«I wandered into Cross River, not knowing a damn thing. Now I'm shuddering, gasping in wonder, reading stories over and over, and doing just about anything so that I never leave»

Marlon James, Booker Prize-winning author of A History of Seven Killings

«Powerful and revelatory»

Salon

«Weaves incisive criticism, dark humor, and magical realism in profound explorations of belief, love, justice, and violence»

BuzzFeed

«We have so far to go and so little time to get there, Scott seems to say. Maybe spending a few hours in Cross River will help build a bridge. Or blow one up, if need be»

Washington Post

«An 'impressive myth-slayer'... [Scott] shows that 'sidelining' white racist characters doesn't erase the effects of slavery'»

New York Times Sunday

«Thought-provoking tales that will flow from page to page, steeped in abstract mysticism»

Bad Form Review

«Rion Amilcar Scott proves himself an impressive myth-slayer and fable-maker... The World Doesn't Require You reminds us that having to fight racism has a strange way of distorting everything one touches'»

New York Times Book Review

«A rich, genre-splicing mix of alternate history, magical realism and satire that interrogates issues of race, sexism and where both meet here in the real world»

Los Angeles Times

«Bizarre, tender and brilliantly imagined, The World Doesn't Require You isn't just one of the most inventive books of the year, it's also one of the best»

NPR

«A major unique literary talent»

Entertainment Weekly

«Threading together tales of adrenaline, violence and rhythm, American writer Rion Amilcar Scott presents a stunning narrative that bestows its shine from its sharp edges... The World Doesn't Require You reminds us of the fruitful space between the surreal, the horrific and the run-of-the-mill. Rion Amilcar Scott is a writer that we will continue to expect great things from'»

Glass

«A bleak and beautiful collection of short stories... Scott demonstrates the skill and long-range vision of a writer we need right now. The World Doesn't Require You requires a commitment from readers, one that will be greatly repaid in literary satisfaction'»

USA TODAY

«Surreal, intertextual, and darkly comical stories... Rion Amilcar Scott writes in the tradition of George Schuyler and Ishmael Reed but with a distinctive wry, playful voice that is wholly his own. With breathtaking cruelty and devastating humor, Scott adduces the whole world in one community'»

Nafissa Thompson-Spires, author of Heads of the Colored People

«A musical and visceral explosion. The book makes you laugh even as it stabs. The truth told in a completely new way»

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of Friday Black

«A bold new talent emerges with this boundary-shattering collection»

Esquire

«Scott joins a growing tradition of African-American authors fusing the folksy dystopian humor of George Saunders with the charged satire of Ishmael Reed and expands on it brilliantly»

New York magazine.

«God may have forsaken [these characters], Scott does not. The World Doesn't Require You is full of horrible, ridiculous people, but it's full of grace, too»

A.V. Club.

«Flat-out unputdownable»

Laura van den Berg, author of The Third Hotel

«Rion Amilcar Scott doesn't hold back or tiptoe around issues about race. He's the most courageous writer I know; and this collection is an excellent example and significant achievement. He's now made his mark as a force to reckon with»

Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Patsy