Keeping Bedlam at Bay in the Prague Café tells the story of John Shirting, a socially inept, quiet young American who has left his country for mysterious reasons and, in a fast-changing capital of Eastern Europe, resolves to recreate one aspect of society in his own, crazily capitalist image. He makes it his mission to return to the frothy fold of the Chicago-based chain of cafes that once employed him, as a barista―Capo―by singlehandedly breaking into a new market and making freshly post-communist Prague safe for free-market capitalism. Full of smart writing, cynical humor, and eccentric characters, Keeping Bedlam at Bay in the Prague Café is a brilliant satire. Poised to be an underground classic, it asks: what does it mean to be sane in a fast-changing world?
M. Henderson Ellis, the author of Petra K and the Blackhearts (New Europe Books), is a graduate of Bennington College and a Chicago native who currently lives in Budapest, Hungary.
"An ode to expatriate living, culture clashes, and the heady days of early 1990s Europe, this novel is a manic, wild ride.... [D]arkly comic ... immersive, nostalgic, and thoroughly enjoyable." ―Booklist
"With fresh and evocative language, Ellis delivers us into a frenetic and history-haunted world. By turns strange and subtle, imaginative and knowing―and also often very funny―this assured and original debut novel is a must-read for anyone, like me, who ever daydreamed about expat life in 1990s Eastern Europe but didn't have the nerve to go for it." ―Rosie Schaap, author of Drinking With Men, Drink columnist, New York Times Magazine
"As the title suggests, disorder predominates in Ellis's debut novel set in Prague during the dizzying days of the early 1990s. John Shirting is a quirky and unbalanced former barista from Chicago with a pill habit who winds up in the newly capitalist city hawking a plan to establish a chain of mobster-themed coffee shops... . The picaresque absurdity will be familiar to fans of Thomas Pynchon, along with the low-grade paranoia and aggressively whimsical dialogue... . . Ellis vividly re-creates the atmosphere of a city in the throes of transformation as well as the American Quixotes who populate this new frontier." ―Publishers Weekly

Keeping Bedlam at Bay in the Prague Cafe: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Ellis, M. Henderson

Humor & Satire

New Europe Books

Petra K and the Blackhearts take readers to a Prague-like city where miniaturized show-dragons are pitted against each other in secret, forbidden tournaments, and magic has been outlawed by a cruel child dictator. Here lives Petra K, the daughter of a shut-in mother, who becomes the master of a dragonka everyone wants to get their hands on. In a complicated world of sorceresses, Gypsies, child gangs, and secret police, Petra K needs to decide whom to trust, and whom to betray in order to keep herself and her pet safe. But revolution is in the air, and she too is caught up in its pull. Only the Blackhearts, a gang of orphan children, dare to defy the new dictator's rule, selling potions to survive. Along with the Blackhearts, Petra K faces a murderous pack of mechanical dragonka, a phantom secret agent―and, most harrowing, her own weaknesses.
M. Henderson Ellis, the author of Keeping Bedlam at Bay in the Prague Café (New Europe Books), is a graduate of Bennington College and a Chicago native who currently lives in Budapest, Hungary.
"Ellis's ... years living in Eastern Europe give this steampunk fantasy, first in a planned trilogy, a strong sense of place and an unerring ear for the newspeak of totalitarianism. Archibald the Precious, a child dictator known to the Youth Groups that revere him as the 'Number One Play Pal,' takes the reins in Pava, the crumbling city-state in which Petra K lives... . Ellis's pacing and plotting abilities show considerable gifts as Petra draws closer to the secret of Archibald's power." ―Publishers Weekly
"A breathless ... adventure pits a poor, fatherless girl against all sides in a battle for a dragon's heart and a city's freedom... . Meticulously imagined, Petra's city is built on ancient layers of cultures and traditions, with magic woven into its fabric... .[A] remarkable and distinctive offering for devoted fantasy fans." ―Kirkus Reviews
"This marks the first in a series aimed to reinvigorate the 'Old World,' and its strength lies in its sense of place, as Pava's twisting alleyways have the feel of ancient Venice, where any shadow might conceal a thief or a bit of magic... . [F]or readers looking for a light mystery with a dash of fantasy, this book will open the door to an imaginative world." ―BooklistOnline.com

Petra K and the Blackhearts: A Novel (Young Europe Books)

Teen & Young Adult

Young Europe Books

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Books by Ellis, M. Henderson