Thomas Maltman's essays, poetry, and fiction have been published in
many literary journals. He has an MFA from Minnesota State
University, Mankato and he lives in the Twin Cities. His first
novel, The Night Birds, won several national awards, including an
Alex Award, a Spur Award, and the Friends of American
Writers Literary Award. In 2009 the American Library Association
chose The Night Birds as an "Outstanding Book for the College
Bound."
One of School Library Journal's "Best 2013 Adult Books 4 Teens"
An INDIE NEXT Selection
Praise for Little Wolves
"Here’s one I’ll recommend—Tom Maltman’s written an ambitious
mythic thriller that hums with energy and portent. Set under
brooding prairie skies, Little Wolves has modern psychoses and
generational wickedness, ravening devils and uneasy saints. It
shifts and dodges like wind, and it rings with conviction and
confidence. What more can a reader ask?"
—Leif Enger, author of Peace Like a River
“Satisfying on so many levels . . . heartbreakingly real. This
unpretentious tale of life in rural Minnesota is writing at its
finest.”
—William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestseller and winner of
the Edgar award
“Took my breath away . . . as rich in myth and metaphors as Cormac
McCarthy's The Road.”
—Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“Part allegory, part mystery and pure poetry, layered with Norse
mythology and Anglo Saxon narratives, Maltman's second novel is
dark, redemptive and very beautiful.”
—Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"A dark and penetrating novel."
—Des Moines Register
“So good, you'll forget about icy sidewalks and a dead battery . .
. Magical story, magical writing.”
—Saint Paul Pioneer Press
“At its heart, Little Wolves is a powerful mystery . . . Maltman
combines mythology and small-town claustrophobia to show how the
roots of the violence [are] planted.”
—Christian Science Monitor
"A complicated portrait of a prairie town, a meditation on
violence, a fantasia of myth and folklore, and a knockout murder
mystery, Little Wolves is haunting, at times terrifying, a gothic
cousin to Kent Haruf's Plainsong. I loved this book."
—Benjamin Percy, author of Red Moon
"A work of nuance, craft, and tightly plotted narrative . . .
Little Wolves is a portrait of two individuals seeking solace
through religion and the law, and finding every opportunity
thwarted by that most central tenet of Americana: nostalgia."
—Rain Taxi
"A powerful mix of tragedy, myth, psychological thriller, and
discovery told in a style so engaging that the reader might easily
get caught up in the beauty of the words if the story itself were
not so stunning."
—Library Journal Starred Review
"Layered with literary and mythic allusions . . . A satisfying and
unforgettable read."
—School Library Journal
"A masterwork of fiction. Not just a good book that’s interesting
on multiple levels, but a great book that will stand the test of
time . . . I was completely spellbound. Add to this the mysteries
surrounding the town and characters, and I felt, often, as though I
were reading some contemporary version of Dostoyevsky."
—Peter Geye, author of Safe From The Sea
"Little Wolves weaves the lives of a father, a son, a pastor’s
wife, and a community in this compelling mystery of murder and
secrets. His brilliant use of historical and mythical elements are
combined with everyday life in ways that are hair-raising and true.
Maltman has a gift for framing unforgettable characters. Everything
about this book asks us to examine life more closely."
—Elizabeth Cox, Author of The Slow Moon
"This novel churns with the tension of a building prairie
thunderstorm. Tom Maltman knows that dark truths can be hidden
under open skies, and he knows the secrets of the bloodstained ax
in the barn."
—John Reimringer, author of Vestments
"The poetry of this prose and the suspense of the plot, along with
the intensity of characterization will have many readers comparing
Thomas Maltman to Cormac McCarthy—that greatest of compliments—for
very good reason. This novel is a work of high art by the real
thing."
—Laura Kasischke, author of Space, in Chains and The Life Before
Her Eyes
"Absolutely fantastic. Unnerving, gorgeously written . . . The
writing is haunting.”
—Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You
“Powerful . . . skillfully evoked”
—Publishers Weekly
“Maltman makes his leading characters so sensitive that you
may shudder at the same revelations that so appall them.”
—Kirkus
“Little Wolves is beautifully written, both in the style of prose
and pacing of the narrative.”
—Grand Rapids Herald-Review
“Maltman expertly weaves a narrow thread of mysticism into the
story . . . Thomas Maltman is a master wordsmith and storyteller.
He seasons this story with the perfect amount of every ingredient.
There is literally never a dull moment in this book.”
—Coastal Breeze News
"In gorgeous prose, Maltman conjures both the irrational suspicion
and the heartwarming connections forged in a small town during
times of trauma."
—Booklist
“Little Wolves is reminiscent of Kent Haruf’s Plainsong, but
grittier . . . a great read with loads of literary merit."
—BookSquawk
“Thomas Maltman combines Norse mythology, fairy tales, and other
elements of folklore to create a dark tale of hatred and
deceit.”
—Ted Hertel, Deadly Pleasures
“Saturated with violence, Anglo-Saxon mythology and parochial
pettiness, Maltman's novel is an unsettling work of first-rate
fiction.”
—Shelf-Awareness
“[Maltman] hit the ground running with Night
Birds and has now given us another award-worthy novel . . .
You will be drawn into the intriguing murder plot, of course, but
you will also be captivated by Maltman's lyrical prose, adept
storytelling, and artistic rendering of the moody Midwestern
prairie of the 1980s. Maltman has done for the Midwest what
Steinbeck did for the Salinas Valley.”
—Bev Denor, LaDeDa Book
“Maltman's prose is vivid and evocative, rendering place and event
in striking images . . . This is a novel to be shared and savored,
fiction at its finest, infused with tragedy and truth.”
—Curled Up with a Good Book (blog)
“Little Wolves was a wonderful listen, perfect for these cold moody
winter days.”
—The Guilded Earlobe (blog)
“With Little Wolves, Maltman weaves a beautiful, bewildering cloth
. . . We care enough to circle these stranded questions hours,
days, even weeks after we have closed the book.”
—Flyway (blog)
Praise for The Night Birds
Alex Award Winner
"We all set our sights on the Great American Novel . . . [Thomas
Maltman] comes impressively close to laying his hands on the
grail."
—Madison Smartt Bell, Boston Globe
"Thomas Maltman's debut novel, The Night Birds, soars and sings
like a feathered angel."
—Chicago Sun-Times
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