The Secrets of a Fire King

“Stunning…[Edwards’s] sinuous prose and endless empathy work their spell…. Radiant, original, and passionate, these are memorable stories.”

--Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever

“The Secrets of a Fire King gives eloquence to their astonishing range of discoveries and leaves the reader entranced.”

--Nina Sonenberg, The New York Times Book Review

“This collection introduces a writer whose name will soon be familiar to lovers of clean, direct, responsible prose and an interest in characters—many of them women—who are unique.  These lives are often exotic; they are electric with risk, violence, and sorrow.  And we will remember them.”

--Frederick Busch

“Impeccable, a treasure…[Kim Edwards] shows herself to be a fully realized writer…. Edwards’s brilliance is evident in the way she constructs a story.”

--Patricia Lear, The Chicago Tribune

“Striking…powerful.”

--Amanda Heller, The Boston Globe

“Ambitions and moving…Edwards writes quietly and intelligently…. Each story here is finely crafted and deeply felt.”

--Jane McCafferty, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“The stories…are infused with a quiet intensity that is bewitching and disturbing.  Edwards’s prose is concise, rich, and poetic.”

--Stephanie Browner, Lexington Herald Leader

“The Secrets of a Fire King is a brilliant collection.  Its range of deeply felt characters alone ought to inspire in a very broad audience the conviction that the short story form is now safely in the nurture of a very gifted and compassionate young master.”

--James A. McPherson

“This collection is rich with subtle wisdom.  Kim Edwards is a penetrating writer and in every story gives us the opportunity to glimpse—and comprehend—the elusive mysteries of love.”

--Joanna Scott

“Kim Edwards has not only a gift for storytelling, but something far more rare—an interesting mind.  I enjoyed her subtle characters, her unusual settings, and the risky and perilous situations that propel these skillful stories.  The Secrets of a Fire King is a remarkable and rewarding first collection.”

--Lynne Sharon Schwartz

“Kim Edwards is a marvel, an enchanter, a weaver of spells…. You’ll be unsettled and disarmed, and when you catch your breath, you’ll remember why you came to love stories in the first place.”

--John Dufresne

“Beautifully focused…[Edwards’s] tales read like the work of a wise traveler who returns home with uncommon souvenirs from other lands.”

--Publishers Weekly