The Red Winter

By Cameron Sullivan

Book Overview

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER

DELUXE EDITION--the hardcover edition of The Red Winter features beautiful red sprayed edges

A LibraryReads Pick An Indie Next Pick

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 G vaudan 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 his indwelling demon, Sarmodel - who takes payment in living hearts - it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down.

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.

But G vaudan is not as he remembers it, and Sebastian's unfinished business is everywhere he looks. Years of misery have driven the people to desperation, and France teeters on the edge of revolution. Sebastian's arcane activities - not to mention his demonic counterpart - have also attracted the inquisitorial eye of the French clergy. And the Beast is poised to close his jaws around them all and plunge the continent into war.

Debut author Cameron Sullivan tears the heart out of history with this darkly entertaining retelling of the hunt for the Beast of G vaudan. Lifting the veil on the hidden world behind our own, it reimagines the story of Europe, from Imperial Rome to Saint Jehanne d'Arc, the madness of Gilles de Rais and the first flickers of the French Revolution.

"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

"So bloody good. The Red Winter is absolute ripper entertainment--miss it at your peril " --Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun

"A gorgeous tangle of history and fresh-made myth. You'll eat this one up." --Cassandra Khaw, bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth

"Charming, haunting, ambitious, and a great deal of fun." --T. Kingfisher, New York Times bestselling author of A Sorceress Comes to Call

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250362768
• ISBN13: 9781250362766
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.9" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Tale!

Listening to this as an audiobook is a great way to immerse yourself into a dark time with Sebastian and Sarmodel returning to hunt the Beast of Gevaudan who has made a reappearance and is slaughtering again in a time of unrest and revolution. And while this does have plenty of supernatural, arcane additions, it still feels raw and real. Not that it is all dark, I especially loved Livia and her supplemental addition's to the tale Sebastian is writing. She is hilarious and it was fun to get the point of view of a succubus and her part in the events of the past during the hunt for the artifact and the tale of Jehanne d’Arc. That humor balances out the dark times indeed! Sebastian and Sarmodel's partnership were well done as well, I could listen to them bantering for a long time and be entertained the whole time. It was interesting to see how a demon and a human could work together over centuries and still be friendly with each other. And while I was not as much a fan of Antoine and that companionship or later with Jacques on the hunt twenty years later, It added to the historical feeling aspects though I liked the history that lead to the appearance of the Beast best. This was a great audiobook to listen to! The narrators, Imogen Church; Rory Barnett did a great job in bringing Sebastian and Livia's voices to life and their fascinating stories through time. It will be interesting to see what their next stories will be though you should definitely pick this audiobook up too! I am glad I got the chance to listen to this!