From bestselling horror author, Andrew Najberg, comes his first young adult epic fantasy.
When half of young Connor Brighton’s shadow is stolen, he has three days to venture into the Shadowlands and get it back, or he will lose himself forever. Unfortunately, the Shadowlands is a treacherous place—a disintegrating world run on deceit and betrayal, populated by monsters more terrifying than anything Connor’s imagination could conjure. It is a place of hunger and discomfort where even the sun is little more than a dying coal in the sky and ash falls like snow over petrified forests. However, even as his struggles grow more desperate, Connor also learns there is good in the Shadowlands, friends who will help him, fathers desperate to save their sons, creatures who might be kinder than they look. As his quest takes him deeper into the darkest corners, will his courage hold, or will the weight of the truths he uncovers grind him down?
“Equal parts dark portal fantasy, mystery, and adventure in the vein of Coraline, Tales of Earthsea, and Narnia. Najberg crafts a wonderful coming of age tale that explores the things we lose and gain with age, the burdens and responsibilities we must carry, where the Shadowlands is a metaphor for the murky navigations through adulthood and the lessons it holds: truths, lies, and the in-between. This book brings us on a journey of lessons and teachings through stories, of how to be resilient and remaining hopeful, knowing when to ask for help, and the lessons that we must learn alone. At its heart is a story of injustice, corruption, and the kind hearts that shine through it all.” —Ai Jiang, Nebula, Locus, and Igynte Award finalist and author of LINGHUN and I AM AI
“This book is an absolute delight, bringing back fond memories of reading CS Lewis and Michael Ende, but Najberg does it for the modern age. A YA Fantasy fit for any 2024 Must Read List!” – Cassandra Morgan, award-winning author of Dorothy Claes and the Blood of the Tsar
“A magical, inventive tale about a boy, a strange world and the lengths he’ll go to reconnect with his stolen shadow. This one grabbed me on page one and never let go!” – Steve Stred, 2X Splatterpunk award nominated author of Mastodon and Churn the Soil.
“With echoes of Gaiman’s Coraline, The Neverborn Thief is an inspiring bildungsroman full of heart and imagination that explores that dark world beyond childhood and gives us the hope that even in shadow there must exist light. This will be a dark fantasy to shelve for our children alongside the classics we grew up with.” – Megan Stockton, author of Bluejay and Lovely, Dark, and Deep
