Praise for The Merry Dredgers

“Shipp skillfully skewers the cult qualities of self-actualization programs in this spooky, satirical send-up of a mind and body retreat with a shady side. … The details of the Dredgers’ regimen of new age rituals, which appear all the more absurd for being enacted against a landscape of dilapidated rides and still functioning animatronic goblins, are consistently amusing. Readers who like their weird fiction with a dash of wry humor will eat this up.” ―Publishers Weekly

“A woman’s attempt to avenge her sister leads to a fantastical adventure in Jeremy C. Shipp’s novel The Merry Dredgers. … The Merry Dredgers is a fun, offbeat mystery novel set in an unforgettable location.” ―Eileen Gonzalez, Foreword Reviews

“A story of sibling love, powerful friendship, terrible tragedy, and suspicious cultists, all delivered with Shipp’s signature dreadful whimsy. Do you dare enter the mouth of the goblin? It’ll change you…” ―Alan Baxter, award-winning author of The Gulp and Sallow Bend 

“Immediately intriguing and written in a fun, amusing and quirky tone, The Merry Dredgers brings readers along for a ride not unlike those in the magical, goblin-filled kingdom Seraphina must infiltrate to seek justice for her sister. Shipp’s use of the setting is second to none, making the most of the creepy animatronics, still and fetid waters, dilapidated rides and arcades. Prepare to be entertained in the best possible ways.” ―Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads and Below

“A sharp and self-aware voice brings this wonderfully weird tale to life–full of brilliant visuals and bizarro set pieces, The Merry Dredgers is a work of immeasurable imagination and heart.” ―Premee Mohamed, author of the Beneath the Rising trilogy

“Like Brian Evenson’s Last Days and Will Elliott’s The Pilo Family Circus, The Merry Dredgers immerses the reader in a world of playful dread, grim laughter, and grotesque fun. What sets Shipp’s novel apart, however, is its anxious tenderness. Shipp’s sharp prose forces us to engage with the pain of alienation, the yearning for connection, the risks of intimacy, and the vertigo one suffers in a world in which everyone (and everything) can’t be taken at face value. What a ride!” ―Nicole Cushing, author of Mothwoman and A Sick Gray Laugh

“Whimsical and emotional, The Merry Dredgers is written with Shipp’s signature wit and lyrical prose. Seraphina’s journey into the heart of a mysterious cult has everything you’re craving; suspense, humor, intrigue, goblins, and even a dash of romance.” ―Meg Hafdahl, co-author of The Science of Women in Horror

“Told with the razor-sharp kaleidoscopic eye that only Shipp can deliver, The Merry Dredgers creates an environment that will both perplex but also compel readers to be completely involved.” ―Steve Stred, Splatterpunk-nominated author of Sacrament, Mastodon, and Churn the Soil

Previous Praise

“Jeremy C. Shipp’s boldness, daring, originality, and sheer smarts make them one of the most vital younger writers who have colonized horror literature in the past decade. Shipp’s modernist clarity, plus his willingness to risk damn near everything, put him up at the head of the pack with the very best.” ―Peter Straub

“Shipp’s clear, insistent voice pulls you down into the rabbit hole and doesn’t let go.” ―Jack Ketchum

“I’m convinced Jeremy Shipp is a little bit crazy, in the best possible way. This is one of those books that alters your brain in a way similar to Philip K. Dick.” —Jeff VanderMeer

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