Audition for the Fox
Audition for the Fox
Audition for the Fox
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Description
Description
In this stellar debut fantasy, a trickster Fox god challenges an underachieving acolyte to save herself by saving her own ancestors. But are Nesi and her new friends from the past prepared to defeat the ferocious Wolfhounds of Zemin? "If you love my worlds, you're going to love Cahill's: stunning imagination, daring premises, and deep character dives. A new author to watch."
--N. K. Jemisin, author of the Broken Earth series
[STARRED REVIEW] "A marvelous and heartbreaking tale."
--Library Journal Nesi is desperate to earn the patronage of one of the Ninety-Nine Pillars of Heaven. As a child with godly blood in her, if she cannot earn a divine chaperone, she will never be allowed to leave her temple home. But with ninety-six failed auditions and few options left, Nesi makes a risky prayer to T'sidaan, the Fox of Tricks. In folk tales, the Fox is a lovable prankster. But despite their humor and charm, T'sidaan, and their audition, is no joke. They throw Nesi back in time three hundred years, when her homeland is occupied by the brutal Wolfhounds of Zemin. Now, Nesi must learn a trickster's guile to snatch a fortress from the disgraced and exiled 100th Pillar: The Wolf of the Hunt.
--N. K. Jemisin, author of the Broken Earth series
[STARRED REVIEW] "A marvelous and heartbreaking tale."
--Library Journal Nesi is desperate to earn the patronage of one of the Ninety-Nine Pillars of Heaven. As a child with godly blood in her, if she cannot earn a divine chaperone, she will never be allowed to leave her temple home. But with ninety-six failed auditions and few options left, Nesi makes a risky prayer to T'sidaan, the Fox of Tricks. In folk tales, the Fox is a lovable prankster. But despite their humor and charm, T'sidaan, and their audition, is no joke. They throw Nesi back in time three hundred years, when her homeland is occupied by the brutal Wolfhounds of Zemin. Now, Nesi must learn a trickster's guile to snatch a fortress from the disgraced and exiled 100th Pillar: The Wolf of the Hunt.
About the Author
About the Author
Martin Cahill has published short fiction in venues including Fireside, Reactor, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Shimmer, and Nightmare. Cahill's stories "The Fifth Horseman" and "Godmeat" were respectively nominated for the Ignyte Award and included in The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2019. He was also one of the writers on Batman: The Blind Cut and a contributor to Critical Role: Vox Machina - Stories Untold. Cahill, who works at Erewhon Books, lives just outside New York City.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
Literary Hub's Most Anticipated Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books for the Rest of 2025 "If you love my worlds, you're going to love Cahill's: stunning imagination, daring premises, and deep character dives. A new author to watch."
--N. K. Jemisin, author of the Broken Earth series "A wondrous, time-traveling, shape-shifting fable that was just what I needed to read. I loved traveling with Nesi and growing wiser alongside her. Cahill has a trickster's gift for storytelling and a poet's sorcerous attunement to language."
--Karen Russell, Pulitzer Prize Finalist and author of The Antidote "A triumph, a candle-bright and timely pleasure lit up by gorgeous prose and an exuberant love for the world and for hope."
--Cassandra Khaw, author of The All-Consuming World [STARRED REVIEW] "DEBUT There are 99 Pillars of Heaven in the temple, and Nesi has petitioned 96 of these gods in hopes of finding a patron. When the avatar of the Fox of Tricks winks at her, she chooses not just a patron but a cause she thought was settled history. Her audition throws her back to her people's worst epoch, an era of subjugation and enslavement, whose overthrow gave them the backbone to rise. But history has to be fought for, and someone has to be the spark that incites that rebellion. It's up to Nesi, beaten, starved, broken, and out of her depth and her own time, to be that spark. If she doesn't succeed, she'll never be born, and history will be altered forever. This story considers the nature of courage, the course of history, and what it means to stand up and fight for a better future. It's also a marvelous and heartbreaking tale of a lone warrior for good who learns that she can't succeed alone but that making friends carries its own devastation. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers who enjoy a good time-travel story that explores all the paradoxes and anyone who loves Nghi Vo's "Singing Hills Cycle."
