Rotters

By: Daniel Kraus

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

From the New York Times bestselling author of Whalefall, The Shape of Water with Guillermo del Toro, Scowler, and more, comes Rotters.

Grave-robbing. What kind of monster would do such a thing? It's true that Leonardo da Vinci did it, Shakespeare wrote about it, and the resurrection men of nineteenth-century Scotland practically made it an art. But none of this matters to Joey Crouch, a sixteen-year-old straight-A student living in Chicago with his single mom. For the most part, Joey's life is about playing the trumpet and avoiding the daily humiliations of high school.

Everything changes when Joey's mother dies in a tragic accident and he is sent to rural Iowa to live with the father he has never known, a strange, solitary man with unimaginable secrets. At first, Joey's father wants nothing to do with him, but once father and son come to terms with each other, Joey's life takes a turn both macabre and exhilarating.

Daniel Kraus's masterful plotting and unforgettable characters make Rotters a moving, terrifying, and unconventional epic about fathers and sons, complex family ties, taboos, and the ever-present specter of mortality.

Critic reviews

Starred review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 2011:
"A masterly touch at thriller pacing, Kraus gives the current crop of pretentiously serious supernatural YA novels a wild run for their money."

Starred review, Booklist:
"A tour-de-force combination of reader and writer."

School Library Journal:
"A gripping and emotional tale."

Kirkus Reviews:
"A cerebral romp through a fascinating, revolting underworld."

VOYA:
"Twists and turns will leave readers gasping."

"As suspenseful and masterfully told as it is gruesome and terrifying. You'd be hard-pressed to find a coming-of-age story as satisfying as this."--Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother and coeditor of Boing Boing

"Grueling, demented, and so crammed with noxious awesomeness that I had to read it twice."--Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies series

"This is an unforgettable book. An unforgettable character . . . and an adventure that leads to unforgettable HORROR. I loved it!"--R. L. Stine

"A multi-layered, complex novel that pulls no punches. Terrific!"--Rick Yancey, author of The Monstrumologist

"Uncompromising, dark, and true."--Guillermo Del Toro, coauthor of the Strain Trilogy and director of Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, and Chuck Hogan, coauthor of the Strain Trilogy

"A cerebral romp through a fascinating, revolting underworld."--Kirkus Reviews
"One of the darkest, wildest, most unsettling adolescent novels I've ever come across. . . . Kraus is absolutely original."--The Millions

"A new horror classic."--Fangoria

Fascinating

This is a book about belonging, about identity, about family. It's absolutely amazing, but to be honest I'm just speechless at the last two chapters. I think I'm mourning having ended it.

So good

I love this book so much I’m 13 years old and I love it I had to read it for school reading goal and I read it multiple times after I read it the first time I became addicted to this book 10/10 would recommend

5th time listening

I love this book and love the reader. obsessed as a word falls short to how I feel about this read

fantastic story, if you have a strong stomach

Very well written, excellent character development the author gives the reader a real sense of place. The action is so well described it may be to vivid and graphic for some readers. I thought it would be scary considering the subject was grave robbing, but it was more of an emotional and strange coming of age story. Very glad I took the time. I was so involved at times I didn't want to turn it off to get back to work or go to sleep. But fair warning don't listen while you eat!

A dark journey

An interesting story, though, not for the faint of heart. kept me listening, even though I was disgusted by many of the details.

Can this be made into a movie?...... PLEASE!!!!!!!

I would love to know if this is an actual thing. Do grave robbers work in a tight secret group? Searching the obituaries for any sign of a "good dig"? Treasures and money with danger and sadness. The characters stories felt believable in a "6 Feet Under" kind of way. I felt bad for the main character's bullying because he didn't deserve it but I also see how it made him pro-active. Towards the end my heart was thumping so loud with the suspense, horror, and excitement of the villain and hero battle. I got to meet the author a few years back when this book was released and I wish I had read now when I met him because I would like to know more about the story.

Awesome read

Daniel Kraus does an excellent job taking us to the macabre world of diggers and Rotters. I read most of this book in one day and couldn’t wait to finish it. A real page turner. Kirby Heyborne does an amazing job voicing each character.

Heyborne's voices are good; his acting isn't

Heyborne gives a very clean read, but that's not enough for me. I want to hear a great performance. Something raw and real and present. The characterizations are great, but I wanted more from him, especially from the first person narration.

Amazing!!!!

What a Great Plot!!!! The complexity of all the Characters! The Narrator is incredible!!!! I highly recommend this Book to fans of Stephen Kings, the gunslinger series. It reminded me of it, of Roland.

A story for the outcast

This story tells of a boy who goes through loss, hardship, tribulation at the hands of others and discovery of self through means of his craft. I personally found it riveting. Not many could have described the details of a world we don’t know so well as Daniel Kraus has done in this book. Not for the faint hearted though I find few readers to be so. Enjoy discovering the a world that almost pulls you into darkness.