about their lives during this magical, challenging time, they find the centuries-old remains of a Viking woman with a tale of her own.

This book is told in narrative and in Norse saga. It's lyrical and lovely and atmospheric to its core. I adored the fully developed, sympathic characters.

If you haven't read Thomas Maltman yet, please do it. He's one of my favorites!