Our site will be undergoing maintenance from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 20. During this time, Bookshop, checkout, and other features will be unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Cookies must be enabled to use this website.
Book Image Not Available Book Image Not Available

See inside

Book details
  • Genre:POETRY
  • SubGenre:Women Authors
  • Language:English
  • Pages:92
  • Paperback ISBN:9798350969481

GRUB

The Misadventures of a Miscreant and His Associates on Alt-Earth

by Kate Boyes

Book Image Not Available Book Image Not Available

See inside

Overview

In the summer of 1946, a rip in the fabric of space altered all life on Earth. Our planet’s timeline was switched with that of a dangerous planet in an alternate universe. Human DNA was affected, allowing people predisposed to becoming ogres, satyrs, vampires, etc. to turn into them. A bratty baby, not welcome on its own world, slipped through the rip before it closed: that child—GRUB—eventually finagled his way into the presidency of the United States. Horror, science fiction, fantasy, humor: GRUB includes all of that, plus enough snark to make a dedicated high school mean girl feel inadequate.


Description
A faux historical note, written in the future (2046), about an event that altered all life on Earth begins the wild romp that is GRUB. From the first sentence of the prologue to the last line of the epilogue, Kate Boyes melds reality and fiction so intricately in poems and notes that readers can be forgiven for feeling deliciously dizzy at times. The event—a rip in the fabric of space in 1946—exposed us to forces beyond our universe. Earth's timeline was switched with that of a very dangerous "Earth" in an alternate universe. Human DNA was altered, allowing those among us predisposed to being ogres, satyrs, ghouls, vampires, etc. to turn into them. A bratty baby, unwelcome on its own world, slipped through the rip before it closed: that child—GRUB—eventually finagled his way into the presidency of the United States. In the world of this book, the only thing remarkable about seeing an interstellar alien and his Medusa-like wife stroll across the White House lawn to greet an ogre, two harpies, and a ghoul is that we, the voters, allowed it to happen. GRUB is political horror writing, but it includes elements of science fiction and fantasy, too, all mixed with biting humor and enough snark to make a dedicated high school mean girl feel inadequate. Although some poems can tear at a reader's heart, Boyes seems to have decided that, in an absurd world where we can choose to either laugh or cry, she prefers to laugh.
About the author

Kate Boyes is a speculative nature writer who focuses on the alternative histories and near-future environments of Earth, Mars, and several choice exoplanets. Her poetry has been published in a number of anthologies, including Climbing Lightly Through Forests (honoring the poetry of Ursula K. Le Guin), Bark & Bone, the Horror Writers Association's Poetry Showcase X, The Poetry Distillery, and Lycanthropicon. Kate's alternative history poem, "Abraham Lincoln Addresses the Nation Before He is Executed by Interstellar Invaders," took first place (short form) in the 2023 Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association's contest. Trapped in the R.A.W., her debut novel, was published by Aqueduct Press.

Book Reviews

to submit a book review