Bunyan and Henry; Or, the Beautiful Destiny

Reviews

“Bunyan and Henry walks a fine line between timeless and timeliness. [Cecil’s] tale is a searing modern parable about justice.”
—Aaron Brown, Mesabi Tribune

“Mark Cecil is a natural born storyteller. It’s in his DNA. The book is a critique of the American dream, but it also contains optimism, and a notion of what the American Dream could look like for everyone—people who look like Paul Bunyan and people who look like John Henry.”
—Writer’s Bone Podcast

“Cecil pairs the historical traumas of inequality and labor manipulation, Black and white, in a new American folktale.”
—Minnesota Reformer

“Cecil imagines Bunyan as a kind of mythic everyman—a culture hero who, along with his friend, fellow tall tale legend John Henry, sets out on a quest and overcomes a series of uniquely American challenges in order to find himself.”
—Emily Burnham, Bangor Daily News

“With the might of a hammer and the slice of an axe, Bunyan and Henry takes aim at a host of societal blights, from capitalism to climate change, and smashes them all to smithereens. Mark Cecil has crafted an unforgettable cast of characters who will make you shout with joy and rage in anger, and a plot so romping and rollicking you’ll feel like you’re there. This isn’t your typical bedtime fable; it’s packed with searing social commentary delivered in the most delectable way. Cecil’s debut is an undeniably bright light to behold in a world sometimes full of so much dark, inspiring all of us to follow our own beautiful destinies. What a marvel.”
—Mateo Askaripour, New York Times bestselling author of Black Buck 

“A hopeful Twainian nod to brotherhood that puts the fun in profundity, even as it remixes American myth to the most sobering beats of our modern times.”
—Matthew Quick, New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook and We Are the Light

"Cecil has quilted American folklore into a patchwork of courage, tenderness, and generosity of spirit. This is a book unafraid to stare the cruelties of this nation in the eye—and yet remains ever stitched-through with hope."
—GennaRose Nethercott, author of Thistlefoot

"With Bunyan and Henry, Mark Cecil has reinvented and reinvigorated two of America's greatest mythic heroes, setting them loose in a thrilling romp through the pressing concerns of their time and of ours. There's so much heartfelt joy and wonder here, so much true wisdom and pleasure too. A fantastic read."
—Matt Bell, author of Appleseed

"Mark Cecil has just written the next American classic."
—Brendan Slocumb, author of The Violin Conspiracy and Symphony of Secrets

"This fresh, energizing, big-hearted take on the mythic past feels all too relevant to the right now. An American epic that will make you square your jaw, squint your eye, and take a swing at claiming the future."
—Benjamin Percy, author of The Sky Vault

“Mark Cecil takes the Paul Bunyan legend, turns it on its head, and makes it do somersaults.”
—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and With or Without You

“A quintessentially American story that reflects us in all our generosity and grotesqueness, with unflinching honesty and hope.”
—Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us and The Lost Family

“Cecil’s boisterous debut functions as both origin story and revisionist portrayal of American folk heroes Paul Bunyan and John Henry. . . . He also writes with a playful flair for language. . . . There’s plenty of substance to this fun romp.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Cecil’s sprightly debut is an adventure tale set around the late 1800s, but it retools the Paul Bunyan and John Henry myths with an eye on today’s postcapitalist hellscape. . . . The idea of using two idealized American folk characters to show how short the country has fallen is an inspired one.”
—Kirkus Reviews Expand reviews