An illuminated manuscript. These songs, released from their recordings, stand even more vividly as stories: self-contained, richly coloured, extending their private inks into the wider world. -- Patricia Lockwood, author of Will There Ever Be Another You This lovely book is both a beautiful collection of songs and a fascinating guide to the strange work of making art in the world. A bountiful gift from one of our greatest songwriters. -- John Green, author of A Fault In Our Stars [ These] lyrics are brilliant; Darnielle is one of the best songwriters of his generation, and his words are achingly beautiful [ This Year] offers a look into Darnielles inspiration and songwriting process, and the result is even more impressive than one might expect An inspired project thats far better than a typical lyrics collection. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review John Darnielle is the beat lyricist of his generation. And he is one of only two writers the other being Scott Walker whose song lyrics I would want to read in a book. These lyrics are as linguistically concentrated, rhythmically astute, and surprising as any contemporary poem, and Darnielles commentary, itself beautifully written, is a fans dream come true. I have hoped for such a book, but this book is more than I hoped for. -- Shane McCrae, author of New and Collected Hell Praise for Devil House:
Quietly, as if stealing in on cats paws, [ John Darnielle has] become, as a novelist, unignorable His third novel, Devil House, is terrific: confident, creepy, a powerful and soulful page-turner. I had no idea where it was going, in the best possible sense Its never quite the book you think it is. Its better. -- Dwight Garner * The New York Times * Praise for Devil House:
Masterful Often tense, lyrically dazzling, and iced with a thick layer of irreverent affinity for the fringes of pop culture, the result is top-notch storytelling Suspenseful, brilliant, and chaotically addicting, Devil House triumphs as a page-turning metafictional treatise on the power of narratives cloaked in the trappings of a certifiable true crime classic. -- Zack Ruskin * San Francisco Chronicle * Praise for Universal Harvester:
A captivating exploration of the vagaries of memory and inertia in middle America [ Universal Harvester] serves as a stellar encore after the success of [ Darnielles] debut novel, Wolf in White Van Beneath the eerie gauze of this book, I felt an undercurrent of humanity and hope. * The Washington Post * Praise for Universal Harvester:
A slow-burn mystery/thriller whose characters are drawn together by an eerie discovery Darnielle adeptly juggles multiple stories that collide with chaotic consequences somewhere in the middle of nowhere. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review Praise for Wolf in White Van:
A delicately written first novel, poignant and sinister, that probes the creative and destructive potential of the imagination. -- Cameron Woodhead * The Sydney Morning Herald *
