Praise for Books
“Ramsey Lewis is a man who has touched all of our lives. Not everybody finds their calling in life as a four-year-old boy sitting at a piano in the living room, but ever since he did he’s filled our lives with music and with joy.” —President Barack Obama
“An intricate sequence of moving, intimate character portraits…The depth and care with which Turnbull inhabits each character is riveting; despite an expansive cast spread over wide terrain, I never felt lost or confused. His attention to location detail is considered and clear: The story shifts from Massachusetts to St. Thomas to Virginia with confident ease, carried by beautiful, conversational prose that’s startlingly punctuated by reminders of who’s narrating the stories—and how…I can appreciate how thorough a grounding Turnbull has given this sprawling first act…Let yourselves sink into this tender, ferocious book like hands into piano keys, or teeth into flesh.” —New York Times
“Will Staples is passionate about wildlife and conservation. Although this book is a fictitious story it is based on sound research and a real understanding of the issues discussed. Animals will help people realize the horrors of global wildlife trafficking—the cruelty, the corruption, and, as we now know from COVID-19, the risk it poses to human health. Thank you, Will, for writing this.” —Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, www.JaneGoodall.org
“A spellbinding tale that masterfully showcases people’s depravity, but also their deep and abiding humanity. Francine Pascal’s view into the human heart, in all its myriad shades, is breathtaking.” —Mia Sheridan, New York Times bestselling author
“Dion Graham’s powerful narration of this beautifully written story…Graham’s voice and tone evoke pathos as he portrays Alfred, whose fate is in limbo. Graham’s storytelling is suspenseful…[and] his evocative performance and fine vocal characterizations make listeners reflect on the 1994 Rwandan genocide.” —AudioFile
“The inspirational story of coauthors Alephonsion Deng and Judy A. Bernstein, who…resolve their initial misunderstandings and develop a lasting friendship while changing each other’s vision and life.” —San Diego Union-Tribune
“This book is a treasure chest of jazz history, and one gets a chance to be a painting on the walls of sorts to some of the most iconic moments in the life and times of the great Ramsey Lewis. Ramsey is true music royalty. A great mentor, family, and friend. His legacy reigns on. Fantastic read.” —Philip Bailey, Grammy-winning lead singer of Earth, Wind & Fire
“This harrowing and lyrical novel combines elements of urban fantasy with biting social commentary.” —Buzzfeed
“This is more than a story about the fate of wildlife—it’s a story about the fate of the earth. As an animal lover, I highly recommend this book.” —Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Pascal knows how to craft short, snappy chapters that leave the reader wanting more, and little Lucy, described as ‘weird’ by most of those who know her, makes an appealingly different heroine.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A riveting saga spanning continents with an important message for our troubled times.” —Vikas Swarup, author of Slumdog Millionaire
“Narrators Dion Graham and Suzie Althens perfectly capture their characters. Fans of Deng and Bernstein’s previous work, the story of the Lost Boys, and of refugees and their incredible courage and willingness to embrace a new culture will find much to ponder.” —Library Journal (starred audio review)
“I discovered Ramsey Lewis’s artistry and his wonderful storytelling ability on the piano when I was fourteen years old. When I met him at the Hampton House in 1962 I also discovered what a most gracious and generous gentleman he was. These qualities emboldened my desire to play music and tell my story with the piano. I am so happy that he now told us his story in words in this fascinating account.” —Monty Alexander, Grammy-nominated, award-winning jazz pianist
“Like Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin before him, Turnbull uses the tools of science fiction to illuminate the human heart.” —John Kessel, Nebula Award–winning author, on The Lesson
“A suspenseful thriller heavily rooted in extensive research into the cruel underworld of global animal trafficking, Animals uses fiction to starkly expose the repercussions of harrowing inhumanity. Intense and gripping to the very last page, Animals is worthy of the highest recommendation.” —Midwest Book Review
“[A] nail-biting thriller…Little Crew of Butchers stands in shocking contrast to Francine Pascal’s previous work as creator of Sweet Valley High…Pascal avoids heavy-handed parables by maintaining a suspenseful pace that culminates in a heartbreaking redemption.” —Shelf Awareness
“A powerful novel about the fragility of life…Beamish tells an extraordinary and important story about a period most readers know nothing about. The twists will shock you, and you’ll need to read this stunning novel with tissues in hand.” —Jennifer S. Brown, author of Modern Girls
“[As] Deng, his brother, Benson, and his cousins, Lino and Benjamin, tried to adjust to life in San Diego…the city’s strange, sometimes threatening inhabitants presented their own challenges…The book brims with stories of the boys’ bumpy adjustment…A memoir that will bring comfort to those enduring similar challenges, the book’s stories will be instructive to those committed to improving the quality of immigrants’ lives.” —Foreword Reviews (starred review)
