"Eerie. . . . depict[s] women as artists, cult leaders and lost souls who are often on a path of self-discovery and frequently brush up against the supernatural." --The New York Times Book Review
"The stories are beautifully written, with believable characters in vividly described American settings ... and all are shot through with unease and a streak of strangeness that makes them outstanding."--The Guardian
“Delicious.”--The Los Angeles Times
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Out now from Tin House Books (US) & Dead Ink Books (UK)
Longlisted for The Story Prize
A Southwest Book of the Year (Pima County Public Library)
A Best Horror Book of 2024 (Esquire)
A Best Short Story Collection of 2024 (Electric Literature)
An influencer attempts to derail a viral TV marketing campaign with her violent cult following. A marriage between two ghost hunters is threatened when one of them loses her ability to see spirits. The lives of a famous painter in the twilight of her career and a teenage ufo enthusiast converge when a mysterious glowing orb appears in their small desert town. And a slasher-flick screenwriter looking for inspiration escapes a pack of wild dogs only to find herself locked in an SUV with a strange man beside her.
From the all-too-real horror of a sexual predator on a college campus to a lost sister transformed by cave-dwelling creatures, Lena Valencia’s debut story collection, Mystery Lights, grapples with terrors both familiar and fantastic.
Read an excerpt in Electric Literature's Recommended Reading.
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These are stories full of menace and delight, drawing from that deep well of human complexity, perversity, sincerity, and hope. Mystery Lights is gorgeous.
—Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love
"Lena Valencia writes some of the best stories I’ve read in years, as sharp and finely honed as knives. Here are women who turn out to be powerful enough to meet the threats of their worlds in kind: their lives may cut them, yes, but they can cut back, and astonishing truths are laid bare in the process. Both bold and sly, in turns righteously angry and sinister, Mystery Lights offers a brilliant new vision of what it means to be a woman in this world."
—Clare Beams, author of The Garden
“I’ve loved Lena Valencia’s brilliant, beguiling stories for years and read her debut collection in a single breathless evening. These are stories with teeth, both chilling and bold, about the strength and vulnerability of women and girls. Full of surprising turns, Mystery Lights reminded me of the incredible power of short fiction to speak the truth.”
—Julie Buntin, author of Marlena
“B-movie aesthetics meet the cinematic splendor of the desert in these ten clever, neatly crafted, wryly stylized short stories. Against the backdrop of their desolate and often haunted landscapes, Lena Valencia’s characters vividly come to life.”
—Rachel Lyon, author of Fruit of the Dead
—Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love
"Lena Valencia writes some of the best stories I’ve read in years, as sharp and finely honed as knives. Here are women who turn out to be powerful enough to meet the threats of their worlds in kind: their lives may cut them, yes, but they can cut back, and astonishing truths are laid bare in the process. Both bold and sly, in turns righteously angry and sinister, Mystery Lights offers a brilliant new vision of what it means to be a woman in this world."
—Clare Beams, author of The Garden
“I’ve loved Lena Valencia’s brilliant, beguiling stories for years and read her debut collection in a single breathless evening. These are stories with teeth, both chilling and bold, about the strength and vulnerability of women and girls. Full of surprising turns, Mystery Lights reminded me of the incredible power of short fiction to speak the truth.”
—Julie Buntin, author of Marlena
“B-movie aesthetics meet the cinematic splendor of the desert in these ten clever, neatly crafted, wryly stylized short stories. Against the backdrop of their desolate and often haunted landscapes, Lena Valencia’s characters vividly come to life.”
—Rachel Lyon, author of Fruit of the Dead