The Bone Houses – Emily Llyod-Jones

Little Brown | Paperback | Sept. 29, 2020

So a gravedigger, a mapmaker, and a noble goat walk into an enchanted forest filled with medieval zombies to end a mythical curse… 

In her latest novel, The Bone Houses, Emily Lloyd-Jones has crafted a fairytale steeped in Welsh folklore and that puts a new spin on the zombie narratives we’ve grown accustomed to. Ryn is an ax-wielding, gravedigger who’s desperate to save what’s left of her family home. Ellis is a mapmaker struggling with crippling back pain, yet he’s determined to venture into the mountains surrounding Ryn’s village. Initially, Ryn promises to guide Ellis through the mountains in exchange for some quick coin. But when bone houses begin to rise in hoards and relentlessly attack Ryn’s home, the two set out on a quest to destroy the Otherking’s legendary cauldron of rebirth. While some of the novel’s twists and turns are predictable the dynamic between Ryn and Ellis will keep readers turning page after page. Lloyd skillfully juggles horror, action, and wit while also calling attention to the complicated relationship the living have with the dead—and visa versa.