Short Synopsis
Bone Swans is the infernally whimsical debut collection of five novellas from C. S. E. Cooney.

Full Synopsis
In this debut collection from C. S. E. Cooney, a swan princess hunted for her bones, a broken musician and his silver pipe, and a rat named Maurice bring justice to a town under fell enchantment. A gang of courageous kids confront both a plague-destroyed world and an afterlife infested with clowns but robbed of laughter. In an island city, the murder of a child unites two lovers, but vengeance will part them. Only human sacrifice will save a city trapped in ice and darkness. Gold spun out of straw has a price, but not the one you expect.

"Her narration is clear and her characters are well distinguished. . . . the stories are bold and innovative, and Cooney's narration reflects those qualities." ---AudioFile

"Writing without ostentation and featuring characters who may be flippant, terse, or even tongue-tied, Cooney produces memorable prose propelled by extraordinary ideas . . . Faced with such twisted genius, I'll say no more!" ---Locus Magazine Starred Review

"Cooney’s magical prose elicits laughter even as gruesome scenes induce shudders, and her expert pacing breathlessly buoys the reader to each story’s conclusion." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"In five beautifully crafted stories, Cooney builds imaginary worlds full of flying carpets, fairy-tale characters, and children confronted with a postapocalyptic Earth." ---Library Journal

"Skillfully narrated by the author herself." ---Midwest Book Review

"Read by the author (a narrator, performance poet, and singer-songwriter), the pace is brisk, and the wit, humor, and horror of the collection shine through." ---Library Journal Audio Review

"Professional audiobook narrator Claire Cooney reads her own strange and lovely stories . . . She reads with passion, deep knowledge for her work (natch), and with nice inflections for the various voices. Don’t miss this." ---Locus Magazine Audio Review

Locus Magazine Review

Publishers Weekly Review