In the city of Ambergris, a would-be suitor discovers a sunlit street can become a killing ground in the blink of an eye. An artist receives an invitation to a beheading and finds himself enchanted. And a patient in a mental institution is convinced he’s imagined a city called Ambergris, invented its every last detail, and that he’s really from a place called Chicago. Ambergris is a cruelly beautiful metropolis – a haven for artists and thieves, for composers and murderers. And once there, anything can happen. These tales of Ambergris include the World Fantasy Award-winning novella, The Transformation of Martin Lake. From Jeff VanderMeer, an author praised by writers such as Laren Beukes, China Miéville and Michael Moorcock, City of Saints and Madmen is by turns sensuous and terrifying. This collection of four linked novellas is the perfect introduction to VanderMeer’s vividly imagined worlds.