Deep Roots

In this dark fantasy sequel to Winter Tide, siblings in Cold War America look to rebuild their New England community only to find mystery and danger.
A finalist for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Dragon Award for Best Fantasy Novel

Ruthanna Emrys's Innsmouth Legacy, which began with Winter Tide and continues with Deep Roots, confronts H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos head-on, boldly upturning his fear of the unknown with a heart-warming story of found family, acceptance, and perseverance in the face of human cruelty and the cosmic apathy of the universe. Emrys brings together a family of outsiders, bridging the gaps between the many people marginalized by the homogenizing pressure of 1940s America . . .


Aphra Marsh, descendant of the People of the Water, has survived Deep One internment camps and made a grudging peace with the government that destroyed her home and exterminated her people on land. Deep Roots continues Aphra's journey to rebuild her life and family on land, as she tracks down long-lost relatives. She must repopulate Innsmouth or risk seeing it torn down by greedy developers, but as she searches she discovers that people have been going missing. She will have to unravel the mystery, or risk seeing her way of life slip away.

"Wicked for the Cthulhu Mythos." —Seanan McGuire on the Innsmouth Legacy
"Deep Roots is a marvel of a fantasy novel, with monsters fighting for their very existence and a place to call their own." —Booklist
"I really like this story and think fans of Lovecraft will enjoy it if they don't mind switching genres. It's not horror and it's not a particularly "alien" version of the Mythos but it's still a very good take on Lovecraft's work which I enjoyed for its own sake." —Grimdark Magazine