The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Volume One

“Fiction, like any art, can be divided between the living and the dead. THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH is unequivocally and furiously among the former. A splendidly rendered, macabre picaresque, muscular and tender, imaginative and grotesque, cynical yet deeply moving. I was appalled one moment and laughing the next. Don’t be fooled by the premise. This tale may be told by a dead man, but what’s rendered here is life itself in all of life’s absurd glory.” – Rick Yancey, NYT bestselling author of THE 5TH WAVE“Kraus’ careful prose gifts Mr. Finch with a voice that retains a sheen of elegance even as it repulses readers with macabre imagery.” * Kirkus Reviews *“Morbidly fascinating.” – Publishers Weekly“Taking on the big questions of the meaning of life, the purpose of death, and good versus evil, this first half of a giant-size epic skillfully blends historical fiction, dark humor, and horror to push readers right to the brink.” – Booklist“Kraus’s globe-trotting dead kid is by turns cavalier, playful, and thoughtful, and his singular voice—a debonair turn-of-the-century murderer-turned-victim—is utterly riveting.” Grade: A – Entertainment Weekly“An absolutely sweeping tale of brilliance that drowns its reader in an intoxicating tale of death and degradation, with an absolutely masterful ending. Kraus has a beautifully twisted mind.” – Zac Brewer, New York Times bestselling author of THE CHRONICLES OF VLADIMIR TOD“Kraus’s work betrays prodigies of imagination. His flamboyant elocution is the greatest exercise in sustained voice since M. T. Anderson’s Octavian Nothing.” – Michael Cart, author of MY FATHER’S SCAR“Wild, intense, creepy, gross, and impeccably written.” – Andrew Smith, award-winning author of GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE and WINGER“Strange and marvelous and funny and dark—I didn’t want it to end. Zebulon Finch is one of a kind.” – Victoria Schwab, author of THE NEAR WITCH, THE ARCHIVED, and THE UNBOUND“Daniel Kraus achieves the task of delivering a crackling good story with exquisite writing every time he publishes a book … but he has outdone himself with The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch. This is an extraordinary book.” – Horror Drive-In”[R]eaders will not be disappointed, making this another treat for fans of Kraus’s work…[I]t should be an option on the shelf in every library.” – VOYA, STARRED REVIEW“It’s a splendid, poetic, ambitious undertaking, and the significant page count is put to good use, with Kraus fear- lessly weaving gore, love, philosophy, and social justice issues into one sharp whole.” – The Children’s Bulletin“This is a book for readers who want to sink in and stay awhile.” – School Library Connection

Daniel Kraus is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film.

His novel Angel Down was the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, a New York Times Top 10 Book of the year, and a national bestseller. His novel Whalefall received a front-cover review in The New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award, was an Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist, and was named a Best Book of Year by NPR, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and more.

With Guillermo del Toro, he coauthored The Shape of Water, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus coauthored Trollhunters, which was adapted into the Emmy Award–winning Netflix series. He cowrote The Living Dead and Pay the Piper with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero.

Kraus’s The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly’s Top 10 Books of the Year. Kraus has won the Bram Stoker Award, Scribe Award, two Odyssey Awards (for both Rotters and Scowler), and has appeared multiple times as Library Guild selections, and more.

Kraus’s work has been translated into over twenty-five languages. He lives with his partner in Chicago.

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