The Beheading Game

“Fabulous! A marvelously inventive and mythic reworking of the story of Anne Boleyn. I loved it.”—Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love

“Magic, romance, revenge, and an utterly irresistible heroine—this book is an instant classic.”—Lev Grossman, author of The Bright Sword

“The Beheading Game is magical on every level. I was gripped from the first page. Lehmann does more than imagine—she rewrites a fascinating piece of history and in doing so claims a future in which anything is possible.”—Anna Solomon, author of The Book of V.

“In The Beheading Game, Rebecca Lehmann’s fierce and audacious imagination soars, bringing us Anne Boleyn as we have never dared to see or imagine her before. Sister, mother, wife, avenger: In Lehmann’s brilliant hands, ferocious, feminist Anne turns from hunted to hunter, from disdained to loved, a transformation that is pure poetry. Anne’s search for justice could awaken the dead and will awaken every reader from the very first page. If you have ever wanted better for Anne Boleyn, this unlikely love story is for you.”—V. V. Ganeshananthan, author of Brotherless Night and Love Marriage

“Fans of Wolf Hall will enjoy Lehmann’s versions of the many common characters, from Henry and Cromwell to Thomas Wyatt and Jane Seymour; though this book has a wild ghost-story premise, it ends up being just as convincing, and the prose has an ungaudy lyricism, a lucidity, and a timeless quality that stands up to Mantel’s. . . . Brilliantly imagined, stylishly written, satisfyingly plotted, full of delicious surprises: all in all, hella fun.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Lehmann offers deep character work, portraying Anne’s early self-righteous naivete and discovery of her political savvy, and she successfully pairs a thrilling plot with a complex reflection on the limits of women’s power. Readers will be delighted.”— Publishers Weekly