Club Book Episode 143 Peng Shepherd

Speculative fiction writer Peng Shepherd burst onto the literary scene in 2019 with The Book of M. In this critically acclaimed debut, people all across the globe are mysteriously shedding their shadows – and a few days later, losing their memories as well. Booklist praises the premise as “existential apocalypse that is eerie, dark, and compelling.” The Book of M won Shepherd the coveted Neukom Institute Award for Debut Speculative Fiction. Her anticipated follow-up, The Cartographers, hit shelves in March 2022. It centers around Nell Young, a budding scholar born to renowned map expert Dr. Daniel Young. When her estranged and enigmatic father dies under mysterious circumstances, Nell comes into possession of an old highway map. It looks unremarkable, but harbors fantastical and dangerous secrets. In a rave review, Bookpage says: “The Cartographers is wildly imaginative and totally mind-bending in the best possible way. Shepherd has crafted a juicy mystery masquerading as a grown-up scavenger hunt.”

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