--Library Journal "Nimble, sly, and strange as the title character, Cahill has wrought a fine filigree of a tale--with a bold, uncompromising heart."
--Catherynne Valente, New York Times bestselling author of The Fairyland Series "Fox-fleet and brazen, merry and mischievous, haunted by mercies: Martin Cahill's Audition for the Fox has the trick of doling delight. The language leaps and laughs, teeming with a trickster's teasing. This book made me happy: both while I was reading it, and long after I'd finished."
--C. S. E. Cooney, author of St. Death's Daughter "Tricksy, generous, timely--Audition for the Fox reminds us that we are the sum of the stories we tell ourselves...and stories can change."
--Premee Mohamed, author of The Butcher of the Forest "Nesi has already failed 96 of the 99 possible auditions to become an acolyte for a Pillar--she even failed the test of her own great-grandfather, the Bison. So in desperation, she auditions for the Fox of Tricks, T'sidaan, only to be sent back in time to the beginning of the Zemini occupation of her homeland. Her task? To put the rebellion into motion by somehow undermining the Wolfhound's soldiers and inspiring the prisoners at Outpost Pakaal to act. This charming novella paints a picture of how rebellions can spark: a mix of resisting despair, resisting erasure, and telling the right stories. T'sidaan is an interesting and complex trickster, and the inserted folktales featuring the Fox and their brethren are delightful. Some of the nitty-gritty plot points can get a bit hazy (Nesi breaks her leg yet is up and moving in no time), but readers will forgive the small missteps for the rich world building, witty asides, and determined protagonists. The ending also leaves open the exciting possibility of more Nesi and Fox stories to come."
--Booklist "Come for the trickster god shenanigans, stay for the powerful themes of resistance. A time-bending adventure in a richly imagined world. This book keeps its full heart on display at all times."
--John Wiswell, Nebula Award-winning author of Someone You Can Build a Nest In and Wearing the Lion "Timely and timeless, heartbreaking and inspiring. Hug the pages when you've reached the end. Then light a candle for the fox."
--Lyndsie Manusos, author of From These Dark Abodes "Filled with elegant yet thrilling prose, Audition for the Fox drops you headlong into a fascinating setting where the stakes ramp up until you're turning the pages with bated breath and mourning the moment you will reach the last page and have to leave this world behind."
--Jordan Shiveley, author of Hot Singles In Your Area "Cahill writes with great warmth and heart, and--as in any good book with a fox in--sharply sly trickery set to the best of ends."
--Kat Howard, Alex Award-winning author of An Unkindness of Magicians "Cahill makes his full-length fiction debut with this playful novella, featuring fox gods, time travel, humor, plucky main characters, and so much more. It promises to be an absolute joy."
--Literary Hub "Tricky, sharp, and unexpected, Audition for the Fox is a delight. I can't wait to see where Cahill takes us next!"
--Max Gladstone, co-author of the New York Times-bestseller This is How You Lose the Time War "With intricate and personal worldbuilding, Audition for the Fox juggles time travel, folklore, and resistance with a trickster's deftness. A delight to read!"
--Erin M. Evans, author of Empire of Exiles "Humor and heart...I would absolutely love to read more adventures set in this world."
--The Grimm Librarian
--N. K. Jemisin, author of the Broken Earth series "A wondrous, time-traveling, shape-shifting fable that was just what I needed to read. I loved traveling with Nesi and growing wiser alongside her. Cahill has a trickster's gift for storytelling and a poet's sorcerous attunement to language."
--Karen Russell, Pulitzer Prize Finalist and author of The Antidote "A triumph, a candle-bright and timely pleasure lit up by gorgeous prose and an exuberant love for the world and for hope."
