The Height of Land
a novel by M. C. Benner Dixon
Winner of The 2022 Orison Fiction Prize, selected by Tania James
*available for pre-order*
Orison Books
paper / $20.00
Print ISBN: 978-1-949039-56-6
E-book ISBN: 978-1-949039-57-3Distributed to the trade by Itasca Books
952-223-8373 / orders@itascabooks.com
Publication Date: April 1, 2025
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Height of Land follows the quest of a young man torn between spiritual longing and commitment to his community’s survival in a harsh landscape. Red sacrifices everything to study the long-lost words of the gods. He does not know that he is reading the poetry of Lucille Clifton, Ḥáfiẓ, and Walt Whitman, as well as the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, and the Tao Te Ching. In a world reborn from catastrophe, these ancient texts take on new meanings.
To seek such things is to court peril. Belief in the gods is forbidden. But Red is desperate to know the gods. And he is not searching alone. Forsaking all that is familiar, Red pledges himself to a clandestine church in the city and falls in love with the charismatic priest. But Red may lose both love and faith in defying the church for the sake of a friend.
Have the gods truly abandoned the earth, or just Red? What kind of answer can he receive when he has lost the words to ask?PRAISE
"The Height of Land is a refreshing approach to the post-apocalyptic novel, showing us both the possibilities of collective action and the power of a single dissenting voice. That voice belongs to Red, a boy desperately searching for spiritual meaning and connection. I’ve never encountered a novel quite like this one, nor a character like Red, whose questions and observations followed me long after I finished this profoundly affecting book."
—Tania James, judge of The 2022 Orison Fiction Prize
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M. C. Benner Dixon lives, writes, and grows things in Pittsburgh, PA, where she serves as the Adult Program Director for Write Pittsburgh. Millions of Suns, a collection of craft essays co-authored with Sharon Fagan McDermott, was published in 2023 by The University of Michigan Press. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in Funicular, The Los Angeles Review, The Hopper, Fusion Fragment, Appalachian Review, and elsewhere.