“Ramsey Lewis was pure class. A role model indeed. He mentored a generation or more of musicians that went on to lead, discover, and create their own brand of music. He had such a distinct sound. As soon as he put his hands on the keys, you felt at ease. The trio recordings are groundbreaking. No one had ever mastered covering current pop songs in an instrumental soul jazz setting and top the charts. They would burst out of the radio and you felt as if you were there in the club, having fun, grooving, a witness to something glorious…Ramsey and Chicago are synonymous.” —Steve Jordan, the Rolling Stones
“The Lesson was a perfect debut, and this is a perfect second novel. Big and bold and ambitious, packed with everything we need right now: more heart, more monsters, more cooperative solidarity economies.” —Sam J. Miller, Nebula Award–winning author of Blackfish City and The Blade Between
“Screenwriter Staples…makes the tragedy of animal trafficking vivid in his impressive debut…Staples skillfully weaves multiple plot strands, including CIA efforts to combat terrorism, with well-developed characters. His extensive research pays off in this moving, multifaceted tale.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Fast-paced, insightful, and disturbingly topical—Francine Pascal’s Little Crew of Butchers is a glimpse into young minds swaying between fear and hope, and how our choices inevitably come back to haunt us.” —Joe Hart, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Last Girl
“In a follow-up to their previous collaboration, They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky (2005), Deng and Bernstein alternate telling the story of their mentoring relationship, narrating the same events from different perspectives, in an eye-opening and richly layered account.” —Booklist
“As a fellow Chicagoan and jazz artist, I am grateful for Gentleman of Jazz because it beautifully brings his life back to us—his family, memories, influences, artistic evolution, rich collaborations, innovative bridge building of jazz, gospel and R & B, as well as his love and passions that inspired a momentous life well lived.” —Ann Hampton Callaway, Tony nominee, Broadway star, and jazz great
“No Gods, No Monsters is a haunting tale of the monsters that live among us, and those who despise them. Through a series of diverse, rich, and beautifully written voices, Turnbull deftly weaves together a story of supernatural beings, otherworldly entities, magic, and quantum physics, superimposed onto the social and political challenges of our mundane world. Throughout, we are forced to dwell not only our own humanity, but question who exactly are the monsters we fear? Once I started this novel I could not put it down. You won’t be able to either.” —P. Djèlí Clark, author of Ring Shout
“Animals is a thrilling and cinematic exploration of the animal-trafficking underworld and its surprisingly far-reaching consequences. Staples expertly weaves together memorable characters from every corner of the globe, whose storylines braid together into a tense page-turner.” —Nicole Perlman, cowriter of Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel
“In Little Crew of Butchers, Francine Pascal tells an unsettling story of four desperate days in the life of a homeless man. As cruelty, love, and violence converge in the final explosive chapters, the truth is all too clear: only we can stop the cycles of inhumanity that plague society.” —Emily Carpenter, author of Until the Day I Die
“A ‘lost boy’ of Sudan and a California housewife forge a bond in this compelling dual memoir…An important reminder of all we share as human beings…This book represents the beginning—or a necessary reset—of an essential dialogue.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Don’t miss this superb memoir filled with fascinating encounters with the likes of Barack Obama, Aretha Franklin, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and scores of other well-known personalities and top music superstars. This captivating book captures Ramsey’s life as a hitmaker, virtuoso jazz pianist, radio and television personality, humanitarian, and so much more.” —Rick Bleiweiss, Grammy-nominated record producer and award-winning, bestselling author
“No Gods, No Monsters is a staggering achievement of literary craftsmanship, a complex juggling act of plot, tension, character interiority, worldbuilding, thought experiment, using trust from the reader as the fuel that pushes the book forward, page by page. It is a piece of narrative alchemy, and I’m in awe, knowing just how much work must’ve gone into this book to make it the piece of art it is. I said it at the top and I’ll say it again: Cadwell Turnbull’s new novel is absolutely worth your time. Go and grab a copy now, and then join me in the waiting line for whatever he’s got coming next, because I know that will be worth it, too.” —Tor.com
“Great stories both engage and inform. They engross readers on an intriguing journey and awake their moral consciousness. Animals more than succeeds on both fronts. Will Staples deftly weaves his complex characters into a haunting thriller set in the underworld of animal trafficking and the result is a profound book that leaves the reader yearning to take action. What better compliment can one pay a novel than it moves your soul?” —Tony Camerino, author of How to Break a Terrorist and Kill or Capture
