Veniss Underground

Jeff VanderMeer’s first novel is set in the mysterious and magical city of Veniss, a surreal metropolis that sits over an underground labyrinth of tunnels and mines. In this tale, epic and mythological in scope, VanderMeer takes the reader below the surface of the earth to the dark and decadent future. It’s a world where Living Artists craft works out of biological material, and humans are either tossed out or recycled into something wholly unrecognizable.

Told from three distinct viewpoints—Nicholas, a not-quite-talented-enough Artist; his twin sister, Nicola; and Nicola’s former lover, Shadrach—Veniss Underground follows these characters as they embark on a journey to hell and back, replete with the blend of horrors (biological, environmental, and ethical) that also animate VanderMeer’s subsequent blockbuster novels. Veniss Underground explores the limits of love, memory, and obsession in a landscape that defies the boundaries of imagination.

This reissue will include a new introduction by the National Book Award–winning author Charles Yu and more new material from Jeff VanderMeer.