Sarah Gailey

Sarah Gailey
Born1990 
California 
OccupationWriter, comics writer, essayist, novelist 
Stylehorror fiction, science fiction, fantasy 
Awards
Websitewww.sarahgailey.com 

Sarah Gailey is an American author of fantasy, science fiction, and mystery novels, short stories, and comics.

As a comics writer, they have published Eat the Rich (2021); an arc in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe, The Vampire Slayer (2022–2023); and another original, Know Your Station (2022–2023).

Perhaps best known for their American Hippo duology, the alternate history novella River of Teeth (2017) was a finalist for the 2017 Nebula Award for Best Novella,[1] the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella,[2] and the 2018 Locus Award for Best Novella.[3] A follow-up, Taste of Marrow, was shortly released thereafter, with an omnibus published the year next.

Their full-length novels include award-nominated Magic for Liars (2019), The Echo Wife (2021) and Just Like Home (2022).

Career

Gailey's fiction has been published in The Atlantic,[4] Tor.com,[5] and Fireside Magazine. Their non-fiction writing has appeared on Tor.com,[6] Mashable,[7] The Boston Globe[8] and Uncanny Magazine.[9]

According to Gailey's website, their work has been translated into seven different languages.

Novels and other work

Gailey first became well known for their 2017 American Hippo duology, consisting of the novellas River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow.[10][11][12] The pair of novellas is about the hypothetical of if hippos had been imported into southern US bayou country as food stock and as a counteractive measure against invasive water hyacinth; and inspired by the real proposed House Resolution 23261 (1910). Louisiana Congressman Robert F. Broussard's bill is retconned as having been passed by Congress and signed into law by President Buchanan during his lame duck period in 1861. Years later, an extermination group is hired to eliminate feral hippos that have killed locals. Main characters are notably LGBT or non-binary, and reviewers have discussed the complexity of their interactions. It was well-received for its characters, creative worldbuilding, and fast-paced action by critics, who had minor grievances with the duology's novella format and structural length, transitions, and failed chance at depicting indigenous populations accurately.[13]

Upright Woman Wanted, a standalone novella published in February 2020,[14] depicts a future American Southwest where queer librarians travel on horseback, spying on a fascist state on behalf of a resistance group.

Their first full-length novel, Magic for Liars, was published by Tor Books in June 2019. Magic for Liars steps into the crime and mystery dimension of writing, while also retaining fantasy aspects of magic, which notably are largely not exposited.[15] BuzzFeed News called it "one of the best fantasies of 2019."[16]

Their debut young adult novel, When We Were Magic, was published by Simon Pulse in March 2020.[17] When a magical accident happens on prom night, a boy ends up dead, and the main character, Alexis, and her group of close-knit friends try to right the terrible wrong. However, they fail and are left to find a way to live with themselves after.

Gailey's second novel for adults, The Echo Wife, is a science fiction thriller about an award-winning geneticist, Dr. Evelyn Caldwell, whose husband, Nathan, leaves her for her clone. It was published in February 2021 by Tor Books.[18]

In 2022 Gailey released their third novel for adults, Just Like Home. Published in July 2022 by Tor Books, Just Like Home is a gothic thriller about monsters, secrets, and the love of children for their parents.[19][20]

Gailey's most recent novella, Spread Me, was published in September 2025 by Tor Books on its Nightfire imprint.[21] It was notable for its depictions of body horror and explorations of transgressive sexuality.[22]

Comics

In August 2021, their five-issue original comics series Eat the Rich premiered.[23] They continued their work in comics with a 12-issue Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics arc titled The Vampire Slayer (2022–2023)[24][25] and an original science fiction series titled Know Your Station (2022–2023),[26][27] co-created with artist Liana Kangas.

They've also done work with Marvel Comics with stories published in Crypt of Shadows #1 (2023)[28], Werewolf by Night: Unholy Alliance (2024)[29], and Predator Black, White & Blood #1 (2025)[30] and full runs on both White Widow (2023)[31] and Avengers United #54–63 (2024)[32].

Personal life

Gailey grew up in Fremont, California[33] and lives in Northern California.

