Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Necessary Monsters | 2017 | Richard A. Kirk | Buy |
| 2 | Tailor of Echoes | 2022 | Richard A. Kirk | Buy |
Richard A. Kirk’s two standalone novels showcase his dual talents as both a writer and an illustrator. Necessary Monsters (2017) is set in a world that never properly recovered from a catastrophic war between magic and science. The story follows Moss and Imogen as they try to piece together their shared past and confront the darkness hiding on Nightjar Island. Kirk illustrated the book himself, and the artwork adds a layer of atmosphere that prose alone would not achieve.
Tailor of Echoes (2022) moves to the City of Steps, an ancient place that is physically transforming. Alleys and staircases appear where none existed before, and a tree is found at the bottom of a canal. A young architect named Adrian Peak investigates the changes and gets tangled up with a secret society called the Curators. Both novels are firmly in the weird fiction tradition, with detailed world-building and an eerie tone throughout.