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Valley of Shadows: A Novel Audiobook
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Publisher Description
Winner of the Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction
A visionary neo-Western blend of magical realism, mystery, and horror, Valley of Shadows sheds light on the dark past of injustice, isolation, and suffering along the US-Mexico border.
Solitario Cisneros thought his life was over long ago. He lost his wife, his family, even his country in the late 1870s when the Rio Grande shifted course, stranding the Mexican town of Olvido on the Texas side of the border. He’d made his brooding peace with retiring his gun and badge, hiding out on his ranch, and communing with horses and ghosts. But when a gruesome string of murders and kidnappings ravages the town, pushing its volatile mix of Anglo, Mexican, and Apache settlers to the brink of self-destruction, he feels reluctantly compelled to confront both life, and the much more likely possibility of death, yet again.
As Solitario struggles to overcome not only the evil forces that threaten the town but also his own inner demons, he finds an unlikely source of inspiration and support in Onawa, a gifted and enchanting Apache-Mexican seer who champions his cause, daring him to open his heart and question his destiny.
As we follow Solitario and Onawa into the desert, we join them in facing haunting questions about the human condition that are as relevant today as they were back then: Can we rewrite our own history and shape our own future? What does it mean to belong to a place, or for a place to belong to a people? And, as lonely and defeated as we might feel, are we ever truly alone?
Through luminous prose and soul-searching reflections, Rudy Ruiz transports readers to a distant time and a remote place where the immortal forces of good and evil dance amidst the shadows of magic and mountains.
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“Rudy Ruiz’s Valley of Shadows haunts with its trenchant historical accuracy woven dazzlingly with magical real elements that make this borderland Western horror leap off the page. Indeed, this powerful story wriggled into my heart and gut, like a snake seeking shelter in the scorched desert earth. Unsettling and uplifting, both. Filled with ghosts both literal and metaphorical in a desolate place overflowing with unforgettable characters whose stories are woven by a masterful storyteller, Ruiz’s Valley of Shadows is searing, incisive, and, at times, utterly terrifying.”
— Jennifer Givhan, author of River Woman, River Demon
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“Ruiz’s engaging tale, peppered generously with Spanish words and smoldering with racial tension and classism, is immersive and atmospheric and features an interesting cast of characters with rich backstories. Ruiz deftly combines elements of romance, historical mystery, horror, and magical realism to deliver a richly satisfying adventure.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“Ruiz offers an engrossing blend of historical fiction, ghost story, and mystery…He employs elements of magic realism to haunting effect, and the depictions of human cruelty and injustice are unflinching…This has its rewards.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Ruiz writes with the ache of the lonely and the audacity of the hopeful. His prose is unforgiving and his characters unrelenting. Valley of Shadows contains a sharpness of vision that is exceedingly rare; and through this tale of redemption and rediscovery, Ruiz certifies his voice—as well as his philosophy of togetherness—as a ferociously necessary addition to American letters.”
— James Wade, award-winning author of All Things Left Wild -
“Rudy Ruiz’s imagination is second to none! I knew I’d be up all night as soon as I picked up his latest book. Valley of Shadows does not disappoint. The characters jump off the page, vying to tell their stories—the curse, the love, the loss, the friendships, the historical context, the mystery—compelling us to see through the veil to know their end. Alas, it is over way too soon!”
— Nora de Hoyos Comstock, PhD, founder of Las Comadres Para Las Americas -
“The most gratifying thing about Rudy Ruiz’s latest novel, Valley of Shadows, is the story itself, and Ruiz keeps the reader turning pages until the very end. Ruiz skillfully blends genres, adding elements of Westerns, crime stories, magical realism, and horror to create a world in which anything is possible…A satisfying and unpredictable read.”
— Southern Review of Books
Awards
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A Publishers Weekly Pick of SF, Fantasy & Horror Fiction for Fall
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A Gizmodo Pick of the Month's SFF & Horror Books
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A BuzzFeed Books Pick of Best Fall Books
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A Tor.com Pick of New Horror & Genre-Blending Books of the Month
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A West Virginia Register-Herald Pick of the Week
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A Nerdist Pick of Best Atmospheric Books of Fall
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A Transfer Orbit Pick of Best Books of the Month
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A Locus Magazine Pick of the Week's New Books
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A CrimeReads Pick of Best Horror Fiction Books of 2022
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A Goodreads Pick for Hispanic Heritage Month
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A Texas Highways Magazine Pick to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
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A Deep South Magazine for Fall/Winter Reading
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Longlisted for the Reading the West Book Award
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Winner of the Jesse H. Jones Award for Fiction
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A Los Angeles Times Pick of Novels That Show Where to Find the Real America
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About Rudy Ruiz
Rudy Ruiz is the author of The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez and Valley of Shadows. He is a winner of the Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction, the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction, and multiple International Latino Book Awards. A bilingual native of the US–Mexico border, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Harvard University. Rudy lives and writes in Texas and New England with his wife and children. Visit his website at RudyRuiz.com.
About Gary Tiedemann
January LaVoy, winner of numerous awards for narration, was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She is an American actress best known for her character Noelle Ortiz on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. In addition to working extensively in narration and television, including roles on Law & Order and All My Children, she has worked on and off Broadway as well as in regional theater.