“On All Hallow’s Eve, Deadwood will bring mayhem to Fernlight. And before the moon sets, the one in Deadwood will vanish forever.” To Clare, an undead fox whose job is to usher souls to the afterlife from Deadwood Forest, All Hallow’s Eve—the night on which all four afterlife realms are open to accept souls regardless of whether they belong there—is the worst night of the year. He’s doing his best not to think about whether this prophecy, made by Hesterfowl, is about him. When Gingersnipes, a badger, arrives at Clare’s door, Clare’s attempts to usher her to various afterlife realms (Progress, Pleasure, Peace, and Pain) all fail. Fearing that the badger’s appearance is connected to the ominous prophecy, Clare visits Hesterfowl, who tells him that Gingersnipes is not a wandering soul but the next Usher, there to take Clare’s place. But Clare is loath to step aside. Accepting his fate will require reckoning with the trauma of his past—especially the car accident that killed his mother and left Clare with a ghastly appearance, which he conceals beneath his cloak. While populated with amusing characters (in addition to the ones mentioned, there are the Pinks, a family of “trashrats” that do business with Clare), this fresh, standalone fantasy packs a powerful emotional punch.