The world is dying.  After most of the city succumbed to the plague, Welton's staying inside -- permanently.  But hiding in his claustrophobic basement room -- the only place he knows is safe -- exacts a gruesome price, and he becomes part of a collective that's killing children.  Infected with the plague himself, with no way to find the woman he loves, Welton takes refuge in apathy -- until someone knocks on his door. 

 

Ball Peen Hammer gives us a window into life in a half-deserted apartment building in a time of raw love, sacrifice, fear, and death. 

Praise

"Not for gentle readers, Rapp’s fatalistic urban future is never scarier than when its child and adult players’ motivations and emotions are the most realistic." -- Booklist

 

"Eerie . . . Rapp reflects on the ways we cling to art and passion in the face of destruction and the horror we feel as those things slip away." -- Publisher's Weekly

About the Author(s)

By Adam Rapp and George O'Connor

Adam Rapp is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He is currently the playwright-in-residence at Edge Theater Company. Rapp is the author of several young adult novels, including Missing the Piano, The Buffalo Tree, and 33 Snowfish. His first adult novel, The Year of Endless Sorrows, was released in December 2006. Rapp directed his first film, Winter Passing, with Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrell in 2005. He has written over ten plays.

 

George O'Connor is the author of several picture books, including the New York Times bestseller Kapow!, Kersplash, and Sally and the Some-thing. His debut graphic novel, Journey into Mohawk Country, was published by First Second. O'Connor's next project is The Olympians, a series of graphic novels for young readers about Greek Mythology.