Feral House published my 2020 book American Madness, which I consider my best, and I was excited to work with them as they’ve published many fantastic titles exploring the strange corners of the world. I think they knew that Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place (by Justin McHenry) would be up my alley in particular, because they sent me an advance copy and asked for a blurb. Here it is:

“Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place is a fascinating history of a land that doesn’t exist. McHenry takes us on a journey explaining how this strange theory materialized, from the rainforests of Madagascar to Madame Blavatsky’s drawing room to the hidden city in Mount Shasta and a plunge into the depths of 4chan. It’s a wild ride!”– Tea Krulos, American Madness

That blurb just scratches the surface of how weird this story is, and it’s one of my favorite types– stories where you’re not sure where reality ends and other people’s fantasies (or sometimes delusions) begin. That’s a theme in most of the books I’ve written so far.

You should order Lemuria if you want to fall down a rabbithole reading about how one crackpot after another cobbled together pieces of fake history and mythology to build this strange, non-existent land. And yes, those rascally lemurs are a key part of the theories.

You can buy a copy online here or wherever good books are sold: https://bookshop.org/p/books/lemuria-the-true-story-of-a-fake-place/19663689?ean=9781627311472

New in 2024: I’m writing a new column, “Madcap Milwaukee Calendar” every two weeks for the Shepherd Express. It’s just short blurbs about unique, unusual, nerdy, or just weird events you can check out in the Southeast Wisconsin area. Hey, I like giving fellow weirdos some ink. The columns can be found here: https://shepherdexpress.com/culture/madcap-milwaukee-calendar