A queer Witcher meets Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell in this bloody, lusty retelling of The Beast of Gevaudan, the story of the first werewolf, by debut author Cameron Sullivan.

''Charming, haunting, ambitious'' T. KINGFISHER A devastating love story. A bewitching twist on history. A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption. 1785. Twenty years ago, Sebastian Grave of Larnaca - a reserved man of arcane talents and many centuries, host to a spirit by the name of Sarmodel - brought himself to the remote French province of Gevaudan. The local Baron d''Ocerne and Bishop of Mende had called for volunteers to hunt the Beast, a monstrous creature believed to be responsible for the escalating and widespread slaughter of livestock and, now, citizens. Signing himself up to the Hunt, Sebastian found himself unexpectedly partnered with the fun-loving and handsome young nobleman Antoine d''Ocerne. In the twenty years since they combined forces, the two men have not spoken. Until, one day, Antoine''s son Jacques appears at Sebastian''s door, invoking the old contract and Sebastian''s promise of help. For the Beast is back - and Gevaudan has once more been seized in its grip of terror. Sebastian left behind a dark secret in those wintry mountains, and should rightfully heed Sarmodel''s advice to stay well away. But one thing time cannot break is the bonds of the heart, and the lure to see Antoine once again is too great to resist. Not all monsters, it seems, will stay buried.

Autorentext

Cameron Sullivan

Klappentext

**Inspired by the eighteenth-century legend of the Beast of Gévaudan, The Red Winter is a lusty, dark, queer fantasy - perfect for fans of The Witcher and Susanna Clarke.

'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**