Digger by Ursula Vernon

Digger by Ursula Vernon

Digger is the story of a shrewd, sensible wombat engineer who finds herself stranded in a fantasy world that is far from sensible. Thrust into the middle of a puzzling and often perilous situation involving gods, demons, destiny and redemption, she finds her way based on a pragmatic honesty and the sincere belief in doing the right thing. Her only wish is to return home, but along the way she makes enemies into friends, friends into heroes, the weak into warriors, and monsters into ...better monsters.

Digger is a serious fantasy tale that manages to be both meaningful and light-hearted. It explores complex themes of honor, responsibility, and the gray areas between right and wrong, but it does so with a frequent application of humor, wit and absurdity that keeps the story lively. It is an adventure story that can be fully enjoyed by young adult readers, but it also has levels of complexity in its humor and themes that become deeper and more meaningful with age and experience.

Originally created and released as a web comic, Digger ran for eight years and collected widespread acclaim for both its unique woodcut-inspired art style and depth of story.

2012 Hugo Award Winner Best Graphic Story

2013 Mythopoeic Award Winner Adult Literature

Volume Four contains chapters seven and eight of the twelve-chapter story. Digger finds herself under the scrutiny of the universally-feared matriarch of the Cerulean Hills hyena tribe, Boneclaw Mother; which is no place for someone previously regarded as prey and wanting to avoid causing offense and a one-way-trip to the dessert course. There is also still the matter of getting home without getting any deeper into the matter of nearly-dead Gods, insane acolytes, talking statues, or amoral shadow critters with a penchant for existential crises. When Surka (ex-pirate captain shrew turned professional bridge troll) and Ed (outcast hynena artist and brewer of warrior-tea) are among the saner beings in your social circle, you KNOW things are just not turning out like you hoped.

Ursula Vernon is a birdwatcher and vivid dreamer whose work has received Hugo and Eisner award nominations. She lives in Pittsboro, North Carolina, and works as an artist and writer full-time.