Synopsis
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
Details
26 February 2026
9781035047543Reviews
Charming, haunting, ambitious and a great deal of fun
The Red Winter is a hell of a debut. An absolute feast of a book: rich, red, sinfully delicious. I've rarely been this satisfied – or this hungry for more
So bloody good. The Red Winter is absolute ripper entertainment-miss it at your peril!
A gorgeous tangle of history and fresh-made myth, The Red Winter is my platonic ideal of a debut: the moment I was done, I went looking for Sullivan’s backlog and let out an actual howl of despair upon realizing there was nothing yet. You’ll eat this one up
