Why read Rust in the Root?

Book cover of Rust in the Root

Book description

The author of the visionary New York Times bestseller Dread Nation returns with another spellbinding historical fantasy set at the crossroads of race and power in America.

It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not.…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Rust in the Root as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Christina Dickinson

Author

This book was basically what I wanted Annihilation to be: creepy, Lovecraftian horror fantasy with characters I actually wanted to root for. I found the magic system extremely unique and believable, and loved the main character's dreams of how to use her power. The historical photos are great and really add to the journal-style narrative. I wasn't expecting to like this book half as much as I did, but it big-time surprised me!

From Christina's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Judith Starkston

Author

Rust in the Root, set in 1937, builds an alternate United States with widespread, highly imaginative magic, using a nuanced blend of mythic traditions from Norse to African.

This fantastical, “far-off” America brings into stark focus the racial injustices that are the poisonous legacy of slavery and its aftermath by showing the separate and unequal treatment of “colored” mages and their magical traditions.

The two main characters, a young queer mage, Laura Ann Langston, and her mentor, the Skylark, must stop the killing of their fellow Black mages inside what is called the Great Ohio Blight.

The magic practiced…

From Judith's 3 favorite reads in 2023.