The Corset & the Jellyfish: A Conundrum of Drabbles

Kirkus 20 SFF Novels That Will Blow Your Mind

[STARRED REVIEW] “Readers will find themselves delighted, intrigued, and often moved by the love, pain, and wonder of these finely written drabbles . . . thoroughly extraordinary.”
—Kirkus

“Bantock (Griffin and Sabine) offers a whimsical collection doubling as a literary puzzle. A color illustration accompanies each of the one-page tales or ‘drabbles,’ beginning with the surreal title story about a woman trying on lingerie in a dressing room, where a jellyfish inexplicably shows up and tattoos a pair of circles on her arm and thigh. Often the stories draw on mythology or poetry. For example, ‘Pangur Ban’ derives from a ninth-century Irish poem about a monk and his cat. In ‘A Cruel Contest,’ a girl offers to bed the first of three brothers who can manage to leap over the guardrail atop a tall building. In a playful introduction, Bantock claims he found the drabbles in a mysterious manuscript that might have been written by a ‘reclusive billionaire’ named Hamilton Hasp (the central figure in his puzzle book The Egyptian Jukebox). Though some readers will likely find the puzzle element a head-scratcher, Bantock’s fans will appreciate his fresh stylistic approach. This beguiles.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A tapestry of exquisite miniatures, the kind of stories you might hear told in one of Calvino’s invisible cities. Microfictions are seldom this inventive or persistently pleasurable.”
—John Coulthart, World Fantasy Award-winning graphic artist, illustrator, author, and designer

“I have always been fascinated by artists who manage to invent imaginary creatures and worlds, and Nick Bantock does it with extreme elegance and a unique freshness of sign, managing to combine cave paintings with Flemish art in a contemporary key.”
—Daniele Serra, three-time winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Artist

“100 Stories. 100 words each. 100% captivating. In The Corset & The Jellyfish, Nick Bantock weaves tales that are wholly fantastical and yet absolutely believable. Talking lampposts, bottled angels, and dancing dice are just a few of the magical characters that you will meet along the way. Accompanied by 100 illustrations that are equally mysterious, be ready for a journey to places far beyond your imagination.”
—Seth Apter, author of The Mixed Media Artist

“The Corset & The Jellyfish recalls a Grimm’s fairytale crossed with a Salvador Dali painting.”
—Literary Review of Canada

“This book is an excellent example of just how powerful so few words can be.”
—The Book Lovers Boudoir

“[Bantock’s] Griffin and Sabine books told entirely through correspondence mesmerized me so I was thrilled to see he had come up with a new, intriguing format. Each drabble is exactly 100 words and is paired with a drawing. It is up to the reader to solve the mystery of how they are connected. How can you not be fascinated by a story that starts, ‘During the night the cat and the clock traded identities.’”
—Musing

“Bantock’s illustrated, epistolary novel Griffin and Sabine was an international sensation. His latest book, The Corset & the Jellyfish, recaptures all of its idiosyncratic charm. . . . Complete with whimsical illustrations, The Corset & the Jellyfish is a unique and magical curio to get lost in.”
—NUVO

• National marketing plan to include prepublication endorsements including targeting reviews and interviews to include NPR, the New York Times, Washington Post, New York Review of Science Fiction, Chicago Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicl
• Author tour to include U.S. and Canadian author appearances and readings
• Online features to include book launch, Instagram tour , blog tour, and author and publisher social media campaign
• Print and digital ARC distribution via Goodreads, NetGalley, and Edelweiss+
• Planned book giveaways on Goodreads, Storygraph, and other online outlets