Book Series Guide

Author guide

Kelly Link Books in Order

Kelly Link is an American author of speculative fiction and the author of the short-story collections Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners, Pretty Monsters, Get in Trouble, and White Cat, Black Dog, as well as the novel The Book of Love. She is a MacArthur Fellow, co-founder of Small Beer Press, and co-editor of the literary magazine Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet.

fantasyhorrorscience fictionspeculative fictionweird fiction

Catalog record updated .

Kelly Link's Newest Book

Cover of The Book of Love

The Book of Love

novel · First published 2024

Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long been presumed dead. Which, in fact, they are. With them in the room is their previously unremarkable high school music teacher, who seems to know something about their disappearance—and what has brought them back again. Desperate to reclaim their lives, the three agree to the terms of the bargain their music teacher proposes. They will be given a series of magical tasks; while they undertake them, they may return to their families and friends, but they can tell no one where they’ve been. In the end, there will be winners and there will be losers. But their resurrection has attracted the notice of other supernatural figures, all with their own agendas. As Laura, Daniel, and Mo grapple with the pieces of the lives they left behind, and Laura’s sister, Susannah, attempts to reconcile what she remembers with what she fears, these mysterious others begin to arrive, engulfing their community in danger and chaos, and it becomes imperative that the teens solve the mystery of their deaths to avert a looming disaster.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of Magic for Beginners

Magic for Beginners

A landmark short-story collection and an excellent introduction to Link’s fiction.

Cover of The Book of Love

The Book of Love

Her debut novel and a strong entry point for readers who prefer novels.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (1)
  1. The Book of Love

    novel · 2024

    Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long…

Short fiction (6)
  1. Stranger Things Happen

    short-story-collection · 2001

  2. Magic for Beginners

    short-story-collection · 2005

    All-new collection of magical stories from slapstick comedy to Gothic horror.

  3. Pretty Monsters

    short-story-collection · 2008

    Kelly Link has lit up adult literary publishing—and Viking is honored to publish her first YA story collection. Through the lens of Link’s vivid imagination, nothing is what it seems, and everything deserves a second look. From the…

  4. Three Zombie Stories

    short-story-collection · 2011

  5. Get in Trouble

    short-story-collection · 2015

    **SHE HAS BEEN HAILED BY MICHAEL CHABON** as "the most darkly playful voice in American fiction" and by Neil Gaiman as "a national treasure." Now Kelly Link's eagerly awaited new collection--her first for adult readers in a decade--proves…

  6. White Cat, Black Dog

    short-story-collection · 2023

    Seven ingeniously reinvented fairy tales that play out with astonishing consequences in the modern world, from one of today's finest short story writers—MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow Kelly Link, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize…

Other (1)
  1. 4 Stories

    chapbook · 2000

Frequently asked questions about Kelly Link

Who is Kelly Link?

Kelly Link is an American author and editor best known for speculative fiction that blends fantasy, science fiction, horror, and literary fiction. She is also the co-founder of Small Beer Press.

Sources: kellylink.net (opens in a new tab)macfound.org (opens in a new tab)

Where was Kelly Link born, and where did she study?

Kelly Link was born in Miami, Florida. She earned a B.A. from Columbia University in 1991 and an M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1995.

Sources: kellylink.net (opens in a new tab)macfound.org (opens in a new tab)

What influenced Kelly Link’s writing?

Link has said that her parents’ readings of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis helped shape her early love of fantasy, science fiction, and ghost stories. She began writing seriously after completing a story in a college workshop.

Sources: arts.gov (opens in a new tab)magazine.columbia.edu (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Kelly Link won?

Her stories have received Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, James Tiptree Jr., and Locus awards. She was also a 2006 NEA Literature Fellow and a 2018 MacArthur Fellow.

Sources: arts.gov (opens in a new tab)arts.gov (opens in a new tab)macfound.org (opens in a new tab)

Why is Kelly Link considered influential in speculative fiction?

Link is widely recognized for pushing against the boundaries between literary fiction and genre fiction, combining surreal or fantastical elements with emotional realism. Through Small Beer Press, she has also supported distinctive writers and genre-crossing work.

Sources: macfound.org (opens in a new tab)magazine.columbia.edu (opens in a new tab)