âA Digger must not refuse a request from the Dead." âRule Five of the Gravediggerâs Code
Ian Fossor is last in a long line of Gravediggers. Itâs his familyâs job to bury the dead and then, when Called by the dearly departed, to help settle the worries that linger beyond the grave so spirits can find peace in the Beyond.
But Ian doesnât want to help the deadâhe wants to be a Healer and help the living. Such a wish is, of course, selfish and impossible. Fossors are Gravediggers. So he reluctantly continues his training under the careful watch of his undead mentor, hoping every day that heâs never Called and carefully avoiding the path that leads into the forbidden woods bordering the cemetery.
Just as Ianâs friend, Fiona, convinces him to talk to his father, theyâre lured into the woods by a risen corpse that doesnât want to play by the rules. There, the two are captured by a coven of Weavers, dark magic witches who want only two thingâto escape the murky woods where theyâve been banished, and to raise the dead and shift the balance of power back to themselves.
Only Ian can stop them. With a little help from his friends. And his long-dead ancestors.
Equal parts spooky and melancholy, funny and heartfelt, The Gravediggerâs Son is a gorgeous debut that will long sit beside Neil Gaimanâs The Graveyard Book and Jonathan Auxier's The Night Gardener.