“A tour de force that explores the savagery of children and the dark side of innocence.” —Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species
“Disturbed in Their Nests is a strikingly original work that opens a broader conversation on the momentous issues of our time: war, conflict, migration, refugees, relocation, and adjustments in new spaces, all in the context of national and global politics wrapped in a fog of confusion. The captivating stories create eyebrow-raising reflections on the nature of suffering, humane obligations to assist one another, sentiments on the weakest members of our collective humanity, the pain and anguish of survival, the redemptive power of fresh imaginations about oneself, shining positive light on otherness, the impactful moral lifeways that define memory, and the clever navigation of the long pathways from localism to cosmopolitanism that speaks to the richness and transformative capacity of social relationships.” —Toyin Falola, author of A Mouth Sweeter Than Salt
“If there was a Mt. Rushmore of Jazz, Ramsey would easily be immortalized in stone. His storytelling, like his music, is elegant, profound and blissful.” —Barry Avrich, director and producer, Oscar Peterson: Black + White
“Turnbull’s prose is captivating, poetic without being pretentious, a pleasure to read…His story has a painful ring of truth to it, despite the fantastic creatures that populate it, and a beautifully layered complexity that makes it difficult to set down. A stunning, enthralling novel.” —New York Journal of Books
“Animals is a thrilling, visceral tale underwritten by the cruel facts and extensive geography of an ongoing global tragedy—the harvesting and trafficking of endangered animal species. Staples expertly weaves the reader into the threats posed by man’s darkest appetites and the desperate, and essentially personal, battles of those that fight the criminal organizations feeding on them. This tightly plotted, fast-paced novel is a timely warning of the moral and physical jeopardy that ultimate loss of this war presents to ‘humanity’ and any legacy it might still aspire to.” —Harry Farthing, author of The Ghost Moths
“Francine Pascal is without comparison.” —Lucinda Berry, bestselling author of When She Returned
“At a time when our immigration and refugee programs are under siege, Disturbed in Their Nests is a welcome breath of reality. The book poignantly chronicles the plight of refugees fleeing their homeland, their struggles adapting to their new country, and their triumphs in becoming New Americans!” —Bob Montgomery, executive director, International Rescue Committee (IRC) San Diego, retired
“The accolades and the audiences agree: Ramsey Lewis was a jazz legend. How lucky we are to have his incredible six-decade career on record and, thanks to this book, recounted through these anecdotes, where his generosity as a musician and a human being shines through.” —Mark Selby, producer, Oscar Peterson: Black + White
“Across a web of storylines, we follow a series of characters ranging from a college professor looking for a missing friend—only to discover a secret society—a werewolf who’s trying to protect her pack from the public, and more. The book makes for excellent commentary on the state of society, as Cadwell Turnbull follows the implications as those supernatural creatures and beings make their existence known to the rest of the world.” —Andrew Liptak, Polygon
“Animals is an evocatively written, high-stakes morality tale on the trafficking of exotic wildlife by gangsters, terrorists, and opportunists. Will Staples has given us a fast-moving, twenty-first century glimpse at a voracious underworld whose greed and hubris are threatening the majesty of nature. This novel is a call to action.” —Jeffrey Fleishman, author of Last Dance and My Detective
“This book is a double story of survival. Alepho Deng was just a boy when he walked across Africa, surviving hunger, thirst, cruelty, and raging war. As this remarkable book begins, Alepho arrives in San Diego and meets Judy Bernstein, an American writer and volunteer, who guides him through the complex terrain of an American city. With Bernstein’s help, Deng is able to survive and even thrive in his new country. Beautifully crafted in their two voices, Disturbed in Their Nests shows what happens when different cultures meet—Dinka and California—and how there are myriad ways for cultural misunderstandings—from food, language, and all the objects of daily living.” —Lucy Rose Fischer, PhD, author of Linked Lives: Adult Daughters and Their Mothers
“Powerhouse contemporary fantasy…an unforgettable experience.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A savage, heartbreaking, and breathtakingly beautiful work that is as thrilling as it is important. Deeply researched and masterfully crafted, Staples pulls back the curtain on the terrifying underworld of global animal trafficking and takes readers on a journey into the heart of human darkness. This is a book that will sweep you up and hold you within its pages until it is done with you.” —Peter Houlahan, author of Norco ’80
“Disturbed in Their Nests offers evidence that all of us are always one decision or moment away from a totally different life. Judy and Alepho’s experiences illustrate how to overcome fear of the unknown and to engage in relationships that foster respect for our common humanity.” —Anita Ayers Henderlight, executive director of Africa Education & Leadership Initiative
