{"product_id":"the-dissonance-isbn-9780593317259","title":"The Dissonance","description":"\u003cb\u003eONE OF BOOKPAGE'S 10 BEST SCI-FI, FANTASY \u0026amp; HORROR NOVELS OF 2024 • From the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eA Cosmology of Monsters\u003c\/i\u003e (\"I loved it\" —Stephen King) comes an epic contemporary fantasy, a mixture of \u003ci\u003eThe Magicians\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eIt\u003c\/i\u003e: a story of dark magic, terrible mistakes, and second chances.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You can never go home again,\" the saying goes—but Hal, Athena, and Erin have to. In high school, the three were students of the eccentric Professor Marsh, trained in a secret system of magic known as the Dissonance, which is built around harnessing negative emotions: alienation, anger, pain. Then, twenty years ago, something happened that shattered their coven, scattering them across the country, stuck in mundane lives, alone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut now, terrifying signs and portents (not to mention a pointed Facebook invite) have summoned them back to Clegg, Texas. There, their paths will collide with that of Owen, a closeted teenager from Alabama whose aborted cemetery seance with his crush summoned something far worse: a murderous entity whose desperate, driving purpose includes kidnapping Owen to serve as its Renfield. As Owen tries to outwit his new master, and Hal, Athena, and Erin reckon with how the choices they made as teens might connect to the apocalyptic event unfurling over the Lone Star State, shocking alliances form, old and new romances brew, and three unsuccessful adults and one frightened teen are all that stand between reality and oblivion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom one of the boldest, most brilliant voices in modern fantastical horror, \u003ci\u003eThe Dissonance\u003c\/i\u003e is a thrilling and beautifully written story of magic and monsters, forgiveness and friendship.\u003cb\u003eMOST ANTICIPATED: PASTE • GIZMODO • DEEP SOUTH MAGAZINE • LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Stunning. . . . There is an honest grit to Hamill’s writing that makes it perfect for the 2020s. Like fellow Texan Stephen Graham Jones, Hamill has a love of the decrepit side of small-town life where drug addiction, poverty and small-minded cruelty offer their own spin on fantasy and Gothic tropes. . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Dissonance\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable follow-up to one of the best horror debuts in recent memory.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Jef Rouner, \u003ci\u003eDallas Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Shaun Hamill has solidified himself as a master of literary horror, of works that satisfy the spooky requirements of the weird tale while simultaneously providing the grounded pleasures of literary fiction.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Roberto Ontiveros, \u003ci\u003eThe Dallas Morning News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “One of the most ambitious genre books of the year, and we’d expect nothing less from Hamill.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Matthew Jackson, \u003ci\u003ePaste\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A brilliantly rendered tale of friendship, redemption, cosmic horror, and so much heart. \u003ci\u003eThe Dissonance\u003c\/i\u003e cements Hamill as a master world-builder and one of the most exciting voices in fantasy today. I already want to reread this book.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Erin A. Craig, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eHouse of Roots and Ruin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Pure magic. A novel that sparks with wonder, heartbreak, and hope. Wildly endearing and compulsively readable, with an immersive, richly drawn world and vibrant characters you’ll never forget. The truths within—about friendship, about pain, about growing up and making mistakes— are beautiful and absolute. A masterpiece.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eBlack Sheep\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSuch Sharp Teeth\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Dissonance\u003c\/i\u003e packs all the punch of a ‘kids on bikes’ adventure—that is, if instead of bikes, the kids were riding waves of terror conjured by eldritch horrors. Shaun Hamill will make you nostalgically recall your first kiss—and mere pages later, he’ll gift you a demon in a skinsuit puking out its own entrails. And the most messed up part? It works. If you, like me, wish there was an \u003ci\u003eAnimorphs \u003c\/i\u003efor fucked up grown-ups—wish granted.”\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eGennaRose Nethercott, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThistlefoot\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The most impressive magical feat of \u003ci\u003eThe Dissonance\u003c\/i\u003e are the four teen friends and their complicated, cringy, familiar wart-filled relationship, one imbued with enough love to refill your soul. The result is that this wildly imaginative, thrilling, time-hopping, magic and monsters epic feels authentic and lived in. Not sure how Shaun did it. The jerk.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Paul Tremblay, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Cabin at the End of the World\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eA Head Full of Ghosts  \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Shaun Hamill proves there are strange new worlds yet to be explored on the bookshelf. \u003ci\u003eThe Dissonance\u003c\/i\u003e is yet another testament to Hamill's mantel as a master storyteller, blending the terrors and wonders of traumatic magic. You won't read another novel quite like \u003ci\u003eThe Dissonance\u003c\/i\u003e this year, or perhaps ever in this life—or even beyond it.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of \u003ci\u003eWhat Kind of Mother \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eGhost Eaters\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dark and enchanting. . . . Hamill weaves a tale of magic, teen angst, [and] the power of enduring friendship. . . . Fantasy readers won’t want to put this down.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A deeply felt story of loss, love and a chance at redemption, solidifying [Hamill’s] place as one of genre fiction’s brightest rising stars. . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Dissonance\u003c\/i\u003e will hook you with its phantasmagoria of dark imagery, but it will keep you reading because it’s a story about how the shared traumas of our youths can both shape us and save us. It’s fantasy, horror, a coming-of-age journey and so much more.”\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eMatthew Jackson, \u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Exceptional plotting. . . . This is dark academia that takes place in someone’s backyard, sweeping the protagonists into a whirlwind of cosmic horrors and alternate dimensions. It’s also a moving tale of the friendship between believable characters that are rough around the edges. A great pick for fans of Stephen King’s \u003ci\u003eIt\u003c\/i\u003e, only with a more fantastical and angsty edge.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Andrea Dyba, \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A treat for readers whose nostalgia gravitates to the likes of \u003ci\u003eStand by Me\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTwin Peaks\u003c\/i\u003e, or, most thematically, Stephen King’s \u003ci\u003eIt\u003c\/i\u003e. In a similar vein to Chuck Wendig’s Miriam Black novels or Stephen Graham Jones’ Indian Lake trilogy, Hamill takes some ordinary young people and puts them through the metaphysical wringer to see what’s left at the end. . . . A wistful, emotional roller coaster.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHAUN HAMILL \u003c\/b\u003ereceived his BA in English from the University of Texas at Arlington, and his MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His debut novel, \u003ci\u003eA Cosmology of Monsters\u003c\/i\u003e, was published in 2019. His fiction has appeared in \u003ci\u003eCarve\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCome Join Us By the Fire 2\u003c\/i\u003e. His nonfiction has appeared at \u003ci\u003eCrimereads\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTor Nightfire \u003c\/i\u003eand he is a frequent cohost on\u003ci\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Dungeons \u0026amp; Dragons Lorecast\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives and works near Dallas-Fort Worth.","brand":"Pantheon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302133518565,"sku":"NP9780593317259","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593317259.jpg?v=1767739035","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-dissonance-isbn-9780593317259","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}