The Monster of Elendhaven

A darkly compelling story of murder, a monster, and the magician who loves both. Set against the backdrop of the plague-ridden city of Elendhaven, clinging to the edge of the ocean and stripped of all hope, you’ll find a tale of retribution, magic, and monstrosity. The city isn't the only thing fighting against demise; lurking in the shadows dwells a monster. With a soul as icy as it is cunning, it weaves itself around throats, immune from the grips of death. A puppet to its fragile master who sends it on perilous errands, it becomes a weapon in a scheme too monstrous to name. As the bond between the master and the monster tightens, a catastrophic revenge plan is formed. These monsters of Elendhaven will have their revenge on everyone who wronged the city, even if they have to burn the world to do it.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

R. F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel

“A tight, perfectly crafted story about retribution and what monsters deserve; stylish, quirky, and weirdly sexy? I’m into it.”

Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts

“Pitch dark, whimsical, topical, wild, and lushly written, Jennifer Giesbrecht's The Monster of Elendhaven is the most reading fun you'll have this year.”

Arkady Martine, Hugo Award-winning author of A Memory Called Empire

“Delicate, jagged, and unrepentant, The Monster of Elendhaven has the linguistic febrility of Peake and the brutal sentiment of a gothic, perfectly framed in a secondary-world Hanseatic League setting that is as unusual as it is compelling.”

Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author

“I read The Monster of Elendhaven in a single vicious, delightful bite. What a dark gem of a book.”

Library Journal, starred review

“Elendhaven is as fully formed as Mervyn Peake's "Gormenghast" series with truly repellent characters who don't possess a shred of moral fiber. Yet the right readers will still love them, as newcomer Giesbrecht is a fantasy writer to watch with a sure command of her world.”

Margo Lanagan, author of The Bridges of Rollrock Island

“Gorily gothic, darkly baroque, rotten with magic and shot with shafts of wicked humor, The Monster of Elendhaven is a perfect nightmare.”

Andrew Hussie, creator of Homestuck

“Giesbrecht's words don't ask, they don't wonder, they don't hope or plead or bargain. They command you to have the experience that she knows you will have, to see what she knows you will see.”

Indra Das, author of The Devourers

“Jennifer Giesbrecht's The Monster of Elendhaven is a gothic delight, dark as an oil-slick and iridescent with feral humour, bruise-violet prose, and a fascinatingly depraved tragic romance.”

Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians

“Horror fans will want to grab this one ― Giesbrecht has an extremely compelling voice.”

Grimdark Magazine

“The Monster of Elendhaven is so much more than it seems. In Giesbrecht's deft hands, it's a compelling, psychologically gripping tale of lust and revenge, told in parallel, twisting narratives that ingeniously leave the reader sympathizing with the most horrible people imaginable.”

About the Author

JENNIFER GIESBRECHT is a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia where she earned an undergraduate degree in History, spent her formative years as a professional street performer, and developed a deep and reverent respect for the ocean. She currently works as a game writer for What Pumpkin Studios. In 2013 she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop. Her work has appeared in Nightmare Magazine, XIII: ‘Stories of Resurrection’, Apex, and Imaginarium: The Best of Canadian Speculative Fiction. She lives in a quaint, historic neighborhood with two of her best friends and five cats. The Monster of Elendhaven is her first book.

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