At the Edge of Empire
May 7, 1896. Dusk. A swaggering seventeen-year-old gangster named Zebulon Finch is gunned down on the shores of Lake Michigan. But after mere minutes in the void, he is mysteriously resurrected.
His second life will be nothing like his first.
Zebulon’s new existence begins as a sideshow attraction in a traveling medicine show. From there, he will be poked and prodded by a scientist obsessed with mastering the secrets of death. He will fight in the trenches of World War I. He will run from his nightmares — and from poverty — in Depression-era New York City. And he will become the companion of the most beautiful woman in Hollywood.
Love, hate, hope, and horror — Zebulon finds them. But will he ever find redemption?
Ambitious and heartbreaking, The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Volume One: At the Edge of Empire is the epic saga of what it means to be human in a world so often lacking in humanity.
Daniel Kraus
Daniel Kraus has landed on Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 Books of 2015 (The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch) and has won two Odyssey Awards (for Rottersand Scowler). With Guillermo del Toro, he wrote the bestselling The Shape of Water and Trollhunters (the inspiration for the Netflix series). His novels have been Library Guild selections, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults picks, Parent's Choice Gold Award winners, Bram Stoker finalists, and more. He lives in Chicago.
The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch
The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch consists of two books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.