--Cassandra Khaw, author of The All-Consuming World [STARRED REVIEW] "DEBUT There are 99 Pillars of Heaven in the temple, and Nesi has petitioned 96 of these gods in hopes of finding a patron. When the avatar of the Fox of Tricks winks at her, she chooses not just a patron but a cause she thought was settled history. Her audition throws her back to her people's worst epoch, an era of subjugation and enslavement, whose overthrow gave them the backbone to rise. But history has to be fought for, and someone has to be the spark that incites that rebellion. It's up to Nesi, beaten, starved, broken, and out of her depth and her own time, to be that spark. If she doesn't succeed, she'll never be born, and history will be altered forever. This story considers the nature of courage, the course of history, and what it means to stand up and fight for a better future. It's also a marvelous and heartbreaking tale of a lone warrior for good who learns that she can't succeed alone but that making friends carries its own devastation. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers who enjoy a good time-travel story that explores all the paradoxes and anyone who loves Nghi Vo's "Singing Hills Cycle."
--Library Journal "Nimble, sly, and strange as the title character, Cahill has wrought a fine filigree of a tale--with a bold, uncompromising heart."
--Catherynne Valente, New York Times bestselling author of The Fairyland Series "Fox-fleet and brazen, merry and mischievous, haunted by mercies: Martin Cahill's Audition for the Fox has the trick of doling delight. The language leaps and laughs, teeming with a trickster's teasing. This book made me happy: both while I was reading it, and long after I'd finished."
--C. S. E. Cooney, author of St. Death's Daughter "Tricksy, generous, timely--Audition for the Fox reminds us that we are the sum of the stories we tell ourselves...and stories can change."
--Premee Mohamed, author of The Butcher of the Forest "Nesi has already failed 96 of the 99 possible auditions to become an acolyte for a Pillar--she even failed the test of her own great-grandfather, the Bison. So in desperation, she auditions for the Fox of Tricks, T'sidaan, only to be sent back in time to the beginning of the Zemini occupation of her homeland. Her task? To put the rebellion into motion by somehow undermining the Wolfhound's soldiers and inspiring the prisoners at Outpost Pakaal to act. This charming novella paints a picture of how rebellions can spark: a mix of resisting despair, resisting erasure, and telling the right stories. T'sidaan is an interesting and complex trickster, and the inserted folktales featuring the Fox and their brethren are delightful. Some of the nitty-gritty plot points can get a bit hazy (Nesi breaks her leg yet is up and moving in no time), but readers will forgive the small missteps for the rich world building, witty asides, and determined protagonists. The ending also leaves open the exciting possibility of more Nesi and Fox stories to come."
--Booklist "Come for the trickster god shenanigans, stay for the powerful themes of resistance. A time-bending adventure in a richly imagined world. This book keeps its full heart on display at all times."
--John Wiswell, Nebula Award-winning author of Someone You Can Build a Nest In and Wearing the Lion "Timely and timeless, heartbreaking and inspiring. Hug the pages when you've reached the end. Then light a candle for the fox."
--Lyndsie Manusos, author of From These Dark Abodes "Filled with elegant yet thrilling prose, Audition for the Fox drops you headlong into a fascinating setting where the stakes ramp up until you're turning the pages with bated breath and mourning the moment you will reach the last page and have to leave this world behind."
--Jordan Shiveley, author of Hot Singles In Your Area "Cahill writes with great warmth and heart, and--as in any good book with a fox in--sharply sly trickery set to the best of ends."
--Kat Howard, Alex Award-winning author of An Unkindness of Magicians "Cahill makes his full-length fiction debut with this playful novella, featuring fox gods, time travel, humor, plucky main characters, and so much more. It promises to be an absolute joy."
--Literary Hub "Tricky, sharp, and unexpected, Audition for the Fox is a delight. I can't wait to see where Cahill takes us next!"
--Max Gladstone, co-author of the New York Times-bestseller This is How You Lose the Time War "With intricate and personal worldbuilding, Audition for the Fox juggles time travel, folklore, and resistance with a trickster's deftness. A delight to read!"
--Erin M. Evans, author of Empire of Exiles "Humor and heart...I would absolutely love to read more adventures set in this world."
--The Grimm Librarian
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Tachyon Publications
Pub date:
2025-09-16
Length:
192 pages
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