The Wood at Midwinter

This short story from the Womens Prize winner (Piranesi) revolves around 19-year-old Merowdis, who can talk to trees and animals, and whose life changes when she steps into the woods one day * i paper, The best new books out in October * Rich in detail and beautiful writing Confirms Clarkes brilliance at storytelling, even in miniature form * Observer * Spellbinding -- Dua Lipa Victoria Sawdon provides winsome black and white illustrations to this elegant story, which has the quiet hush of snowy weather but comes with a bite of frosty other- worldliness that is disquietingly shivery * Daily Mail * Beautiful Its the original form of fantasy with very simple elements and very simply told it seems to be talking about something bigger. I thought it was enchanting in the best sense of the word -- Alan Moore A beautifully crafted and haunting tale that has the same enchanting, immersive and transportive storytelling as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. In this novella, Clarke explores themes of magic, nature, and the passage of time, creating a rich atmosphere that is utterly beguiling With the same Piranesi whimsy and mystery, this is perfect for a cold winters night * Glamour * As beloved fantasy writer Clarke's atmospheric and gently funny fable about the holiness of nature, so gracefully illustrated by Victoria Sawdon, unfurls, Merowdis experiences a transformative encounter. * Booklist * A short fairytale-esque tale that is both poignant and enchanting * Fantasy-Hive * Clarke continues to show her impressive capability to craft a setting in a few sentences Light in plot, heavy in theme, and sprinkled with magic, The Wood at Midwinter offers a perfect way to ready yourself for the incoming autumn season. Be prepared to cosy up and envelop yourself in the snowy woodland alongside Merowdis and her animal friends * nb Magazine * Praise for Susanna Clarke: 'Clarke creates a world beyond our wildest imagination that also tells us something profound about what it is to be human -- Bernardine Evaristo, Women's Prize Chair of Judges 2021 What a world Susanna Clarke conjures into being -- David Mitchell For fans of Clarke, this is a must-buy ... The perfect mid-Autumn read * Anything Goes * A miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling -- Madeline MIller Like Hilary Mantel, Clarke made the very notion of genre seem quaint * Guardian * One of the greatest and most interesting writers of fantasy in the past hundred years or more * Times Literary Supplement * A treasure, washed up upon a forgotten shore, waiting to be discovered -- Erin Morgenstern Purely joyful reading -- Naomi Alderman Utterly compelling bewildering, intense, moving, shocking, combining a haunting fantasy with sharp insight -- Rowan Williams

Susanna Clarke's previous novel Piranesi won the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021, was shortlisted for the Costa Novel of the Year Award and was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. Her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was first published in more than 34 countries and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Guardian First Book Award. It won British Book Awards Newcomer of the Year, the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award in 2005. The Ladies of Grace Adieu, a collection of short stories, some set in the world of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, was published by Bloomsbury in 2006. She lives in Derbyshire.