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Accelerant
Not yet published
Expected 20 Oct 26From the Printz Honor-winning author of Cope Field
After his best friends are attacked at a Pride demonstration, anime nerd Briar Stokes grabs a length of pipe, dons a Japanese demon mask, and hops on his street bike with one goal: to enact violent revenge against the white supremacists infesting his rural Missouri community.
What he doesn’t know is how deep the roots of hate grow, nor how much they’ve entangled his own family. But when his quest for vengeance pits him against his own stepbrother, who faces radicalization by that same hate group, Briar soon learns the hard way that violence doesn’t stop violence . . . It accelerates it.
After his best friends are attacked at a Pride demonstration, anime nerd Briar Stokes grabs a length of pipe, dons a Japanese demon mask, and hops on his street bike with one goal: to enact violent revenge against the white supremacists infesting his rural Missouri community.
What he doesn’t know is how deep the roots of hate grow, nor how much they’ve entangled his own family. But when his quest for vengeance pits him against his own stepbrother, who faces radicalization by that same hate group, Briar soon learns the hard way that violence doesn’t stop violence . . . It accelerates it.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 20, 2026
About the author
T.L. Simpson
3 books71 followersT.L. Simpson is an award-winning journalist and novelist living in Arkansas. He is currently the editor of his hometown paper. His fiction draws from his experiences growing up in the Ozarks, covering both sports and crime. Simpson lives in the Arkansas River Valley, between the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains with his wife and four children.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 stars
This book is angry, resistant, but most of all, hopeful. Hopeful for a future not so filled with hate.
“Accelerant” by T.L. Simpson tells the story of Briar, a boy who moves back in with his mom after her return from prison. After she went to prison, he lost his closest ally, his step-brother Asher. Asher struggles with addiction while having a father who is also addicted. His family moves from place to place before he ends back up in Advent. There, they move into a neo-Nazi compound where Asher is given one piece of advice: keep his head down and don’t trust anyone.
After Briar’s friends are attacked by the leader of Asher’s new compound, he swears to get revenge on those who have harmed so many. He dons the disguise of Accelerant, a terrifying creature who is scary, but good. As Briar begins to live a double life as himself and Accelerant, he learns that the revenge he seeks may be more harmful than helpful.
This book was an absolute roller coaster and I devoured it in less than 3 hours. I haven’t read any other books by T.L. Simpson, but I will definitely look into more of them.
eARC received from NetGalley
This book is angry, resistant, but most of all, hopeful. Hopeful for a future not so filled with hate.
“Accelerant” by T.L. Simpson tells the story of Briar, a boy who moves back in with his mom after her return from prison. After she went to prison, he lost his closest ally, his step-brother Asher. Asher struggles with addiction while having a father who is also addicted. His family moves from place to place before he ends back up in Advent. There, they move into a neo-Nazi compound where Asher is given one piece of advice: keep his head down and don’t trust anyone.
After Briar’s friends are attacked by the leader of Asher’s new compound, he swears to get revenge on those who have harmed so many. He dons the disguise of Accelerant, a terrifying creature who is scary, but good. As Briar begins to live a double life as himself and Accelerant, he learns that the revenge he seeks may be more harmful than helpful.
This book was an absolute roller coaster and I devoured it in less than 3 hours. I haven’t read any other books by T.L. Simpson, but I will definitely look into more of them.
eARC received from NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
With his third book, T.L. Simpson has upped the game once again. With characters as textured as tree bark and their lives as gritty as Ozark dirt, ACCELERANT launches readers into a clash between far-right extremism, love, abandonment, acceptance, and dependence. Simpson continues to prove that sometimes the most gut-wrenching stories of kith, kin, and chaos are in our own backyard.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This one is for the hate haters
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review to come.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews