Poppy Z. Brite’s first piece of original fiction since the levees broke, the long new novella D*U*C*K revisits Brite’s popular characters Rickey and G-man (The Value of X, Liquor, Prime, Soul Kitchen).

Following a life-threatening assault by a waiter and the defection of one of his best cooks to a trendy new restaurant, Chef John Rickey accepts a gig catering the annual banquet for the South Louisiana branch of hunting/conservation group Ducks Unlimited. Held in the Cajun prairie town of Opelousas, this all-duck banquet mightn’t seem a great opportunity for a chef to restore his wounded pride...but the guest of honor is Rickey’s childhood football hero, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert.

Rickey’s crew is unstoppable, his menu is perfect, and the ducks are thick in the marshes this year. In Louisiana, though, every important occasion has a nutcase waiting in the wings...and all too often, the nutcase is an elected official. Will Rickey get the chance to cook for his idol, or will it end in chaos?

D*U*C*K will be available only from Subterranean Press in two unique editions:

Signed Hardcover: Fully cloth bound hardcover edition, signed by author
Lettered: 26 copies, bound in leather, signed by author, housed in a custom traycase

From Publishers Weekly
“The ghosts of pre-Katrina New Orleans haunt Brite’s latest culinary caper (after Soul Kitchen) in the form of great meals, good times and the carefree spirit that gave the Big Easy its nickname. The loose plot of this picaresque tale concerns Rickey’s tribulations at crafting an all-wild-duck menu for Ducks Unlimited, a Cajun hunting club. Though Rickey’s self-conscious fretting at all the possible disasters that could happen build an element of playful suspense, there’s never any doubt that this will play out as a happy Cinderella story from soup to nuts. Brite does a fine job of evoking the Crescent City and its soul through delectable descriptions of its unique cuisine and the quirky characters who prepare it. This is fun foodie fiction, and readers will scarf it down as quickly as a plate of blackened crawfish.”

From Booklist
“The real core of the book, though, is surprisingly philosophical, as Brite reflects perceptively on how we become who we are. The last few pages invoke a magical harmony between reality, imagination, and humaneness. Hardly a crime novel, but a must for followers of this quirky but fascinating series.”