“Turnbull’s sophomore work puts him at the top of the field of fantasy literary fiction.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Screenwriter Staples’s first novel provides a kaleidoscopic view of the horrors of African poaching…From the beginning…he excels in creating scene after scene of uncompromising cruelty and sadness. Above all, Staples brings out the beasts in his human cast.” —Kirkus Reviews
“There are basically two opposing ways for citizens of the rich nations to respond to the refugee crisis. One is to cringe in fear, lashing out at the new arrivals, bombarding them with abuse and threats. The other way is to adopt the ancient principles of hospitality, welcoming the victims and learning from them. The writers of Disturbed in Their Nests show that taking this humanitarian option is neither easy nor straightforward; the meeting of two alien cultures can be experienced as a clash and a challenge. However, the fundamental message of the book is that the mutual struggle for understanding by the new and the old bestows profound benefits on both parties. In the end, the virtuous course turns out also to be the most profitable.” —Dr. Philip Cassell, PhD Sociology, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Melbourne, Australia
“An epic, meta, Caribbean-inspired fantasy.” —Booklist (starred review)
“With the encouragement of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Goodall, and other wildlife activists, screenwriter Staples wrote this first novel to reveal the gruesome truths about the trafficking of endangered animals for allegedly medicinal and certainly decadent purposes, a little-known yet catastrophic realm of organized crime. Staples’s gutsy in-the-field research shapes this webby ecothriller and its intriguing characters gone rogue in pursuit of justice…With hard-edge cinematic action and psychological depth, Staples dramatizes with jolting specificity horrific crimes against wondrous, precious animals as cartels and their craven customers ‘cash in on the end of the wild’ and threaten the ‘death of life itself.’ Staples’s gripping and awakening tale should have a resounding impact.” —Booklist
“Apart from its huge and diverse cast of fascinating characters, its passionate consideration of alienation, otherness, and solidarity, and its cheerful disregard of genre borders, No Gods, No Monsters leaves us with only tantalizing notions of where later volumes may lead. That by itself is pretty refreshing: no gods, no formulas.” —Locus
“Animals is one of the most eye-opening books I have read in years…Staples writes a thriller that is both fascinating and educational…It is a book that shows the worst of humanity, as well as giving us hope that there are those out there who are doing all they can on behalf of the animal kingdom. This is an important book that we all need to read.” —Mystery & Suspense
“Beautifully fantastical.” —NPR
“One of the most confident and well-written debuts I’ve read in some time, and its premise is one likely to make far more of an impact than your average thriller…[Staples’s] literary debut…[is] told with a skill, authenticity, and heart exceedingly rare in new authors. Illuminating, haunting, and thrilling, anyone even remotely interested should give Animals a read…The best novels make you really feel something for its characters. Animals not only accomplishes that in spades but makes you feel deeply about real-world issues that affect us all. And that, like the majestic creatures at the heart of the tale, is both tragically rare and well worth celebrating. Highly recommended.” —Strand Magazine
“What makes this book special, what makes it work so damn well, is the way the story is anchored in human complexities…This book is really, really good…Page by page, scene by scene, Turnbull presents an author’s observations of the real world within the framework of fantasy/horror, executed with subtle, brilliant artistry…No Gods, No Monsters is the first in a series which you do not want to miss.” —Lightspeed
“Riveting! This eco-thriller is made all the more terrifying by the research behind the work and just how much of the narrative is based in fact. He sought counsel from the likes of Jane Goodall and Leonardo DiCaprio and feels like this could be the next Blood Diamond, following how animal poaching and trafficking is a global practice, and a bigger global threat.” —Southern Bookseller Review
“Beautifully and compellingly told.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“[A] haunting, impossibly important debut. Marrying three continents worth of research, including hundreds of conversations from those of Jane Goodall to the CIA, with the talent of a big-league screenwriter and video game scriptwriter…Staples has the wheelhouse to produce a cinematic story delving deep into the underground world of global animal trafficking. And this is where he takes us, on a fictional journey with converging storylines, characters and locations that are grounded in fact…It’s a damn good story, and we all get a chance to help write the ending.” —Mountain Times
