The Degenerates

‘Richardson creates a world much like ours but filled with dark magic and coincidences of the wildest kinds... a brilliant and transporting debut.’

Margot Livesey, author of The Boy in the Field

‘A buoyant, macabre, subversive love song to the art of storytelling.’

Kate Christensen, author of Welcome Home, Stranger

‘Radiates with vitality...one feels as if its pages are somehow emitting the material of real life.’

Vauhini Vara, author of The Immortal King Rao

‘Inventive and daring...There's something ravenous about Raeden Richardson's voice. It consumes everything in its path to forge an entirely fresh language.’

Sanjena Sathian, author of Gold Diggers

‘Richardson writes like a composer scoring a symphony, with such grace, fluidity, and musical control you almost feel you can see the notes rising off the page.’

Kevin Brockmeier, author of Things That Fall from the Sky

To call The Degenerates ambitious would be a gross understatement. Raeden Richardson contends with nothing less than Buddhist samsara and the nature of existence itself, emulating the distinct surrealism of David Lynch. He pulls out all the stops of language and storytelling, achieving a debut that is as much a sage meditation as a novel.

Robin Hemley, author of Oblivion, An After Autobiography

‘I was rapt as soon as I started reading Raeden Richardson’s The Degenerates. Vivid, vulnerable and voluptuous, The Degenerates is stylish and bold story telling. Profound in its unpredictability and remarkable in scope, you will surely enjoy the ride.’

Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain

‘Outstanding—an epic tale full of vivid characters and told in a unique voice. The Degenerates is sad and funny and beautiful and strange.’

Chris Womersley, author of Ordinary Gods and Monsters