Briarpatch

by Tim Pratt

Darrin's life has been going downhill ever since his girlfriend Bridget walked out on him without a word of explanation six months ago. Soon after losing her, he lost his job, and his car, and eventually his enthusiasm for life. He can't imagine things getting worse—until he sees Bridget again, for the first time since she walked out, just moments before she leaps to her death from a bridge. In his quest to find out why Bridget took her own life, he encounters a depressive (and possibly immortal) cult leader; a man with a car that can drive out of this world and into others; a beautiful psychotic with a chrome shotgun; and a bridge that, maybe, leads to heaven. Darrin's journey leads him into a place called the Briarpatch, which is either the crawlspace of the universe, or a series of ambitious building projects abandoned by god, or a tangle of alternative universes, depending on who you ask. Somewhere in that disorderly snarl of worlds, he hopes to find Bridget again. . .  or at least a reason to live without her.

Reviews - What's Being Said About Tim Pratt & Briarpatch

In the field of fantastic literature, there’s an exciting group of new young writers poised to take us into fascinating new directions. Tim Pratt is among the best of them. His stories have moved me, enchanted me, frightened me . . . and always leave me wanting more.
–Terri Windling

A genuine talent . . . . Pratt is a writer to watch.
–Publishers Weekly

Introducing foul-mouthed, cynical modern humans into mind-bending alternate realms (some too peculiar to last for long), and then taking them back to the Bay Area, creates a fascinating background for their private quests. Some seek emotional relief, others metaphysical answers; one psycho, new to the Briarpatch, may just be out for her idea of fun. And then some major characters, aside from Ismael, prove not be entirely human....
–Locus

Tim Pratt is in the vanguard of the next generation of master American fantasists.
–Jay Lake

Pratt's Otherworld is a mysterious, dark, and ever changing place filled with lost beings and some scary-ass monsters. Emotionally fueled, Briarpatch explores what it means to live and love . . . This is Urban Fantasy as you've not seen it before. Recommended.
–Mad Hatter's Reading Log

Briarpatch by Tim Pratt is a dark, very moody tale . . . . Like most ChiZine books, this one is full of concepts and ideas that takes normal storytelling, throws it out the window, and replaces it with a type of world that even the most experienced reader has yet to explore."
–SFReader

[Pratt] defies both genre and general morality with a sly zest that takes Briarpatch well beyond the darkness of the opening. It showcases Pratt’s ability to interweave the most fantastic places and concepts with scenes that any Bay Area resident might know. A late reference to the duck pond of Oakland’s Montclair village (just down the hill from Locus HQ) struck me with the emotional force of some Xanadu!
–Faren Miller

For a novel of 250 pages, Briarpatch seems to be a bigger book. There is so much in it, you find yourself wondering what new startlement awaits on the next page, in the next chapter, around the next bend . . .immerse yourself in this book, and enjoy!
–SFSite