Marrowbound: A Novel

by Jared Walz, Liz Schreiter (illustrator)

"It won't come out.”

A man waits for his wife, and someone else arrives in her place. He lets down his guard.
A woman searches for her sister, and finds something unspeakable. It follows her home.
Five researchers, given new space and new funding, claim a monstrous task as their own. They must stop. They open the door.

Know this: these stories are one. If you pull them apart, it will hurt.
And there has been pain enough.

Marrowbound is a decades-spanning puzzle box of epic horror that pitches multiple factions into a struggle for the future of our kind. It will betray your trust, confound your beliefs, and fracture your understanding of what it means to be human.

378 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2025

About the author

Jared Walz is the author of Marrowbound, a standalone horror novel that he began writing as a graduate student in his hometown of Natick, Massachusetts. Now a full-time transplant pharmacist practicing in Milwaukee, he has developed a delicately balanced feeding system for each of his longtime passions so that they do not turn on him and eat him. Another of these is origami, from which he often bears bite marks in the form of paper cuts. His wonderful family consists partially of a mother, a father, two sisters, and a cockapoo. The way to his heart is peanut butter, autumn leaves, and flawlessly recited Kill Bill monologues; fittingly, the way to his Instagram account is @walzkiddo. He is currently writing the first draft of his next novel, which he promises will be longer, darker, and funnier, all at the same time.

Reviews

[George Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brilliantly flawed, wonderfully authentic outbreak thriller that makes up for its somewhat jumbled pacing with overly ambitious sci-fi horror and an absolute masterclass in expository dialogue. A family drama at its core, "Marrowbound: A Novel" is a fresh take on post-COVID media with its unique web of characters and their insidious ideas about scientific progress. Walz is surely one to keep an eye on, both for his next fictional output and also for his potential to release a world-ending pathogen to the masses. Hope he sticks to authorhood!

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful and beautifully written, with characters who are not your classic black and white good versus evil. With a compelling narrative that gives the reader a sense of understanding the perspectives of all who are involved in the storyline, it begs the moral question of who we should be rooting for.
I enjoyed the dive into the ethics of the driving conflict throughout the story and the openness left for the reader to explore their own views on this idea.
Brilliant and realistic written dialogue that brings the reader closer to the characters and makes you truly feel for everyone involved in some regard.
Cannot wait for the next one!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allow Marrowbound’s pages to develop its bright complicated characters to their fullest. Jared’s vivid descriptions of people and places provide the feeling that you are literally standing in the story.

From halfway into the book’s pages until the end, you will enjoy a fast paced, unfolding storyline with well written dialogues and a unique, thought provoking subject. Jared has shared an intriguing story with complex, likable characters who despite their flaws, you root for, even as they upend their lives.

Well written!

[Katarina Merlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jared Walz has such a great voice. He is a great writer and makes vivid characters.