Gailey is non-binary.[34]

Awards and nominations

Year Work Award Category Result Ref.
2017 — John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer — Shortlisted [35]
"The Women of Harry Potter" posts British Fantasy Award Non-fiction Shortlisted [36]
Hugo Award Related Work Shortlisted [35]
River of Teeth Nebula Award Novella Shortlisted [1]
2018 Hugo Award Novella Shortlisted [2][3]
Locus Award Novella Nominated [2][3]
— Hugo Award Fan Writer Shortlisted [2]
2019 "STET" Hugo Award Short Story Shortlisted [37]
Locus Award Short Story Nominated [38]
2019 American Hippo Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Novel Nominated [39]
2020 "Away With the Wolves" Hugo Award Novelette Shortlisted [40]
Magic for Liars Locus Award First Novel Nominated [41]
2021 Upright Women Wanted Hugo Award Novella Shortlisted [42]
Locus Award Novella Nominated [43]
2022 Ignotus Award Foreign Novella Won [44]
The Echo Wife Locus Award Novel Nominated [39]
2023 Just Like Home British Fantasy Award Horror Novel (August Derleth Award) Won [39]
Locus Award Novel Nominated [39]
Eat the Rich Bram Stoker Award Graphic Novel Nominated [39]
2024 Stone Soup: Personal Canons Cookbook Ignyte Awards The Community Award Nominated [45]

Bibliography

Novels

  • —— (2019). Magic for Liars. Tor Books. ISBN 9781250174611.
  • —— (2020). When We Were Magic. Simon Pulse. ISBN 9781534432871.
  • —— (2021). The Echo Wife. Tor Books. ISBN 9781250174666.
  • —— (2022). Just Like Home. Tor Books. ISBN 9781250174727.

Comics collections

  • —— (2022). Eat the Rich. BOOM! Studios. ISBN 9781684158324.
  • —— (2023). The Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1. BOOM! Studios. ISBN 9781684158843.
  • —— (2023). The Vampire Slayer, Vol. 2. BOOM! Studios. ISBN 9781684158935.
  • —— (2023). The Vampire Slayer, Vol. 3. BOOM! Studios. ISBN 9781684159147.
  • —— (2023). Know Your Station. BOOM! Studios. ISBN 9781684159963.
  • —— (2024). White Widow: Welcome to Idylhaveven. Marvel Comics. ISBN 9781302957322.

American Hippo novella series

  • —— (2017). River of Teeth. Tor Books. ISBN 9780765395221.
  • —— (2017). Taste of Marrow. Tor Books. ISBN 9780765395245.

Omnibus

Contains the novellas River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow, as well as additional short stories, including "Worth Her Weight in Gold"

  • —— (2018). American Hippo. Tor Books. ISBN 9781250176424.

Other novellas

  • —— (2017). The Fisher of Bones. Fireside Fiction. ISBN 9780998778327.
  • —— (2020). Upright Women Wanted. Tor Books. ISBN 9781250213587.
  • —— (2025). Spread Me. Tor Books. ISBN 9781250387332.

