Dryad

by Chris Howard

An urban fantasy with a dystopian feel...Theodora Vearin has a way with forests, blossoms, creeping vines, composting, paranoia, and sudden death. She sees deception in every shadow, a trap in every word. She knows the universe has always been someone else’s manipulative game, but when she makes a promise to save the life of a childhood friend, it becomes a promise she cannot break without breaking her view of the world.

Setting & post-ascension Earth, symbiotic demons, weaponized silverware, seeking the heart of the World Forest, with a little help from my friends, the confusing lives of mangrove trees, curious river witches

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy

403 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2024

About the author

Chris Howard is just a creative human with a pen and a paint brush, author of Seaborn (Juno Books, 2008), Salvage (Prime Books, 2013), Saltwater Witch (Lykeion, 2005), and a shelf-full of other books. My short stories and essays have appeared in various magazines and anthologies, including “Lost Dogs and Fireplace Archeology” in Fantasy Magazine and “How to Build Worlds Without Becoming the Minister for Tourism” in Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (Penguin, 2014). My story “The Mermaid Game” appeared in the Paula Guran edited anthology Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep (Prime, 2015), and “Hammers and Snails” was the Robert A. Heinlein Centennial Short Fiction Contest winner. I wrote and illustrated the comics Saltwater Witch and Salvage. My art has appeared on dozens of book covers, art cards, interior illustrations for publishers, authors, and Kickstarter projects. You can also find my art in Shimmer, BuzzyMag, various tabletop RPGs, and on the pages of books, blogs, and other interesting places.

Find out everything here: http://www.SaltwaterWitch.com

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Reviews

[voodoocactus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was completely at sea from page one and it was delightful! This reminded me a lot of how Ninefox Gambit just takes the reader and yeets them right into it, no explanations. I’m so very fond of that.

In the distant(?) future, the majority of Earth’s population has moved into giant spheres to sleep/hibernate for forever(?)—an event also known as the Vanishing—and the people who are left are part plant/mecha/weirdness constructions (WILD!!). Nature is sentient and gods walk among the populace, and in the middle of it all, Theo has to keep herself and her friend safe and alive from the things that hunt them while figuring out what the fuck to do with whatever that’s slowly trying to highjack their bodies. In the process, she meets new people and makes friends (the horror), and ends up saving the world.

I absolutely loved the worldbuilding and the lore woven into it. I loved Theo’s POV and her gradual growth, the friendships and other relationships. I loved how this was “a chosen one” story without being obviously a chosen one story. Loved the ending, loved how I’m left with SO MANY QUESTIONS about the world they live in. This is hands down one of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read and I’ll definitely check out other books by this author.