Synopsis
A twisting and apocalyptic dark fantasy novel, Blacktail is the long-awaited second novel from Scott Hawkins, the critically acclaimed author of The Library at Mount Char.
Who does your dog pray to?
Blacktail, a half-breed wolf, knows only the language of the hunt. When men kill his mate and unborn pups, he answers with total slaughter. In his violence, Blacktail draws the gaze of an ancient and terrible feline witch. She sets him on a path south – to wake the sleeping Forest God and end the plague of humankind.
As Blacktail journeys farther from his wild home and deeper into the world of man, he encounters strangers – animal, mortal, and otherworldly – who want to help him rid the world of humans. From the blood-slicked wilderness to a burning confrontation with Archangels, this is a feral odyssey of vengeance – brutal, heartbreaking and unlike anything else in fiction.
The Forest God sleeps. But what will be the price of waking him?
* * *
Praise for Scott Hawkins:
‘Utterly resistant to categorization’ – V. E. Schwab, author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
‘Sprawling, epic . . . Unputdownable’ – Cory Doctorow, author of Walkaway
‘Funny, horrifying and original’ – Jason Pargin, author of John Dies at the End
‘Extravagant, beautifully imagined’ – Booklist
Details
03 September 2026
9781037417184Reviews
Blacktail is a journey through a universe simultaneously surreal and familiar, a tale that will leave claw marks on your brain that won't quickly fade. You simply won't read another book like it
A tale of lupine vengeance – at first – whose stakes escalate to degrees I never saw coming. Unexpected, blood-soaked and vividly told
Wholly original . . . the work of the newest major talent in fantasy
An extravagant, beautifully imagined fantasy about a universe that is both familiar and unfamiliar . . . Hawkins makes nary a misstep in this award-worthy effort of imagination. You won’t be able to put it down.
