Ask a Bookseller: 'The God of Endings'

Josh Hames opened his bookstore Other Skies Weird Fiction in West St. Paul in 2022 just in time for Halloween. The store sells high-quality editions of horror, science fiction, and weird fiction. He's since discovered a wonderful community of readers and writers, including his recommendation for Ask a Bookseller this week. Hames recommends local writer Jacqueline Holland, new novel, "The God of Endings." It's an unconventional vampire story, Hames says, that's a "genuinely felt human tale as much as it is inhuman."The story of the vampire protagonist, Anna, spans more than 100 years from 1883 to 1984. Hames was drawn to the way Anna navigates the moral and ethical nature of her strange existence. For an ageless being with a parasitizing existence, every interaction is transitory: mortals will always fade away faster than she does. Jump ahead to 1984, and we find Anna teaching preschoolers at an elite French language school in upstate New York. Teaching allows Anna the close human connection she craves while having a natural ending built in: the students move on to the next grade. (No preschoolers are harmed in this story!)That said, this novel is "definitely horror," says Hames, and Anna is more than capable of flexing her inhuman, vampire side. "She's such a well realized character in that way, where you totally believe that she would be right up there with you know, someone in like a movie like "Lost Boys" or "Near Dark," where they're capable of that kind level of carnage,” he said. Other Skies Weird Fiction will host a conversation with Jacqueline Holland, along with author Tylor James, this Sunday, April 23 at 5 pm.