“No Gods, No Monsters is an enthralling and audacious novel that takes you on a dizzying ride deep inside a hidden world existing just beneath the surface of our everyday reality. You might think you know what kind of monster story this is when you start reading. You might even think you understand what kind of world the story takes place in, but Turnbull has other plans. Page by page, chapter by chapter, the walls, the ceiling, the floor of the reality you thought you found yourself in as a reader, are removed, until you’re falling into the starlit depths of an entirely different, fearsome, and awe-inspiring universe.” —Maria Haskins, writer and reviewer
“The book reads like a page-turning thriller but with the additional benefit of opening your mind to the plight of those who are out there fighting for these precious animals around the globe.” —BookReporter
“No Gods, No Monsters is both elegant and violent: a cutting, clarifying illumination of humanity in all of its magic and monstrosity. It balances narrative complexity with extraordinarily nuanced characters, and remains compulsively readable throughout. This is a story with blood, brains, and, ultimately, heart.” —Isabel Yap, author of Never Have I Ever: Stories
“Animals is not light reading, but the writing is strong and the characters and story believable. It should be required reading for anyone who thinks animal trafficking isn’t serious.” —New York Journal of Books
“It’s such an expertly crafted novel that I’m almost mad about it; it’s smart and intense in the best way. Turnbull pulls no punches here, and the result is something powerful.” —Christina Orlando, Tor.com
“Dion Graham brings his substantial vocal abilities to this suspenseful novel. His narration style—measured yet intense—moves this thriller along dramatically, and he pays close attention to accents, a skill that matters in this series of connected stories set in Hong Kong, Mozambique, Macau, Florida, and Washington, DC. Most importantly, Graham captures the horrors in the trafficking of rare animals.” —AudioFile
“A distinctive urban fantasy novel, Cadwell Turnbull’s No Gods, No Monsters is an operatic story involving monsters, magic, and myth…Its precise language and masterful storytelling make each character’s story compelling and immediate. Difficult magical concepts are also made accessible and engaging through logical explanations that sometimes become scientific. No Gods, No Monsters is a horror and fantasy novel with a sociological bent, in which many secrets wait to be unearthed.” —Foreword Reviews
“Dion Graham is the perfect narrator for this story, giving all of the characters unique voices while expressing awe and terror in just the right moments…This book is perfect for not only aficionados of fantasy and horror, but also for fans of speculative fiction with a social message.” —Library Journal (starred audio review)
“No Gods, No Monsters critically examines what would happen if monsters were introduced to American culture, and it does an amazing job.” —New Orleans Review
“Turnbull’s complex story takes readers across the surface of the earth and into the many dimensions of the mind as his characters carom through a multitude of societies…Even for people not typically drawn to sci-fi or fantasy novels, settling in with this story is well worth it.” —O. Henry magazine
“Turnbull’s second novel, No Gods, No Monsters, the first in a planned trilogy, expands on the complexities of liberation movements as competing factions of magical beings decide the course of the ‘monster’ social justice cause…Indispensable work…No Gods, No Monsters makes room for this more steady-eyed, honest sort of hope.” —Fiction Unbound
“Structurally ambitious, intricately imagined.” —Elizabeth Bear, Hugo Award–winning author
“You’ll stay up all night bingeing this cosmic political thriller about monster factions battling over the past and future of the multiverse. Cadwell Turnbull has created a fascinating world of supernatural conspirators whose goals are sometimes unknowable, and sometimes align perfectly with the mundane, systemic injustices of human life. No Gods, No Monsters is also a moving journey through many families across many worlds—all coping with traumatic loss, but finding new ways to love each other.” —Annalee Newitz, author of The Future of Another Timeline and Autonomous
“Profound and unsettling in the best way…Sharp, insightful social commentary wrapped up in a tale of the uncanny.” —Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award–winning author
“Masterful…Begins with a Black man shot by police, then remarkably remains a human story about identity, even as the killing unleashes something new.” —Chicago Tribune
“No Gods, No Monsters is a thrilling story, set in a world not unlike our own, that follows events in the wake of the discovery that creatures from myth and legend are real. It’s a page turner…an exciting plot, full characters, complex moral dilemmas, mystery, mayhem, with a bit of romance. This science fiction/fantasy story grabs your attention from the beginning. I love the way Turnbull changes the narrative of hate and division that has been written about so many times and makes us ponder the question, Who are the real monsters?” —Keri Cooks, Forbes
“Turnbull is a rising star in the science fiction and fantasy world.” —The Verge
“Magic and monsters roam every corner of this page-turner, but the real star is Cadwell Turnbull’s breathtaking prose. A perfect hymn to otherness and the beauty of the strange, No Gods, No Monsters is so good it reads like music. Simply masterful.” —Sylvain Neuvel, author of the Themis Files, The Test, and A History of What Comes Next