Short stories

Year Title Publication
2015 "Stars" —— (Autumn 2015). "Stars". The Colored Lens (17).
"Bargain" —— (October 2015). "Bargain". Mothership Zeta. 1 (1). Escape Artists, Inc.
"Look" —— (June 2015). "Look". Cease, Cows Magazine.
"The Breakup" ——(August 2015). Literary Hatchet.
"Under Advisement of the Moon" ——(September 2015). Beyond the Imagination.
2016 "Whisper" ——(January 2016) Speculative Bookshop Anthology.
"Haunted" —— (March 2016). "Haunted". Fireside Magazine (31). Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
"Of Blood and Bronze" —— (August 2016). "Of Blood and Bronze". Devilfish Review (17).
"Homesick" —— (September 2016). "Homesick". Fireside Magazine (36). Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
"Rescue" —— (October 2016). "Rescue". Mothership Zeta. 1 (5). Escape Artists, Inc.
2017 "The Chisel" ——(February 2017). "The Chisel". Wizards In Space Literary Magazine.
"The Art of Asterculture" —— (May 10, 2017). "The Art of Asterculture". Tor.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
"A Lady's Maid" —— (May 2017). "A Lady's Maid". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
"Single Parent" —— (June 2017). "Single Parent". Cast of Wonders (253). Escape Artists, Inc.
"The Fisher of Bones" —— (August–December 2017). "The Fisher of Bones". Fireside Magazine (46–51). Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
2018 "STET" —— (October 2018). "STET". Fireside Magazine (60). Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
"Bread and Milk and Salt" —— (November 7, 2018). "Bread and Milk and Salt". Tor.com.
"From the Void" —— (November 2018). "From the Void". Shimmer (46).
"Anonymous Croupier" —— (February 2018). Anonymous Croupier". Stone Soup.
"The Nightmare Stays the Same" —— (March 2018). "The Nightmare Stays the Same". Stone Soup.
"Our Collection" —— (March 2018). "Our Collection". Stone Soup.
"Go Home, Go Home, Go Home" —— (April 2018). "Go Home, Go Home, Go Home". Stone Soup.
"The Legend of Tania and Lula" —— (April 2018). "The Legend of Tania and Lula". Stone Soup.
"Worth Her Weight in Gold" ——(May 2018). "Worth Her Weight In Gold". Tor.com.
"What Grew" ——(June 2018). "What Grew". Uncanny Magazine.
"As Simple As Vanishing" —— (June 2018). "As Simple As Vanishing". Stone Soup.
"Anne and the Stairs" —— (July 2018). "Anne and the Stairs". Stone Soup.
"An Introduction to Pain" —— (August 2018). "An Introduction to Pain". Stone Soup.
"All the Stars Above the Sea" ——(September/October 2018). "All the Stars Above the Sea". Uncanny Magazine.
"There Are No Hands in the River" —— (October 2018). "There Are No Hands in the River". Stone Soup.
"The Catch" —— (October 2018). "The Catch". Stone Soup.
"An Augmented Reality" —— (December 2018). "An Augmented Reality". The Atlantic.
2019 "Away With the Wolves" —— (September 2019). "Away With the Wolves". Uncanny. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
"Wild to Covet" —— (September 2019). "Wild to Covet". The Mythic Dream. Saga Press.
"The Thing That Hides In Your Home" ——(March 2019). "The Thing That Hides In Your Home". Stone Soup.
"Reynard Is Coming" ——(January 2019). "Reynard Is Coming". Stone Soup.
2020 "Drones to Ploughshares" —— (February 4, 2020). "Drones to Ploughshares". Vice. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
"We Don't Talk About the Dragon" —— (June 2020). "We Don't Talk About the Dragon". The Book of Dragons. HarperVoyager.
"At the Threshold of Your Bedchamber on the Fifth Night" —— (July 2020). "At the Threshold of Your Bedchamber on the Fifth Night". Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 3. Subterranean Press.
"Tiger Lawyer Gets It Right" —— (October 2020). "Tiger Lawyer Gets It Right". Escape Pod. Titan Books.
2021 "I Swim Up From Below" —— (September 2021). "I Swim Up From Below". Mermaids Monthly (9).
2022 "I Remember Satellites" —— (May 2022). "I Remember Satellites". Someone in Time. Solaris.
"The Daily Commute" ——(July 2022). "The Daily Commute". The Sunday Morning Transport.
"When The Tide Rises" ——(August 2022). "When The Tide Rises". Tomorrow's Parties: Life in the Anthropocene
2024 "Have You Eaten?" ——(September 2024). "Have You Eaten?" Reactor Magazine.

