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The Red Winter
- Author
- Cameron Sullivan
- Narrator
- Imogen Church, Rory Barnett
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 26 February 2026
- Run Time
- 16 hours 45 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction, Historical fantasy, Mythical, legendary and supernatural beings, monsters and creatures
- Rating
- 5.0 (2 reviews)
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What to expect
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 . . .
'A dark, witty listen blending horror and history into a vivid, gripping, and resonant experience.'
- KIRKUS REVIEWS
'An absolute feast of a book: rich, red, sinfully delicious'
– ALIX E. HARROW, author of Starling House
Critics Review
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Charming, haunting, ambitious and a great deal of fun
T. Kingfisher, Sunday Times bestselling author of Hemlock & Silver
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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
Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House
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So bloody good. The Red Winter is absolute ripper entertainment – miss it at your peril!
Shelley Parker-Chan, Sunday Times bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun
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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
Cassandra Khaw, bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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History, myth and horror collide in this hauntingly beautiful and unique story
Scream Magazine
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The prose of this book is amazing. I loved every second
FanFiAddict
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A sprawling epic that boasts deft plotting, a complex grasp of both history and mythology, and a sly, biting sense of humor, The Red Winter is gruesome, fascinating, and darkly romantic by turns
Den of Geek
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
-
5.0 5.0
It was really good but it made me cry
Vrenneth 2026-08-14
Details
- Author
- Cameron Sullivan
- Narrator
- Imogen Church, Rory Barnett
- Duration
- 16 hours 45 minutes
- Release Date
- 26 February 2026
- ISBN
- 9781035047574
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction, Historical fantasy, Mythical, legendary and supernatural beings, monsters and creatures
- Rating
- 5.0(2 reviews)
- Narration
- 5.0(2 reviews)
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 & BoneA 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 . . .'A dark, witty listen blending horror and history into a vivid, gripping, and resonant experience.'- KIRKUS REVIEWS'An absolute feast of a book: rich, red, sinfully delicious' – ALIX E. HARROW, author of Starling House
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