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The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson
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The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World

$28.34

Available for pre-order
July 29, 2025

Length TBA
Language English
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The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World is a powerful and poignant contemporary Queer fantasy perfect for fans of Hadestown and Under the Whispering Door

At the edge of Chicago, nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, there is a waystation for the dead. Every night, the newly-departed travel through the city to the Station, guided by its lighthouse. There, they reckon with their lives, before stepping aboard a boat to go beyond.

Nera has spent decades watching her father—the ferryman of the dead—sail across the lake, each night just like the last.

But tonight, something is wrong.

The Station's lighthouse has started to flicker out. The terrifying, ghostly Haunts have multiplied in the city. And now a person—a living person—has found her way onto the boat.

Her name is Charlie. She followed a song. And she is searching for someone she lost.

J.R. Dawson (she/they) is the Golden Crown award-winning author of The First Bright Thing. Her shorter works can be found in places such as F&SF, Lightspeed, and Rich Horton's Year's Best. Dawson currently lives in Minnesota with her loving wife. She teaches at Drexel University's MFA program for Creative Writing, and fills her free time with keeping her three chaotic dogs out of trouble.

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Audiobook details

Author:

ISBN:
9781250402271

Length:
TBA

Language:
English

Publisher:
Macmillan Audio

Publication date:

Edition:
Unabridged

Libro.fm rank:
#36,291 Overall

Genre rank:
#4,739 in Fantasy

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Limited-time offer

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Reviews

"Gorgeous, lyrical, heartfelt, and true in all the ways that matter! This is an achingly beautiful book that is as much about life as it is about death. Haunting and healing and highly recommended!"—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop

“In the deft hands of J.R. Dawson, death is merely a transition point. The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World is a poignant story of love and grief, memory and myth, and what it truly means to be alive.”—Rita Woods, award-winning author of The Edge of Yesterday

Praise for J.R. Dawson's The First Bright Thing:

"Compelling and brilliant, and made me cry on a public street."—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart A Doorway

"A celebration of artistry and wonder as essential talismans we wield against despair."—Travis Baldree, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Legends & Lattes

The First Bright Thing is a genre-bending and wholly absorbing tale that will envelop readers in its exploration of light and dark.”—B&N Reads

“Charming, effervescent, and emotional, the book is a page-turner.”—Locus

"A masterpiece of the fantastical and the human."—Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light

“Mesmerizing and magical.”—Rowenna Miller, author of the Unraveled Kingdom series

"Dawson mashes up history, fantasy, and the magic of the circus in an emotionally immersive, character-driven story."—Library Journal, STARRED review

"Richly imagined and vividly depicted."—Sarah Pinsker, award-winning author of We Are Satellites

"A wonderful tale of hope and heart and perseverance."—Rita Woods, author of Remembrance and The Last Dreamwalker

"Fans of gentle, uplifting speculative fiction will find much to enjoy in this heartfelt celebration of difference.”—Publishers Weekly

“Pure magic. It’s a story of healing and becoming and truth, of finding our broken pieces and fitting them back together.”—Liz Parker, author of In the Shadow Garden

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