Thistlefoot

A Novel

By: GennaRose Nethercott

Narrated by: January LaVoy

In the tradition of modern fairy tales like Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver comes an immersive fantasy saga, a debut novel about estranged siblings who are reunited after receiving a mysterious inheritance.

“A wonderfully imaginative, wholly enchanting novel of witness, survival, memory, and family that reads like a fairy tale godfathered by Tim Burton in a wild America alive with wonders and devils alike. Thistlefoot shimmers with magic and mayhem and a thrilling emotional momentum.” —Libba Bray, bestselling author of The Diviners

The Yaga siblings—Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist—have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to receive an inheritance, the siblings agree to meet—only to discover that their bequest isn’t land or money, but something far stranger: a sentient house on chicken legs.

Thistlefoot, as the house is called, has arrived from the Yagas’ ancestral home outside Kyiv—but not alone. A sinister figure known only as the Longshadow Man has tracked it to American shores, bearing with him violent secrets from the past: fiery memories that have hidden in Isaac and Bellatine’s blood for generations. As the Yaga siblings embark with Thistlefoot on a final cross-country tour of their family’s traveling theater show, the Longshadow Man follows in relentless pursuit, seeding destruction in his wake. Ultimately, time, magic, and legacy must collide—erupting in a powerful conflagration to determine who gets to remember the past and craft a new future.

An enchanted adventure illuminated by Jewish myth and adorned with lyrical prose as tantalizing and sweet as briar berries, Thistlefoot is a sweeping epic rich in Eastern European folklore: a powerful and poignant exploration of healing from multi-generational trauma told by a bold new talent.

This may be some of the best prose I've ever read

The only downside of this audiobook is that I couldn't highlight all the really amazing passages as I went. There are so many quotes from this book that just emotionally gutted me. I want the prologue read at my funeral - just so I can force everyone I love to hear it.

Wonderful storytelling

I really enjoyed this book. The mixing of modern day adventure with history, and folktale was enchanting. The story is heartbreakingly human, and the characters quite relatable. I especially liked how Magic was used and accepted in this world that was very much like our own, but the author didn’t spend massive amounts of time explaining it or giving it rules. It just was. It meant more time was spent telling the story, just like in real folktales. “Once upon a time there was a house with chicken legs” rather than step by step here’s the how, why, and proof. It allows the reader to just accept, much as we could when we were children. Highly recommended.

Baba Yaga story transplanted

This peculiar replanting of Baba Yaga and her Hut into the Jewish folklore tradition does make for a peculiar story. I suppose if you don't know the original, it doesn't matter to you anyhow. The story is ...interesting.

Incredible narration!!

January LaVoy’s voice acting made this story for me. It’s an incredible story and was so clearly communicated and played. Bravo!!

A fairytale to remember

Once I suspended logic, this tale took on a life of its own. The message is an important one to be remembered!