Rare
​Some songs aren’t meant to exist.
When sixteen-year-old Emma receives a mysterious Beatles record—a cover of The Girl Can’t Help It, a song they never recorded, her life changes in ways she never imagined. Grieving her grandmother’s death and lost in the heavy fog of depression, Emma doesn’t expect much from the strange package. But the moment the needle drops, magic ripples through the world.
Angels shiver. Dragons stir in their hoards. Vampires feel an ancient hunger awaken. The song calls to them all, and it calls to Emma too. For the first time since her grandmother’s death, Emma feels something spark inside her: hope. But magic has a price, and the Dark has heard the song as well.
To protect the record, Emma must venture into the Hidden States of America—a surreal, shadowed version of the country where myth and reality blur. It’s a country shaped by the stories we tell and the secrets we keep, where ordinary towns hide extraordinary truths.
As Emma struggles to carry the song to where it belongs, she’ll have to confront her grief, face her deepest fears, and discover if she has the strength to resist the pull of the Dark.
From Patrick de Moss, the acclaimed author of Kings of Nowhere, comes a darkly magical tale of loss, courage, and the power of music to heal even the deepest wounds. This is a story that explores the fragile beauty of hope and the strength it takes to face the shadows.
Rare is a spellbinding modern fable. Every note of the song of this story echoes with both wonder and danger. Some songs can change the world. Some songs can change you.
Kings of Nowhere
In this collection of darkly magical short stories, Patrick de Moss grounds speculative fantasy in a more psychological, complex world - and does so to stunning effect. In "The Sweet Shepherd" a man incapable of dying and living in Connecticut hires a chauffeur, and comes in close contact with the unmitigated sorrow of loss. In "Like Clockwork" a lonely accountant discovers a man of bronze and brings him back to life, only to see the pain he carries with him from her act of kindness. In "A Strange Boy", Nicholas must decide the fate of a childhood friend - a moment that may in many ways save or end his own life. In each case, de Moss hones in on the small victories and losses of ordinary people trying to survive in a world that only rarely needs them. Reminiscent of the spirit of Charles de Lint and Guillermo Del Toro's "Pan's Labryinth" de Moss' debut is a meditation on isolation as the stories weave together to create a vivid tapestry and a unified, though broken whole. His stories delve deeply into the very nature of what it means to try to be human, exploring our fears, triumphs, tragedies and the heartache that comes along with the reality - and our perceptions of reality - of the gulf that exists between another and ourselves. As thought provoking as it is arresting, "Kings of Nowhere" is a transformative collection, keenly aware of the pulse of life and the desire within us all for a place to feel needed and welcome.
"If you want to read a book that's like nothing you've ever read before...by an incredibly skilled story-teller, "Kings of Nowhere" should be next on your reading list."
Rebekah Ruth, author, "Where the Pink Houses Are"
"Every reading of these stories reveals yet more gems...de Moss deserves to be recognised as one of the truly great contemporary authors."
Jay Howard, author, "New Beginnings"
