Garrodigh was once a four-headed dragon, among the most powerful in Kardoša. After an unfortunate incident, he now has three heads, one stump, and a daily whirlwind of internal bickering. Centerhead wants to rain death upon all humanity, Bottomhead is like a feral cat, and Upperhead is under the delicate delusion that he is, in fact, human.
When a nearby battle goes awry, Garrodigh sneaks into an elite dragon rider academy, pretending to be tame to get free food and a warm bed. Lucky for him, rider Rania Albright is desperate enough for a dragon of her own that she overlooks his eccentricities.
As Garrodigh recovers under Rania’s care, all three heads start to turn, for the first time, in the same direction. Each wants to protect her from the invaders who killed their fourth head—the same invaders who seek to conquer Kardoša. When the academy comes under attack, can this wild dragon and his wilder rider save their homeland together?
This cozy fantasy intertwines epic battles with loving friendships, sharing an utterly unique perspective on what it means to be a ‘monster.’
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Speculative fiction centered on monstrous perspectives and disability themes gained major award recognition through the acclaimed novel Someone You Can Build a Nest In. Written by American author John Wiswell, this body of work blends unconventional monster protagonists with warm, compassionate storytelling and dark humor.
Born on September 4, 1981, and raised in the Mount Kisco area of New York State, John Wiswell graduated from Bennington College in 2005 and attended the Viable Paradise 17 writing workshop in 2013. His short fiction career launched with stories appearing in prominent venues such as Uncanny Magazine, Tor.com, LeVar Burton Reads, Nature Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Weird Tales, Nightmare Magazine, Cast of Wonders, Podcastle, Escape Pod, Pseudopod, Diabolical Plots, Fireside Magazine, and the No Sleep podcast. His 2020 short story 'Open House on Haunted Hill' won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story, and his novelette 'That Story Isn't The Story' earned a Locus Award. Wiswell's debut novel, Someone You Can Build a Nest In, was released in April 2024 by DAW Books in the United States and Arcadia Books in the United Kingdom, going on to win both the Nebula Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best First Novel. A Hugo Award, World Fantasy Award, and British Fantasy Award finalist, his fiction has been translated into ten languages.
Wiswell, an ace/aro writer who lives in the middle of the woods where New York keeps all its trees, draws directly from his personal experiences as a disabled person with a neuromuscular syndrome. His writing frequently explores disability, chronic pain, bodily vulnerability, and non-normative relationships with a sharp sense of wit. Noticing that healthy people's capacity to complain is often very funny, Wiswell infuses his fiction with warmth, dark comedy, and profound empathy for monstrous figures. His narrative approach subverts conventional horror and fantasy tropes, transforming terrifying entities into complex, relatable protagonists who seek safety, autonomy, and genuine human connection.
