City of Saints and Madmen

by Jeff VanderMeer

Published 1 September 2001

Once upon a time, on the banks of the River Moth, a city sprang up like no other in or out of history. Founded on the blood of the original inhabitants after the defeat of the stealthy grey caps, and steeped for centuries in the aftermath of that struggle, Ambergris has become a cruelly beautiful metropolis -- a haven for artists and thieves, for composers and murderers. For anyone privileged to venture there, the name Ambergris conjures up one of the great and unforgettably fantastic cities of contemporary literature.

Readers worldwide have become increasingly beguiled by Jeff VanderMeer's strange and ancient metropolis. And for those who have once visited this uniquely complex and comprehensive society, it will remain forever a favourite haunt -- a bustling, grotesque, magnificent, brilliantly realized community full of shocking and beautiful revelations.

City of Saints & Madmen collects all of the Ambergris novellas (including the World Fantasy Award winner 'The Transformation of Martin Lake').