Select nonfiction

References

  1. ^ a b River of Teeth Archived May 9, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved June 19, 2019
  2. ^ a b c d 2018 Hugo Awards Archived April 2, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved June 19, 2019
  3. ^ a b c 2018 Locus Award Winners Archived May 9, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, at Locus Magazine; retrieved June 19, 2019
  4. ^ An Augmented Reality Archived June 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine at The Atlantic; retrieved June 19, 2019
  5. ^ Worth Her Weight in Gold Archived June 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine at Tor.com; retrieved June 19, 2019
  6. ^ Tor.com content by Sarah Gailey Archived June 16, 2019, at the Wayback Machine at Tor.com; retrieved June 19, 2019
  7. ^ The Harry Potter series is actually one long story about PTSD Archived December 4, 2018, at the Wayback Machine at Mashable.com; retrieved June 19, 2019
  8. ^ Dissociation is scary. Dissociation is safety. Archived June 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine at The Boston Globe; retrieved June 19, 2019
  9. ^ City of Villains: Why I Don't Trust Batman at Uncanny Magazine; retrieved June 19, 2019
  10. ^ Of Hippos and Humans Archived June 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, by Ana Grilo, at Kirkus Reviews; published June 9, 2017; retrieved June 13, 2018
  11. ^ River of Teeth Archived June 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, reviewed at Publishers Weekly; published May 13, 2017; retrieved June 13, 2018
  12. ^ Hip, Hippo Hooray For 'River Of Teeth' Archived September 28, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, by Amal El-Mohtar, at National Public Radio; published May 28, 2017; retrieved June 13, 2018
  13. ^ November 2017, Samira Nadkarni Issue: 27 (December 1, 2017). "River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow by Sarah Gailey". Strange Horizons. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Read the First Chapter From Sarah Gailey’s Upright Women Wanted Archived April 4, 2020, at the Wayback Machine at Tor.com; published January 6, 2020; retrieved March 8, 2020
  15. ^ "Magic for Liars Asks What If Your". NPR. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  16. ^ The Author Of One Of The Best Fantasies Of 2019 Walks Us Through Their Writing Space Archived June 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine at Buzzfeed News; published June 6, 2019
  17. ^ When We Were Magic | Book by Sarah Gailey | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster Archived April 4, 2020, at the Wayback Machine; retrieved March 8, 2020
  18. ^ The Echo Wife | Sarah Gailey | Macmillan Archived April 25, 2020, at the Wayback Machine; retrieved March 8, 2020
  19. ^ "Just like Home by Sarah Gailey". www.publishersweekly.com. May 11, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  20. ^ Mandelo, Lee (July 19, 2022). "Unsheathing a Violent Wave of Tenderness: Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey". Tor.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  21. ^ Gailey, Sarah (December 8, 2025). "Spread Me". Tor Publishing Group. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  22. ^ "Spread Me by Sarah Gailey: Review by Ian Mond". Locus Online. November 12, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  23. ^ Adams, Tim (July 13, 2021). "Eat the Rich #1 Teases the Unspeakable Horrors of the One Percent (Exclusive)". CBR. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  24. ^ "THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Series Announcement". BOOM! Studios. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  25. ^ Terror, Jude (April 15, 2022). "Vampire Slayer #1 Preview: Scoobies vs. Crabs". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  26. ^ "KNOW YOUR STATION Series Announcement". BOOM! Studios. September 7, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  27. ^ Grunenwald, Joe (November 21, 2022). "PREVIEW: Welcome to The First Resort in KNOW YOUR STATION #1". The Beat. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  28. ^ "Crypt Of Shadows (2023) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel". www.marvel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  29. ^ "WEREWOLF BY NIGHT: UNHOLY ALLIANCE (Trade Paperback) | Comic Issues | Marvel". www.marvel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  30. ^ "Predator: Black, White & Blood (2025) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel". www.marvel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  31. ^ "WEREWOLF BY NIGHT: UNHOLY ALLIANCE (Trade Paperback) | Comic Issues | Marvel". www.marvel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  32. ^ "Avengers United Infinity Comic (2023) #54 | Comic Issues | Marvel". www.marvel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  33. ^ Sarah Gailey: An Honest Narrative, at Locus Magazine; retrieved November 22, 2025
  34. ^ "Sarah Gailey". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  35. ^ a b 2017 Hugo Awards Archived August 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved June 19, 2019
  36. ^ British Fantasy Awards 2017 Shortlist Archived June 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine at the British Fantasy Society; retrieved June 19, 2019
  37. ^ 2019 Hugo Award & 1944 Retro Hugo Award Finalists Archived February 22, 2023, at the Wayback Machine at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved June 19, 2019
  38. ^ 2019 Locus Awards Finalists Archived August 20, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, at Locus Magazine; retrieved June 19, 2019
  39. ^ a b c d e "sfadb : Sarah Gailey Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  40. ^ Tor.com (April 7, 2020). "Announcing the 2020 Hugo Award Finalists". Tor.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  41. ^ Tor.com (May 29, 2020). "Announcing the 2020 Locus Awards Finalists". Tor.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  42. ^ "Announcing the 2021 Hugo Award Finalists". Tor.com. April 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  43. ^ Andrew Liptak (May 3, 2021). "Here are the 2021 Locus Award Finalists". Tor.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  44. ^ "sfadb : Ignotus Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  45. ^ "2024 Results - The Ignyte Awards". ignyteawards.fiyahlitmag.com. November 8, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
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