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Monstress
Series · 8 books · 2016-2023

Books in series

Monstress, Volume 1 book cover
#1

Monstress, Volume 1

Awakening

2016

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900's Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco\-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers. Collects MONSTRESS \#1\-6 About the Creators: New York Times bestselling and award\-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop. Ms. Liu's extensive work includes the bestselling "Astonishing X\-Men" for Marvel Comics, which featured the gay wedding of X\-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Prior to writing full\-time, Liu was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston. Sana Takeda is an illustrator and comic book artist who was born in Niigata, and now resides in Tokyo, Japan. At age 20 she started out as a 3D CGI designer for SEGA, a Japanese video game company, and became a freelance artist when she was 25\. She is still an artist, and has worked on titles such as "X\-23" and "Ms. Marvel" for Marvel Comics, and is an illustrator for trading card games in Japan.
Monstress, Volume 2 book cover
#2

Monstress, Volume 2

The Blood

2017

The Eisner\-nominated MONSTRESS is back! Maika, Kippa, and Ren journey to Thyria in search of answers to her past...and discover a terrible new threat. Collects MONSTRESS \#7\-12\.
Monstress, Volume 3 book cover
#3

Monstress, Volume 3

Haven

2018

A Hugo and British Fantasy Award-winning series—and current Eisner Award nominee for Best Continuing Series, and Best Publication for Teens, with Marjorie Liu nominated for Best Writer and Sana Takeda nominated for Best Painter and Best Cover Artist! Maika has spent most of her life learning how to fight, but how will she fare when the only way to save her life… is to make friends? Collects MONSTRESS #13-18
Monstress, Volume 4 book cover
#4

Monstress, Volume 4

The Chosen

2019

Maika and Corvin make their way through a warped and lethal land in search of Kippa, who is faced with her own terrible monsters. But when Maika comes face-to-face with a stranger from her deep past, startling truths are uncovered, and at the center of it all lurks a dangerous conspiracy that threatens the Known World. Maika is finally close to getting all the answers she ever wanted, but at what price? With war on the horizon—a war no one wants to stop—whose side will Maika choose? Collects MONSTRESS #19-24.
Monstress, Volume 5 book cover
#5

Monstress, Volume 5

Warchild

2020

The next volume in the best-selling Eisner, Hugo, Harvey & British Fantasy Award winning series by MARJORIE LIU and SANA TAKEDA! The long-dreaded war between the Federation and Arcanics is about to explode. Maika must choose her next steps: will she help her friends, or strike out on her own? Collects MONSTRESS issues #25-30
Monstress, Volume 6 book cover
#6

Monstress, Volume 6

The Vow

2021

War has engulfed the Known World, and Maika Halfwolf is at its epicenter. As she and her friends grapple with the consequences of their actions, long-buried secrets and long-awaited reunions threaten to change everything. Join MARJORIE LIU and SANA TAKEDA in the newest volume of this Eisner, Hugo, Harvey, and British Fantasy Award-winning series. Plus, learn about the happier childhood days of Kippa and Maika in MONSTRESS: TALK-STORIES 1 and 2! Collects MONSTRESS: TALK-STORIES #1-2 and MONSTRESS #31-35
Monstress, Volume 7 book cover
#7

Monstress, Volume 7

Devourer

2022

Humans and Arcanics are at war once again, but battles of the heart and soul are the most dangerous of all. Caught in the calculating grip of the Dusk Court, Maika and Zinn uncover painful secrets of the past while Tuya fights to preserve her future—and young Kippa might be the Known World's only hope for the present. Collects MONSTRESS #36-41
Monstress, Volume 8 book cover
#8

Monstress, Volume 8

Inferno

2023

This Barnes & Noble exclusive edition includes an exclusive cover created by Sana Takeda and a double-sided poster. In volume eight of the multiple Eisner, Harvey, Hugo, and British Fantasy Award-winning series, the truth about the death of Maika’s mother has been revealed, and Maika has come undone. As her allies scramble to save her soul, they find themselves in the unlikeliest of places—the beautiful and brutal prison planet where the Monstra have long been locked away. This visit to the site of Zinn’s worst nightmares might just hold the key to Maika’s survival—and to the long-buried origins of the Known World. In the series that NPR called, “remarkable,” join Maika as she realizes the only way forward is to return to the past. Collects MONSTRESS #42-47

Author

Marjorie M. Liu
Marjorie M. Liu
Author · 47 books

New York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and she leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop. Ms. Liu is a highly celebrated comic book writer. Her extensive work with Marvel includes the bestselling Dark Wolverine series, NYX: No Way Home, X-23, and Black Widow: The Name of the Rose. She received national media attention for Astonishing X-Men, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Ms. Liu also wrote the story for the animated film, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher, which was produced by Marvel, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Madhouse Inc. Her newest work is MONSTRESS, an original, creator-owned comic book series with Japanese artist (and X-23 collaborator) Sana Takeda. Published by Image in Fall 2015, MONSTRESS is set in an alternate, matriarchal 1920’s Asia and follows a girl’s struggle to survive the trauma of war. With a cast of girls and monsters and set against a richly imagined aesthetic of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS #1 debuted to critical praise. The Hollywood Reporter remarked that the longer than typical first issue was “world-building on a scale rare in mainstream comics.” Ms. Liu is also the author of more than 19 novels, most notably the urban fantasy series, Hunter Kiss, and the paranormal romance series, Dirk & Steele. Her novels have also been bestsellers on USA Today, which described Liu “as imaginative as she is prolific.” Her critically praised fiction has twice received the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, for THE MORTAL BONE (Hunter Kiss #6), and TIGER EYE (Dirk & Steele #1). TIGER EYE was the basis for a bestselling paranormal romance video game called Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box. Liu has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, MTV, and been profiled in the Wall Street Journal.com, Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. She is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker, appearing on panels at San Diego Comic Con, the Tokyo Literary Festival, the New York Times Public Lecture series, Geeks Out; and the Asian American Writers Workshop. Her work has been published internationally, including Germany, France, Japan, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Ms. Liu was born in Philadelphia, and has lived in numerous cities in the Midwest and Beijing. Prior to writing full-time, she was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.

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