Arriving in FALL 2026 “One of the most charmingly weird and hypnotically lyrical books I've ever read. I loved every page.”
— Mike Nagel, Author of DUPLEX and CULDESAC
DOMESTICATED CREATURESA fever dream of a book - Thad DeVassie’s debut novella in the flash fiction form promises readers an unforgettable experience.
COVER ART
with literary connections
Edwin Landseer’s painting — "Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Titania and Bottom 1848-51" — hangs in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. The painting depicts a farcical moment in William Shakespeare’s famous play, which parallels the absurdities within this book’s storyline — a wife and donkey stealing center stage, a man’s sense of self reduced and stripped bare, and wildlife looking in on the unfolding spectacle. Additionally, NGV staff notes that the author Lewis Carroll, upon seeing the British artist’s painting, was inspired to create the white rabbit character for his children’s book, ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. *I am grateful to the amazing staff and leadership at NGV who were so encouraging and accommodating with helping facilitate Landseer’s artwork to the cover of this book.
Praise for DOMESTICATED CREATURES
“Imaginative, playful, laugh out loud funny. A twisted portrayal of domestic life told from its mundane heart, all while struggling to finish a cycle of poems that’s more stubborn and inexplicable than the pet donkey. DOMESTICATED CREATURES is one of the best incarnations of the short form I’ve seen in years.”— Theodore Wheeler, author of THE WAR BEGINS IN PARIS
“Something strange is afoot in The Hills, the suburban backdrop of Thad DeVassie’s new linked collection, DOMESTICATED CREATURES. Made up of 60 micro pieces, this surrealist novella-in-flash has it all: a pet donkey, a grim reaper, a plague of frogs, Law & Order, jetpacks, and more. Complete with DeVassie’s illustrations throughout, this absurdist whirlwind of a book presents domesticity with a sideways lean. As if The 'Burbs and Edward Scissorhands were rewritten by Russell Edson's ghost. Funny and strange and, at times, cosmic, it should come as no surprise when James Tate makes an appearance near the halfway point. DeVassie’s debut full-length is here, at last, and it's a blast.”— Ben Niespodzainy, author of UNCLE TIME; Editor-in-Chief of PIZAMA PRESS
“DOMESTICATED CREATURES is a funny, strange, and surprisingly tender novella-in-flash. Thad DeVassie writes in short, playful pieces where everyday life mixes easily with the absurd. Beneath the humor, the book explores marriage, friendship, aging, loss, writing, and the need to keep dreaming. I recommend this inventive and warm book for its original voice and its wonderful balance of humor and heart.”— Francine Witte, author of THE CAKE, THE SMOKE, THE MOON
“DOMESTICATED CREATURES will make you levitate. Flash postcards from a psychedelic space-station suburbia, where feral poems sucker-punch people, a donkey watches Law & Order, and the Grim Reaper lives next door. I don’t know the exact name for what Thad DeVassie achieves here, and I like it that way. As his narrator says: Nameless can be good.”— Pete Beatty, author of CUYAHOGA
“In a neighborhood of guitar-playing foxes, Law & Order watching donkeys, pugilistic poems, and care packages from the reaper, the only thing that’s unnatural is working a day job. DeVassie will soothe you with doom, have you ‘cooing like a kitten in a dream state’ and make you want to remain nameless for all eternity.”— Claire Hopple, author of CHANGE THE SUBJECT and TAKE IT PERSONALLY
About DOMESTICATED CREATURES
GEORGE-RUPERT’S LIFE ISN’T GOING AS PLANNED. He is a struggling writer, mildly afraid of his wife, and failing as a donkey parent. He’s also the only human his newest neighbor, a reaper named Gene, has chosen to engage with. It stokes added worry and intrigue for a man challenged at every turn, who is doing all he can to prevent life from fraying apart while still leaving some margin to dream his improbable moonshot — concoct an indoor swimming pool at the International Space Station in anticipation of tourism’s intergalactic promises. But keeping the dream alive — and his life together — will require what little he has left, assuming he can survive an unconventional friendship with cloaked death. DOMESTICATED CREATURES unspools across more than 60 interconnected short-form pieces, navigating the mundane rhythms of suburban life while also remaining otherworldly. It’s a tiny testament to rolling with life’s unforeseen punches and absurdities in hopes of seeing all the good that is staring back at you, human and otherwise.
Read a sample from the book that was selected for BEST SMALL FICTIONS 2025 (first published at Vast Chasm Press).
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Pre-order directly from the publisher.READINGS + INTERVIEWS
Literary festivals. Bookstores. Podcasts. Street corners. You name it. Have book, will travel. SIGNED COPIES
A note. A legible signature. Perhaps a surprise or two.Your new favorite book has a soundtrack
If your favorite movies have a killer soundtrack, why not your new favorite book? Music plays a role in DOMESTICATED CREATURES, helping to set a scene or drive the mood. Lyrically there are a lot of hidden messages in the songs. If you’re not familiar with them, take a minute to dial into the vibe. There are several other songs that nudged me along in the writing of the book that don’t appear in the final story. They make up "Side B" of this playlist, because you know I’d make you an old-school mixtape if I could.SIDE A — tracks 1-11 (in the book)
SIDE B — tracks 12-23 (influenced, but not in the book)
