A Devil Comes to Town

"There's a lot to savor in this bleakly satirical novel, from the description of an isolated town teeming with writers of varying talents to a unique spin on the idea of devils (as opposed to the devil) sowing chaos in the world. The nested structure nods to both nineteenth-century Gothic tales and postmodern lit-which in and of itself suggests the sensibility of this narrative of diabolical interests and literary ambition."-Tobias Carroll for Words Without Borders

"This nested narrative is an entertaining exploration of the manifold powers-creative, confessional, corrupting-of fiction." -Publisher's Weekly

"Maurensig gives us a masterfully constructed gothic horror story designed to keep aspiring writers up at night. A macabre little Alpine horror story elevated by masterful storytelling and language." -Kirkus Reviews

"Paolo Maurensig has written a playful literary novel that has the prodigious rhythm of a thriller"-Goodreads

"Maurensig highlights the traps in the desire for literary fame and the resultant money...Only a spoilsport would disclose the ending of this moral fable that makes fun of the scribblers of banalities, but also examines evil that is frightening because it is contagious - like the rabies spread by invading foxes whose cries are heard at crucial moments in the narrative. It wouldn't be a Maurensig if the entertaining fable did not have dark seams."-The Sydney Morning Herald

"Maurensig has created a gripping short novel that is critical of the realities of publishing, a hybrid of at least two genres, highly imaginative, and involving even beyond the final page." -Critica Letteraria

"Biblical, oblique, and lying somewhere between thriller, fantasy, and legend, the new novel by Paolo Maurensig, A Devil Comes to Town, is a disturbing reflection in narrative form concerning the darker side of writing." -Il Giornale