The upshot of being Dutch—this is a cliché about us, but it’s true—is that I speak several languages. English almost as fluently as Dutch. That allowed me to not only read but also edit Nancy Forest-Flier’s fantastic translation of the book and find my own voice in English. Working on the book in a language that’s not my mother tongue gave me strong new insights into the plot, the most important of which was about the ending. It had to go. It felt off. There was a much scarier and better way I could end this tale.
So that’s what you’ve just read. The last several chapters, from the moment things pretty much start going downhill for Black Spring, are all new. I wrote them in English, and I had a blast while I was at it. In my opinion, it’s become a better book.
Of course, I hear you wondering: how did the Dutch version end?
I’m not gonna tell.
Bribe a Dutch person—maybe they will.
I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Nancy, who is a truly remarkable translator, and a pleasure to work with. The importance of translators can never be stressed enough, as they create the opportunity for people around the world to discover new worlds and wonders in words. Nancy is terrific. And so is Liz Gorinsky, who edited this book. Even when Nancy and I thought we had tackled all the culturally specific issues that arise when you relocate a novel, Liz discovered so many interesting anomalies. Liz, you made this an even better book, and I learned a lot from you. So thank you.
Others on Team HEX are Oliver Johnson (the wonderful UK editor, and a wonderful guy), Rod Downey, Vincent Docherty, Jacques Post, Maarten Basjes, and all the fine people at Tor Books in the United States, Hodder & Stoughton in the United Kingdom, and Luitingh-Sijthoff in the Netherlands. A special thanks goes out to Ann VanderMeer, who, apart from being a fantastic and kindhearted person, boosts the careers of so many young writers. Ann, I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done for me. The same goes for Sally Harding, the most classy and witty literary agent I could wish for. Together with Ron Eckel, Sally has done the near-impossible for any writer that comes from a small, faraway country. Sally and Ron: you rock and you know it.
Anja, your help with practical issues has been invaluable. You hand me a pen before I even know I need to sign a book, and you have eyes where I do not. Wes, you’re still the creative brain behind so many clever finds, and so often come up with the perfect solution when I’m stuck. You’re also my best buddy in life. The Grant family: sorry for slaughtering your dog. My own family: sorry for slaughtering- I love you. Francine: you especially. And David, thanks for standing tall beside me. Always you.
Now.
All that I said about the new setting doesn’t make Black Spring any less real. You’ve just come from there, right? And when you were there, you experienced some pretty dark times. I can’t say it ended too well for the town.
If you’re in New York some day, you can take a car and drive up north along the Hudson. It’s a beautiful ride. Cross the Bear Mountain Bridge and take 9W past Highland Falls and into the realm of the Black Rock Forest. The officials at West Point have sealed off everything to the left and right of route 293, where the town of Black Spring used to be. You can see it for yourself, although the fences and barracks are not particularly interesting. At some point, someone will come and tell you to go away—the kind of someone you are inclined to take orders from.
Instead, I’d suggest you go for a hike in the woods up north. It’s rugged land, but there are a few trails, and most lead somewhere. Listen to the silence. It might be a little eerie, out there on your own, but I assure you the sound you heard was only the wind in the trees. No birds. No beasties.
None whatsoever.
If you come across a fairy ring, make sure to walk past it with your eyes closed.
But don’t keep them shut for too long.
You never know what you might bump into.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
THOMAS OLDE HEUVELT is a Dutch author of five novels and many stories of the fantastic. He has won the Hugo Award and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for his short fiction. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Part 1: 2day? #stoning
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Part 2: 2nite? #death
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
HEX
Copyright © 2013 by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
English translation © 2016 by Nancy Forest-Flier
Originally published as HEX in 2013 by Luitingh-Sijthoff in Amsterdam.
The publisher gratefully
acknowledges the support of
the Dutch Foundation for Literature.
All rights reserved.
Cover photography by Getty Images
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-7880-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-6458-0 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466864580
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First Edition: April 2016