- Format
- Paperback
- Pages
- 324
- ISBN
- 9781951971601
- Price
- $20
- Publication Date
- November 10, 2026
Woodfeast (the Dirty, #2)
Meg Ripley
In Woodfeast, the sequel to Necrology, Meg Ripley weaves revolutionary politics and dark fantasy for a blisteringly timely look at the rights, communities, and power of women.
As war rages between fundamentalist Freemen and the Dirty, practitioners of outlawed magic, nine-year-old Rabbit and her siblings have no idea how to ensure their culture’s survival. They have nine shards of the Woodfeast, a relic with unknown power, and a host of uncertain allies: Jane, a Dirty woman known to the Freemen as their apostate son; the Warrior, a beast formed from wolves; and Hyena, a storm razing the country and insisting that Rabbit must commit murder to be truly free.
To protect Dirt, each other, and the nation, Rabbit and her friends must understand the history of the Freemen—and the women they tried to destroy—before the Freemen can unmake the source of Dirt itself.
Praise for Woodfeast (the Dirty, #2)
“Deeply human dilemmas inform this all too timely exploration of the struggle for right in a world bent against it. Ripley had me from the first page of Woodfeast to the last. This is a marvelous, important work, and the injunction in the afterword to ‘Stay Dirty’ feels exactly right.” —Laird Hunt, author of In the House in the Dark of the Woods
“Woodfeast is really fucking cool. Every page is packed with twists, bloodshed, and mystery. Ripley has created an endlessly fascinating world, and I love the magic system at work here. This is an essential piece of the canon for fans of dark fantasy, alternate histories, and Hudson Valley lore. I love Rabbit!!” —Sam Rebelein, Bram Stoker-nominated author of Galloway’s Gospel
“It felt so current, so raw and so wrong that I was deeply moved by this novel. This is a book you savor, you gasp, you shake, you sweat.” —Christine Harrold, Horror Reader Weekend
“What a gift for the times we are in, and gifted with such a wildly creative, profound, and fearless voice. Ripley’s imagination is singular, her writing a marvel. Words buzz on the page, characters hum and ache in our hearts. The vision we are granted through her inimitable telling—a marriage of the wicked, arcane, and gorgeously human—leads us on a wild, bewitching, and heart-thumping voyage. We are swept along deep rivers of justice under timeless skies of hope and need; grounded by ancient ties of blood and dirt. While Woodfeast stands tall on its own, this is a stunning, eldritch followup to Necrology. I’ll be dreaming to the tune of soil, fur, and bone for a long time.” —Toby Poser, Filmmaker (Mother of Flies, Hellbender)
“Woodfeast is an utterly unique horror reading experience and a formidable follow-up to Necrology. Fans of the first book and new readers to the duology will be enthralled by the harrowing conclusion of Rabbit’s story.” —Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, author of The Mean Ones
“Doubling down on the uniqueness of Necrology, Ripley’s conclusion is somehow more violent, more political, and packed to the brim with lore.” —Alex Gonzalez, author of rekt
