John Hornor Jacobs is an American author, best known for the novel ''Southern Gods'', which began as a rough draft created through the

NaNoWriMo National Novel Writing Month (often shortened to NaNoWriMo ) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that promotes creative writing around the world. Its flagship program is an annual, international creative writing event in which participants att ...

process, and was nominated for a

Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel The Bram Stoker Award for First Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for an author's first horror novel. Winners and nominees References {{Bram Stoker Award Firs ...

in 2011. His 2015 novel ''Foreign Devils'' was nominated for a David Gemmell Award for Fantasy.

Early life

Jacobs was born in

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, where he attended

Little Rock Central High School Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) is an accredited comprehensive education, comprehensive public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, Secondary education in the United States, United States. The school was the Littl ...

''The Incorruptibles''

Published in

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

by Gollancz in 2014, ''The Incorruptibles'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novel by Hornor. It centers on two mercenaries: Shoestring, a half-

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

/human; and Fisk, a human. They are employed to guard a nobleman and his family as they journey along a river by paddleboat. The novel was followed by ''Foreign Devils'' in 2015.

Reception

James Lovegrove James M. H. Lovegrove (born 1965) is a British writer of speculative fiction. Early life Lovegrove was educated at Radley College, Oxfordshire, and was one of the subjects of a 1979 BBC television series, ''Public School''. A follow-up progr ...

, reviewing ''The Incorruptibles'' for the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', commended Jacobs' ability to "blend ... cowboys, the Roman empire and high fantasy". The ''

Arkansas Times ''Arkansas Times'', a weekly alternative newspaper based in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a publication that has circulated more than 40 years, originally as a magazine. Founded as a small magazine on newsprint in 1977 by publisher Alan Leveritt, i ...

'' review praised his "wholly original and deeply imaginative voice". ''The Incorruptibles'' has also been reviewed by the

British Fantasy Society The British Fantasy Society (BFS) was founded in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society, an offshoot of the British Science Fiction Association. The society is dedicated to promoting the best in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres. ...

, ''SFFWorld'', and ''SFBook Reviews''.

Works

* ''Southern Gods'' (2011) * ''Fierce as the Grave: A Quartet of Horror Stories (2011) * ''This Dark Earth'' (Gallery Books, 2012) * ''The Twelve-fingered Boy'' (2013) * ''The Shibboleth'' (2014) * ''The Incorruptibles'' (Gollancz, 2014) * ''The Conformity'' (2015) * ''Foreign Devils'' (2015) * ''Infernal Machines'' (2017) * ''The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky'' (2018) * ''A Lush and Seething Hell'' (2019) * ''Murder Ballads and Other Horrific Tales'' (2020)

References

External links

JohnHornor.com
!--Yes, he shortened it, for unknown reasons.-->, official website
Library holdings of ''The Incorruptibles''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, John Hornor 1971 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American horror writers American science fiction writers Lyon College alumni Living people Writers from Little Rock, Arkansas