"Lay Your Armor Down is an exceptional exploration of the existential malaise that drives us to find our paths in a cruel and indifferent world. This is not to be missed." 

S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author of All The Sinners Bleed and Blacktop Wasteland

 

"It’s not a surprise that Michael Farris Smith is also the front man for a rock-n-roll bar band. His sentences stalk the stage, flamboyant and visceral and howling, the choral heights of call and response. He possesses a conductor’s mastery and a lead singer’s swagger, and Lay Your Armor Down demands that you pay attention."
Wright Thompson, New York Times bestselling author of The Barn and Pappyland

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“Michael Farris Smith’s stories are constructed with the kind of patience and artistry that would be used when making a patchwork quilt.  Never too on the nose, his characters leave you yearning to discover what makes them tick. Lay Your Armor Down is the kind of ‘edge of your seat’ and ‘can’t put it down’ stuff that keeps us reading instead of scrolling.”

Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke

 

"Lay Your Armor Down is a prophetic, propulsive tale that is sure to leave its lasting mark on the Southern gothic cannon. Smith is at his best in these pages, his signature prose rendering   a work as dark and beautiful as a summer storm. This novel is a masterclass in storytelling, with characters that are uniquely unforgettable."

Scott Blackburn, author of It Dies With You

 

"Michael Farris Smith’s Lay Your Armor Down is a work of divination. The magic sticks with you long after you’ve read the last page. It’s his best one yet."

Mark Westmoreland, author of A Violent Gospel