The Red Winter
A lyrical folklore fantasy full of sorcery, demons and debauchery
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- 9,99 €
Publisher Description
Lusty, dark, queer fantasy – The Red Winter is perfect for fans of The Witcher and Susanna Clarke. Inspired by the eighteenth-century legend of the Beast of Gévaudan.
‘Charming, haunting, ambitious’
– T. KINGFISHER, author of Nettle & Bone
A devastating love story. A bewitching twist on history. A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power and redemption.
In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the terrible Beast of Gévaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake. Sebastian knows the Beast. A monster-slayer with centuries of experience, he joined the hunt for the creature twenty years ago and watched it slaughter its way through a long and bloody winter. Even with the help of Sarmodel, the demon he plays host to, bringing the monster down nearly cost him his life.
Now, two decades later, Sebastian has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. Drawn by both the chance to finish the Beast for good and the promise of a reconciliation with Antoine, Sebastian cannot refuse.
Some monsters, it seems, simply won’t stay buried . . .
'An absolute feast of a book: rich, red, sinfully delicious'
– ALIX E. HARROW, author of Starling House
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A magician and the demon that shares his body face off against a familiar foe in Sullivan's dense and ambitious debut, a retelling of the legend of the Beast of Gévaudan. In 1785, Jacques Avenel d'Ocerne implores ageless magician Sebastian Grave and his "indwelling Spirit," Sarmodel, to return to Gévaudan, France, and take on the same Beast Sebastian defeated two decades earlier, which is back and ravaging the countryside once more. Sebastian used his arcane knowledge during the earlier hunt alongside Jacques's father, Antoine, who became his lover as they stalked the nightmarish, supernaturally powerful creature. Drawn by his lingering feelings for Antoine, Sebastian agrees to join Jacques on the new hunt. The novel then toggles between their journey, during which Jacques reveals that he lied about Antoine sending for Sebastian and an unsettling truth about the Beast's reemergence comes to light; flashbacks to the original hunt; and scenes of a brewing revolution that remix the Joan of Arc story with ancient gods spurring fervent madness among her followers. Sullivan's sly humor and complex blend of history and mythology will immerse patient readers. This sprawling epic is worth the effort.
